Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-08

sent to jail.
The big railway managers also declare
| that they are glad that free passes are abol-
| ished and that every railroad OF Importance
| In the country has gone farther than the law
| requires and has stopped issuing free trans
| portation within state limits, which is not
prohibited. They accept the situation, al
| though they Insist that the endemic of I'M
favorable legislation throughout the coun-
| try, and particularly the 2-cent-a-m mile laws
| that have been enacted in thirteen states,
| were largely inspired by revenge the part
| of politicians for having their passes cut
off
Complaint of Corporation Men.
| At the same time the men who are re-
sponsible for the policies and the financial
management of the big corporations regret
! the disposition of the administration at
Washington to rake over the past" as
they call it. because they agree with Mr..
Hartman that it disturbs public confidence
| and endangers the future prosperity of the
| country. They admit that the laws have
! been violated pretty generally; that a COM
| plant might possibly be sustained against
| every one of the big railway companies and
| practically every of the smaller ones
| but, at the same time they declare that the
| offenses were committed years ago and
| that the facts were known to the interstate
commerce commission and the bureau of
| corporations. 1t is asserted that the De-
| partment of Agriculture at Washington was
| familiar with the faults OF the packing
| houses at Chicago and was taking quiet
| steps to correct them when the sensational
| report of Commissioners Neill and Reynolds
was sprung upon the public; that every vio-
| lation Of the law for which the Standard
| OIL Company is now being prosecuted was
| familiar to the officials in Washington when
| 1t occurred and that the government should
| have begun its prosecutions at that time in
| the ordinary way without making such the
atrical demonstrations. which. they COM
1 q 20 10
! genuine reform
There is no fear of the interstate COM
| merce commission Every one of the
| several railway managers 1 have talked
| with speaks in the highest confidence of it's
| personnel, its judicial fairness and its con-
| scientious desire to do justices all around.
| and they express their relief at being
| placed under the jurisdiction Of the federal
| government rather than being left to the
| tender mercies of the state legislatures and
| railway commissions.
Public Opinion Supports President.
| The railway managers have been testing
public opinion through their own agencies
and have ascertained that the policy of the
administration. which Wall street men de-
scribe as batting the corporations" is
very generally approved by the people at
| large. They have become convinced that
| the country Is almost solid in it's support of
| President Roosevelt, Notwithstanding his
| sudden and sensational methods, and that
| he is stronger than ever. This informa-
| ton has been obtained by calling upon sta
| ton agents, travelling agents of passenger
| and freight departments and employees Of
| the railways generally for reports as to
| public opinion in the communities where
| they are engaged. In this way the senti-
ment Of almost every section Of the United
] has been obtained. Reports have come
from small towns and villages. as well as
| from commercial centers and large Ship
| ping points station master has a very
| good opportunity to ascertain public senti-
| ment, particularly If he is assisted by con-
| ductors on local trains and travelling pas
| senger and freight agents who come In
| contact with all classes of people, Their
reports to the headquarters of the compa-
MES that employ them are strikingly SIM
| liar. One railway president told me that
| those from station agents and other en-
| ployes of his company might have been
| written by the same, man." and he was
| astonished at the unanimity of opinion in
| support Of the Presidents anti-corporation
| policy and the extent to which his popular
ity had been sustained among the people
| Notwithstanding conviction in the minds
| of the ablest leaders of both political par
| ties and the best-informed business men in
| New York and elsewhere that the Presi-
dents anti-corporation policy has been In
tended for political effect and has dis
| turbed public confidence, there is not par
| ticle of doubt that the people approve of it
| and that 1t has increased his popularity in
| the country at large. The people regard
| him infalible. No matter what he does
| they say it's all right"
State Legislation Obnoxious.
Some of the great railroads are not sat-
| isfied with the arbitrary rate legislation
that has been enacted in the state legisla-
lures and the constitutionalty of the 3
J cent-a-mile laws will be tested in the Su-
preme Court. Although some railway
charters permit the legislatures to regu-
| late rates, most of them do not, and while
railways are public utilities and are there
| fore subject to official control, 1t Is con-
tended that transportation Is commodity
| like wheat and potatoes, coal and cloth
ing, and that legislature has no right to
nix Its price or say what company shall
| charge for hauling a load of freight or a
passenger any more than it can fix the
| charge for grinding wheat into flour or
making a pair Of shoes. The Pennsylvania
Company has been selected to bell the cat
and its counsel have already filed a bill in
equity against the county of Philadelphia,
enjoining 1t from demanding any penalties
for the violation Of the 2-cent-a-m mile law
| on the 9th of April and will go into effect
on the LIST of October.
| The bill sets forth that If the 2-cent-a-
mile law Is enforced it will restrict and
| railway company in respect to the man.
agement of its business; that it violates.
the charter or the pennsylvania road; that
! it will compel that company in many
| cases to carry passengers at less than their
| transportation costs; that it will deprive
| 1t of a fair and just compensation for serv-
\ ices performed; that 1t will deprive its
| stockholders of a fair and reasonable in
| come from their investments; that it is in
violation of the interstate commerce laws
| and repugnant to the Constitution.
| If favorable decision is obtained in this
! suit similar proceedings will be begun in
other states, by roads whose charters do not
permit legislative regulation of rates. But
| whether or no, the question will be carried