The situation no doubt was very critical, but they had weathered worse storms and he had every reason to hope they would outlive this storm.

It was true that public opinion was greatly incensed against the railroads and, indeed, against all organized capital, and was seeking to injure them through the courts.

For a time this agitation would hurt business and lessen the dividends, for it meant not only smaller annual earnings but that a lot of money must be spent in Washington.
The eyes of the listeners, who were hanging on every word, involuntarily turned in the direction of Senator Roberts, but the latter, at that moment busily engaged in rummaging among a lot of papers, seemed to have missed this significant allusion to the road's expenses in the District of Columbia.

Ryder continued: In his experience such waves of reform were periodical and soon wear themselves out, when things go on just as they did before.
Much of the agitation, doubtless, was a strike for graft.

They would have to go down in their pockets, he supposed, and then these yellow newspapers and these yellow magazines that were barking at their heels would let them go.