The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-02-01

prevail, that the Vermont put
fishers relations with the rail
road have not been on strict.
business basis.
Wilmington Times.
1t is probable that a dual mo
tive prompted four Vermont rail
roads to appear by representa-
tives before the new railroad com
mission the other day and pra,
for a special construction of thu
law relative to the posting o
freight tariffs. The law provides
that tariff sheet be posted con
spicuously in each depot, station
and Office of the railroads. Fol
some reason the railroads object
to this provision and so they
asked the commissioners to con
strue the law in such a manner as
to permit the companies to post
in depot waiting rooms, in lieu OF
the tariff sheets, notices that such
sheets might be seen on applica-
ton to station agents. With
much solemnity the railroad rep
resentatives assured the commits
sioners that the requirements OF
the law amounted almost to a
physical impossibility and involv-
ed great hardships upon the com
panies. 1t was going to be, they
said, a tremendous task to watch
all the tariff sheets to see that
the tariff sheets to see that the
common people did not steal
them. 1t was, they all said, Gin
practicable" to display the tariff
cards in the manner intended by
the law.
Now it is clear enough to any
one that the public posting of
rate sheets is neither impossible
nor impracticable. Nor is there
any danger of their being alb
stracted. The railroads, for some
reason of their own, which their
representatives did not state to
the commissioners, simply do not
want their tariff sheets posted
where he who runs may read. 1t
would be very easy for the gener-
al public to become uncomfortably
wise upon certain matters of clas-
sifcation, with the undesirable re-
suit of that same general public
getting it's eyes open on subjects
which the railroads regard as
none of it's business, if the G. P.
took to perusing tariff sheets in
its idle, train waiting moments.
Herein may possibly be found
one reason for this railroad re-
quest for a different reading of
the law. Another reason for the
of the railroads plead
ers at Montpelier was perhaps a
lesire to feel out the new commits
sion. 1t is very convenient thing
or railroad managers to know
what to expect from a railroad |
,Ommission-whether the com
are inclined to be rigid |
aw enforcers or to lean toward |
he transportation companies
ide of questions debatable with
he state. Now the particular
ectiOn of the railroad law gov
rning the posting of tariff sheets
) a peculiar one in that it con
aims a vague provision that "the
GARD of railroad commissioners
lay, for good cause shown, modi-
Y the requirements of this sec
on" etc. So that a ruling under
lis section, which leaves much
ltitude to the commissioners,
light fairly be taken as a criteri-
n of these officials predisposition
1 other matters to arise later. 1t
as a good section on which to
ang test as to whether the new
commission was a railroads
oard' or a peoples board"
1t is vastly encouraging that ;
ne commission denied the re. ;
nest of the railroads for a spec {
Il Interpretation relieving them
rom a duty only fairly imposed ;
n them. ]
brooklyn Eagle.) '
1t has passed into a proverb |
nat corporations have no souls. {
fortunately, the men who manage I
often have hearts.
he news item which tells how {
lie st. Paul Railroad ran a spec /
Il train 100 miles to carry to a {
lrgeon a brakeman who had his {
rot cut off, is at least suggestive. S
Ie do not imagine that the sup {
'intendent who ordered this ac- {
on will be candidate for a c
fe savers medal, and we have no c
lea that the president of the
,ad who will approve the course a
ken will expect vote of thanks c
ON the union to which the a
'akeman belonged. They will no b
ore seek to star their generosity
ian do the mine-owning corpora
on managers when scores of b
en- are buried by a dispensation r
Providence, and it takes thou n
nds of dollars to dig the vic C
ms out. d
"Every generation is false" t
id a witty Frenchman, adding, v
ter a pause, Given this one" h
have no souls. A E
anager of corporation property n