The Placer herald., 1857-02-28
AUBURN. FEBRUARY %, 1857.
Defeat Of Normans Anti-Steamboat MO
nopoly Bill,


but to those of some twcnty-one counties par
ticularly, was after much dodging and shirking.
brought TO a final vote on q motion to indefinite
ly postpone thc consideration of the entire mat
ter, majority of the Democrats of that body
voting nay. Mr. Normans vote is recorded
among the ages, for the purpose, as he stated, of
enabling him to move a reconsideration. The
actual vote stood Is to H. On the goth, Mr..
Norman, on being granted leave to change his
vote, as to appear right on record, stated that
he had ascertained that the bill could net posi-
bly, pass and he therefore declined moving a
eonsiAeration 1t is therefore dead for the session,
The defeat of this measure becomes a source Of
eongratulation with certain of the papers of Sa-
eramento. The Journal thinks the measure sen
trcly ant-democratic, impoltic and unjust
The Union says it the mcasure) is anti demo-
cratic, aud that
"a few steps of the kind. and our Legislature
would find itself adopting a general system Of
sumptuary laws Indeed. law prescribing the
cost of lady's warlrobe-the price of her bon
net--thc price of her slks-would prove vastly
more economical to husbands and fathers than
would bill to regulate the price of freight and
passage
This is specious sort of argument that has
blinded the public for long time, but it wont
win in the future.
AS the case stands at present the Legislature
does not itself regulate the price of freight and
passage the navi gable waters of the State, but
it sustans corporation, which all admit does
do it. 1t will not directly put shackles on com
merce but delegates the power to set of men
deeply interested in having it done and possessing
every appliance necessary to effect the object /,
will not commit murder, oh no, honesty, virtue
and fair dealing forbid it; but he furnishes the
poison to b. who he knows will administer it, and
that death will ensue, and these gentlemen by
the same course of reasoning must proclaim A
gultless,-nay an enemy to the public if he does
not furnish the poison.
Says the Journal:
eff the steamboat company enjoyed the eXclu-
sive privilege to use the rivers of California the
measure before the Senate might have good sense
to back it, and it might be the duty of the Legis-
lature to regulate the prices of freight and pas
sage; but, the rivers open for the of all
enterprsing men, we think there is no probability
the bill will become a law
This is best answered by the Union, which in
speaking of the Steamboat Navigation Company
says
1.-THE monopoly of the carrying trade has grown
up under the law. and been sustained by CON-
binaton of capital. which enables the company
to run off, or buy oil, every opposition boat that
makes its appearance Bat TO accomplish this
end, thousands upon thousands of dollars have
been expended"
There then, is an admission that they do mon
opolizc the business of the river and brief eXpla
nation of the manner in which it is done. Oh
but says the wrong headed Union, 'to accom-
plish this end thousands upon thousands of dollars
have been expended and therefore it would be
extremely unjust to interfere and rob them of the
results of this expenditure. If one wished an un-
answerable argument in favor of Normans posi-
tion the friends of the Company have furnished
it. Capital is able 10 take care Of itself 1t has
crafty men to watch its interests. If the steam
boat company cannot make money it will dis
solve and the stock holders will use their means
for more profitable investments. If this company
is enabled to buy off and run off all opposition it
must make money in the operation If, for in
stance. they pay an opposition steamer 900
month to lay up, it regulates prices so that it
will realize out of the public that sum in addition
to their ordinary profits. if they spend money in
iogrolling against legislation eflccting their in
tcrcst, is ii not palpable that they can easily re-
mbqsse themselves by increasing the rates Of
passage and frcights. And who, after all, pays
these opposition steamers for laJ ing up, and re-
imburscs the Company for their losses while
running others off the trade, logroling around
the Halls of Legislation? &c., &c, the consumers
the men of the country. 1t is not the merchant
because all his expenses of freight and travel, &c.
&c, are counted in cost of goods, and the
ranchman and miner ultimately, by their hard
toll, must foot the bill.
Further on the Union proposes a remedy.
"If the Legislature desires to destroy the com
bination, let it GO forward and repeal the law
undcr which it was formed. This it has const
tutional right to do, and when this is done, the
steamboat business will be left in the hands Of
ipdividuals to manage as they may think proper
IF this mode of remcdying what that sheet ad
Slits to be wrong was practicable, the work Of re
form would be plain sailing; but we are under
the impression that a Corporation once organized
becoming possessed of property. and its operations
fully at work, becomes vested interest, and il
only because of the clause in the Constellation al.
lowing amendments to the corporation laws that
the Legislature is permitted to net at all. We
nj ght even strike ont that clause in the Constitu-
tion authorzingthe lay pnder which they obtained
their corporate existsnce, and it would not neces-
sarily dissolve the corporation. If our position
is correct, it must he apparent that the end de-
sired can only be reached by the same crooked
path, that the company has adopted in obtaining
its baneful power. Now what does Mr. Norman
propose? Simply this-
To establish rate of charges for this company
which shall be so low that they will moi be able tC
reimburse thep,selves for improperly lmedaline
with persons engaged in the same business, and
log7rolling about the Legislature. compensatine
friends for advocating their interests in different
ways &c, &c These charges are not to apply