duce his
profits to a minimum. He never stripped him, for by doing so he would
have prevented his return and would have destroyed his own source of
revenue. In like manner a railroad will never annihilate any weak branch
of business along its line, nor will it, if it is in its power, permit
any business to prosper without paying to it heavy tributes out of its
profits. Every commodity is therefore made to pay a transportation tax
based chiefly on its value and the profit which it yields, and all
classifications are prepared with this object in view.

The protection which, through exceptionally low rates, is extended by
the railroad companies to certain industries, may not be objectionable
_per se_, but the question arises whether the railroad companies or the
people should exercise the right to determine when and where such
protection is necessary. Moreover, to tax one branch of commerce for the
benefits bestowed upon another is a practice of extremely doubtful
propriety, and the power to do so should certainly never be conferred
upon a private corporation. When customs laws are proposed in Congress
ample opportunity is given to the representatives of the various
industries of the country to be heard upon the subject. No hasty step is
taken. Members of Congress have every opportunity to ascertain the
sentiment of their constituents, through the public press, petitions and
private correspondence. The subject is discussed in all its phases, both
in the committee-rooms and upon the floors of both houses of Congress.
Every detail is fully considered, and many compromises are often
necessary to secure for a bill the support of the majority. When it
finally passes it represents the will of the people, or at least the
will of their legal representatives, who may be expected to know their
wants and are accountable to them for their acts. Freight
classifications, however, while they are fully as far-reaching as
customs laws, are made by a few freight agents meeting in secret
session, listening to no advice and acknowledging no higher authority.

It is claimed by the railroad men that it is to the interest of railroad
companies to do justice to all, and that the best classification for
the largest number of people is also the best for the roads. If this be
true, it is difficult to see why railroads should fail to consult their
patrons in the arrangement of their freight classifications. Intelligent
shippers may certainly be supp