Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-14
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY.
Continued from page 4.

schemes but nothing can excel equal,
evenhanded i-stice.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion was. at enormous cost. created to
enforce the great national principle
that ira. .sportation rates shall be uni-
form. We see II stated in the press
that Senator Knox is strongly In favor
of exemption: yet the Pennsylvania
constitution, Article II. says that all
shall have equal rights to transporta-
ton over railroads and canals and no
undue discrimination shall be made In
charges and there shall be no free
passes except To officers and employees.
A citizen OF n State cannot consistently
disown the broad principles of its con-
stitutionai policy.
The Federal constitution most truly
gives to every citizen equal rights in
all governmental facilities. But the
canal law prevents under penalty any
railroad company from owning boats
TO be used in canal operations. 1T is n
strange policy that would let some ships
go through free and absolutely prevent
a railroad owned ship from entering the
canal. We are now showing some of the
distractions in the way of donating
tolls to favored shipping. The rail-
roads pay large taxes to the government
which are applied TO the canal debt, yet
tolls are to be free to coast trade. for
the express purpose of wrecking or
holding the railroad lines in check. The
exemption argument is bankrupted
when we see that the railroad charges
are all fixed by gov 2rnment regulation
and the canal is useless for such pur-
pose.
Suppose the Secretary of Commerce.
should urge that exemption was neces-
sary for the extension of commerce
The best reply would be, that the post
office and the telegraph are aids TO COM
merce why not give free mail and tele-
graph service to all. at the same time
with toll exemption? Here are more
distractions TO be surmou ted.
The people have one facility for op-
posing the exemption argument. Pa
mama Canal Tolls and Treaties" il \
book preserving the theories upon which
the contest was waged before the Sen
ate In 1914 1t contains the cana
treaties the Suez Canal treaty. large
part of the Root and O'Gorman speeches
in the Senate. several letters printed in
the Every Evening and the Morning
News and everything of importance
about that controversy. The book has
240 pages- and was produced in VIII
nington. and might bc considered 2
supplement 10 the canal proceedings
The toii question was prol erly adjusted
in 1914, and wonderful changes have
come about since then which show
clearly that exemption should not now
be suggested or even dreamed Of.
This is no time to stab the railroads
they are fettered almost to destruction
shall we place another straw on their
backs? why have 40 much love for
exemption and no concern for railroads
If we were TO have only one. we should
give up the canal and hold fast tC
Ia nd transportation.
Railroads have been the salvation oi
this country: without them a large part
Of our territory would be but little
above the development Of the plains oi
Africa. The railroads are indispensable
and | am able to realize this. without
owning one share of their stock.
Equality, constitutional equality. must
be our eternal motto. or we shall be
swept into "class-ocracy" and then true
government. property and liberty. al
will be lost. Let us stand by that gov.
ernment which was created. equally
for one and for all!