Most of the large Eastern and some of the large Western
companies purchased immunity from such "supervision," and were well
content; but it was mere blindness on their part not to understand that
such a condition, with the ugly corruption it involved, could not
continue. The time was bound to come when an aroused public opinion
would undermine their "influence," and would retaliate by imposing upon
them restrictions of a most embarrassing and expensive character. In so
doing the leaders of a reformed and aroused public opinion might be
honestly seeking only legitimate regulation; but the more the state
authorities sought conscientiously to regulate the railroads the worse
the confusion they would create. The railroad could not escape some
restrictive supervision; neither were they obliged wholly to submit to
it on the part of any one state. The situation of a railroad running
through half a dozen states, and subject to the contradictory and
irresponsible orders of half a dozen legislatures or commissions might
well become intolerable.
Pages:
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748