The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-31
City to Kansas City had scurried
around and located it.

City to Kansas City had scurried
around and located it.
Trusts and illegal combinations of
capital were vigorously assailed dur
ing the course of his remarks-in fact
the trend of the whole paper was
along these lines, and the attorney
general of Missouri thinks that the
lawyers are tic be charged with a great
measure of the responsibility of the
continued existence of such law break
ers. The standard of ethics which he
would set for his profession is a high
one as he indicated when he said: IF
the lawyers of this country would re-
fuse to advise persons and corpora
tions how to violate the law with inn
punity and how to conduct their bust
ness so that the evidence of their
wrong doing could not be secured then
much Of that of which the public COM
plains would cease"
The speech was frequently inter-
rupted by applause of the four hun
bred people who crowded into the SUI
preme court room At the conclusion
Mr.. Hadley was elected an honorary
member of the State Bar association.
A large part of the thought of
Concerning Larceny" was devoted to
the railroads. Mr.. Hadley said in
part:
entitled to consideration who openly
advocate pooling on the part of COM
peting railroads. While the question
of the prevention of rebates and other
illegal practices in railroad rates may
have had an influence in causing such
persons to advocate pooling, yet 1t is
clear that since the general exercise
of the power to regulate freight rates
both by the state and national gov
ernments, the existence or absence or
competition affects to a less extent, at
least, the charges that are paid to
public service corporations. But rates
n nj
that a public service corporation rem
ders to the public which is of interest
and concern The. promptness, the
sufficiency, the safety and convenience
Of the service are all matters in which
the public has as much if not more
concern than the charge. ~t
The question of the prevention of
abuses in the Organization conduct and;
control of public service corporations
has also been due. in a large part. to
the failure to understand the funda-
mental principles of law which estab--
nsh the relations and obligations of
those who compose such corporations to
the public and the state. AS the name
implies, such a corporation is created
by the state and given certain unusual
powers and privileges in order that it
may serve the public. In the case of a
railroad or an express company, the
term common carrier suggests another
obligation incident to the existence of
such a corporation. in that they should
be carriers common to all alike and on
equal terms
Men who associate themselves to-
gether in the form of a corporation for
the purpose of engaging in the mining
of coal, the operation of a mill or the
selling of groceries. have a legal and
moral right to make much out of their
legal and honorable lines. Men who as
sociate themselves together in the form
of a corporation for the purpose of OPP
Grating a railroad have neither a legal
nor moral right to receive more than a
reasonable return upon their invest
ment Insomuch as they receive more,
insomuch do they take from the public
that which they have no right to re-
ceive And every person who pays a
railroad an amount in excess of a rea-
sonable charge for the service rendered.
can recover such excess in an action at
law. that is. if he can prove the facts,
Further a railroad, like a private