The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-29
Clearing house certificates have vanished, but cleaning house certih- cates will soon .heave in sight.
REASONABLE REQUESTS.

REMOVABLE REQUESTS.
 The fact grows more and more inn pressive that the country Is awaken ing to the practical wisdom of consid- ering its own troubles and the reme- dies for them in a rational manner. The muck-raker has had his day. We do not care to quarrel with him over whether he has done some good or not. It is possible. and perhaps likely. that we required just such drubbing as we have had, but it is neither pos sible nor likely that the wheels can be kept moving in an orderly way un- der the incentive given by constant irritation. To get the better of the things which torment us and to add useful legislation to what we already have we must proceed with some re- spect for the laws which are not of human manufacture.
 The railroads of the country have complained with considerable justice that they have been bounded rather than reasoned with in connection with conduct which was not universal among ther4 It is true that the lash ings given certain shining railroad cor yh hn 1aA tlNA l.
 tlieve that a railroad corporation Is the device of the devil for exploiting the defenceless public. This was pro- ceeding In an irrational way to pro- duce a good result and is one of the causes why public confidence broke and the panic came On Monday President Roosevelt received at the White House committee of 6p.rat,ng vice. presidents of railroad companies including representative of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Rail. road company. The object of their call, though it was not put in that blunt way, was to persuade the Pres ident to have the government proceed in an orderly manner to 'netermine the | legality of the commodity amendment of the railroad rate law. They are ad- vised by counsel that 1t is unconstitu- tional, and because there is substan- tial unanimity among them upon that phase of the law they ask that the government proceed against some one road and thus get the act to the Su- Dreme court as soon as possible.
 That would seem to be a perfectly reasonable request, though 1t does not square with the practice of hitting a railroad head every time 1t appears above the surface These railroad men are not seeking to get the better oi the government and hence of the peo- pie, for as men of common sense they know that if it is good law it will sure- | lysbe enforced They are merely seek | ing to take advantage of what is 8 reasonable doubt as to the constitu- tionality of the law in order to escape | the unjust consequences of an attack which later may be found to be un- justitiable. No great harm. if any harm at all. can be done by letting the rail. roads which own coal-producing prop critics test the soundness of the law which forbids them to own and operate them, before they dispose of them while a great and cruel wrong would be done by divorcing them from theil property now when later 1t might bs found that the law is contrary to tho constitution. This friendly line of req sonIng is of course obieatinnable tc those who hate corporate capital and who hunt vested interests before ant after breakfast ani duiiNg the rest o the day, but it harmonizes neverthe. less with the dignity of a great natior which must do justice to all concerned
 Congressman Bannon of Ohio plead ed Monday night before the bushes, men of Waterbury for return, no only by congress. but by the legisla lures of the various States. to the well
 beaten paths of our fathers. Let con fidence again be restored in the busi ness world. Let the demagogues uui preaching the doctrine that becaus, one corporation is dishonest all oth CTS are necessarily SO" That too is reasonable request to be made at thi time. The Journal-Courier has said number of times. and it has seen n, reason to change its opinion, that tn
 real causes of the perils we have es capped. as well as of the distress W, have suffered, will be found in tn recklessness with which the constitu ton and the laws have been suspend ed to make a political holiday In stead of undertaking to correct evil by means of the constitution and tn, laws, we have been bent upon expert