Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1907-06-28

York addressed the Knife and Fork
club of Kansas City Judge Gay
nor spoke on freight rate abuses.
The Associated Press gives extracts
from Judge Gaynors speech as fol-
lows:
"There is no prejudice in this coun-
try against honestly acquired wealth,
however large It is wealth acquired
UNANIMOUSLY which is under the ban OF
the spendid intellige nee and integrity
of the people of this country. The prime
object of government is to promote dis
tributive justice to all. Without this
object being fulfilled there can he no
true prosperity. Prosperity is the high
est production which a community is
capable f,consistentiwith the physical
and mental welfare of its members, ac-
companied 10y just distribution Of the
total product among the producers.
This does not mean share and share
alike, but according to the productive
capacity, physical or mental, or both
of each. If a few are getting each year,
and constantly, by hook or by crook,
the total product of all who work, then
the condition is not one of prosperity.
"If certain individuals in a short
lfet ine become possessed of SO much
property that they can make abnor-
mai gifts to charity;if one man can
give away, for instance, tie vast sum
of So, 000, 900 in one gift without feel
ing il any more than you would miss
| 50, we make fatal mistake if we as
| cribe such condition TO prosperity.
If we find the railroads being used TO
allow few to acquire such fortunes at
the expense of theirfellowmen by hay
ing their freight carried at rate. lower
are able to create monoplies in then
selves, our condition is not one of pros
perity, but it is dangerous to the per-
petuity Of our free government.
"From the beginning public
highways always had been built by
the government. In the same Way the
government could have built our iron
highways-the railroads. And even
though privately built, the railroads of
the country are still public highways
"rhis is the decision of all the courts
in the land. The corporations,no the
individuals who control them, can not
do with them as they will. They are
mere rustees, or agencies of the govern
ment, to run them as public highways
for the benefit ofall, aud without any
favoritism discrimination TO anyone
Every free pass issued, every favor in
freight rates granted, is in defiance Of
the law. Some people are under the
delusion that recent statutes made these
things unlawful but they have been
unlawful from the beginning.
We only needed statutes to make IL
criminal ofiense to grant them, and to
/ jail those who should grant them.
That these public highways should be
! used to enable few men to destroy
j., their business rivals is the basest crime
of our day and generation.
:'lf l give an illustration, it is DOT
for holding any one mar up for re-
preach above others. In 1870 | went
through the oil regions ofPennsylvania
and saw n wilderness o. derricks spread
out ever the country over engines
pumping oil from wells. Hundreds of
people owned such wells, and We're pro-
ducing oil. Five ears later all these
wells had p, ssed INTO the control OF
one man, or set of men. All the other
producers had failed and joined those
unfortunates who fall by the ways'de
in the struggle for existence. And why
and how? Because this Que man and
his few companions Went 10 the few
! powerful individuals who controlled
The railroads and consrirea with them,
and got them to carry the oil to naar-
ket for, say 81 barrel, while everyone
else was charged 81 and more q barrel.
OF course, this favrritism in freight
rates enabled them TO underseli by that
much, and destroy all their rivals.
AUST think of a debate being cot
up, even by ministers of the gospel,
whether money thus acquired is taint-
ed!phe same thing has been done in
our p incipal products. And let no one
be under the delusion that il is to
cease. You can't stop an evil by merely
! passing a law against il. Every week,
! even now, reveals new case OF this
railroad favoritism and diserlminatiod.
Some have come to the conclusion that
the government should take the rail-
roads and run them, in order to end the
abuse. For my part, | would not see
i the government do It. Private enter
prise is too valuable 10 be eliminated
from railroad buiiiing and manage
ment, If 1t can be avoided.
"My own view is thatit is only nee
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