prevent any
approach to an assertion of the principle of State control of railroad
transportation, railroad managers have secured, wherever possible, the
co-operation of public officials, and, in fact, of every semi-public and
private agency capable of affecting public opinion. Their great wealth
and power has made it possible for them to influence to a greater or
less extent every department of the National and State governments.
Their influence extends from the township assessor's office to the
national capital, from the publisher of the small cross-roads paper to
the editorial staff of the metropolitan daily. It is felt in every
caucus, in every nominating convention and at every election. Typical
railroad men draw no party lines, advocate no principles, and take
little interest in any but their own cause; they are, as Mr. Gould
expressed it, Democrats in Democratic and Republicans in Republican
districts. The large means at the command of railroad companies, their
favors, their vast armies of employes and attorneys and their almost
equally large force of special retainers are freely employed to carry
into execution their political designs, and the standard of ethics
recognized by railroad managers in these exploits is an exceedingly low
one.

It is a settled principle of these men that, if they can prevent it, no
person not known to be friendly to their cause must be placed into any
public office where he might have an opportunity to aid or injure their
interests. The records of the various candidates of the principal
parties for city, county, State and national offices are therefore
carefully canvassed previous to the primaries, the most acceptable among
the candidates of each party are selected as the railroad candidates,
and the local representatives of the railroad interest in each party are
instructed to use all means in their power to secure their nomination.

If none but candidates who are servile to the railroad interest are
nominated by the principal parties, the election is permitted to take
its own course, for, whichever side is successful, the railroad interest
is safe. If, however, there is reason to believe that a nominee is not
as devoted to their interests as the nominee of an opposing party, the
latter is sure to receive at the polls whatever support railroad
influence can give him. That a public official elected by the grace of a
railroad manager is but too apt to become a tool in his hands needs