The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-06

A CHALLENGE TO THE COUNTRY.
q The railroads, having deliberately preeipitated
government action, ale now apparently engaged
in the old ruse of exertinc threat 10 rule or rum
The while they attempt to shift the issue of their
own creating.
4 III any action could. from precedent of decided
eases. as well as from the reason Of the thing be
IN violation Of the Sherman antitrust law, II
would seem that concerted agreement to nix rates
through some particular agency would be that
case.
Yet. when first the Western and then the
Eastern roads deliberately challenge the govern
ment 10 act, its action raises rcsoundlng clamor
of surprised Indignation 1t is as though the rail-
roads have formally announced on principle that
special immunity from the law which they nave
10 often arrogatcd to themselves in practice.
In pursuance of the program of intimidation,
conferences arc arranged with thr government AZ
hcials and, pending the conferences and for the
sake of the object lesson the stock market Is
dealt staggering blow after staggering blow OF
the sort that only the power of the political ana
speculativelv inclined roads can deliver In the
midst Of the fear and confusion il - no doubt
reasoned thar the timid Mr.. Taft and the cor
poration suckled Mr.. Wickersham will tremble
at the havoc they have caused TO back out with
such grace as the corpulency Of the one and
the opnionated bent of the other will permit.
In this issue. raised on the assumption that the
administration j. suffering of fatty degeneration.
the people will look to the government TO nerve a
hahbv habit into a sound sef-respect. The ques-
tion whether or not the railroads will rule the
law. or the law the railroads, is no longer matter
] Ut oratory. 1t has been reduced TO the terms OF
nm exact mathematical problem. If the roads
should succeed in forcing the government to with
draw. they would merely gain the strength and
confidence for another similar test. The matter
has gone already far enough. The times demand
The fixing of limit, which, if not fixed now,
time will most assuredlv serve TO the more sharp
II define, the moro it is disastrously extended.
There ought not 10 be in this crisis any mis-
understanding of the point through a considera-
tion of side ISSUES. The reasonableness or UNI
reasonableness of the rates cnjoned is matter al
most entirely collateral TO the issue. There Is,
On the other hand, only involved the bold and
open defiance Of the spirit and letter of the law
There is much reason in the contention that rail
roads ought 10 be permitted, under supervision, tc
Fix interstate rates by combination. President
Taft recommended so much to Congress. There
are, also, many factors which operate 10 Just1ty
Increased rates. But, instead OF waiting the Is
sue of pending legislation, instead Of eacn FOR ~
self fixing its own tariff and fling the same with
the interstate commission the railroads, while
lighting 10 the bitter end every provision of the
railroad bill looking 10 reasonable regulation,
fy in the teeth of the law in the first place and in
the next threaten panic if they prevented
from substituting their own will for that of the
law
President Taft recently stated publicly thar the
approaching issue was one between socialism and
the established form Of government II, in the
present emergency, he shall prove plant, or even
lacking in the highest qualities of courage, he
viii do more toward encouraging the socialism he
breads than could be at this time accomplished
by any other man. or any conceivable event.