Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1907-06-05
PLENTY OF INSPECTION
BY THE BtEF TRUST
The Railroads in the Two-Cent States
Reducing Everything to a Dead
Level.

Washington. D. c., May 30.-(Special
Correspondence Of The Republican,
That there should be any complaint
over the announcement of the beef
trust that thereafter cattle should BE-
purchased subject 10 condemnation
after slaughtering is a matter of great
surprise here. When the subject OF in
spection was up before congress and
the muck-rakers were raising a hula
baloo over conditions in the packing
houses, and the public became afraid
to even handle n can of ported meat
for fear of infection, then no one be
iieved the packers were sincere when
they said they were perfectly willing
the public should have all the inspec-
ton it Wanted-but the public would
have to foot the bill. One thing the
beef trust should be given credit for
and that is a somewhat brutal frank
less. Just why anyone should have
imagined the trust would bear the cost
or loss is not clear. II announced II
would not. and it does not II was re-
lieved of the unpleasantness of raising
the price of meat to cover the cost
of inspection, although IL frankly
stated it would do so il necessary, be
cause the cost is borne by the treasury
and thus falls only indirectly on the
consumer. But the trust can see no
good reason why il should lose on cat
tie which are condemned after death
and has passed the loss on the pro-
Queer. feeder or commission man as
the case may be. Thus. while making
the consumer pay the cost of inspec-
ton, indirectly, the loss by inspection
falls on the producer. If anything. the
trust seems to have gained by the
operation. Perhaps it will share the
gain with the consumer, "Quien sabe? 2"
Or maybe its members will devote the
surplus to founding Libraries or en-
downing educational institutions.
The complexity of the railroad bust
ness and accompanying questions is
appalling. Much fault is being found
with railroads who propose to enforce
the two-cent-a-m rate in states
where il has been adopted. against all
travellers, commuters as well as 9TH
ers. Yet there is something to be said
on the side of the railroads, strange
as it may seem, and il leads to the
proposition which eventually this gov
eminent must settle and which will
cause more trouble than anything
since the civil war.
The great cry has been, in all the
anti-raflroad agitation. against 'un-
just discrimination" Narrowed down,
unjust as applied to discrimination
means that the discrimination is "un-
just" from the standpoint of the party
Disseminated against. When the issue
is crystalized until any discrimination
whatever is regarded as unjust"
then we may expect parlous times, and
advanced thinkers have always con-
tended that constitutionally the courts
will be unable to sanction discrimina-
ton just or unjust. The Communication
problem is simple. To increase traffic.
both passenger and freight. a railroad
reduces the rate on both between GER
tain points and the population of the
suburbs Increases. This makes bust
ness for the railroads and is regarded
as good business. But railroads are
common carriers and therefore are not
entitled to discriminate between citi-
zens of a state or of the United States.
What legal right, therefore. have they
10 say to A, you travel over our line
from Baltimore TO Washington every
day and we will carry you for fifty
time say to B, you go from Baltimore
to Washington once a week, or once a
year, so you will have to pay two cents