Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-11-28
w0NOpCEIrs.

All Nt0lDD0ttee are EVILS. luet are
so, from the simple fact that the ten
dency of human nature is, having power,
70 abuse il. They are TO be tolerated only
when The good they bring, and which
can only be attained by them, is more
than a c~Ounterpoise to the evil which Is
inherent In them. Thus railroad COM
panies are very properly tolerated, be
cause they are difUsivo IN their benefit.
Further, they are out Of the reach Of in
dividuals 10 construct them; and il Il
only by an aggregation Of individuals,
invested with certain special privileges
81 an Ind cement 70 invest in them,
that they can be built at al.
In their case, the good resulting to
the mass Of the people more than
ccunterba,ances the abstract evil Of
giving 70 any "a set Of individuals priv
neges not enjoyed by all But ever in
the case Of railrosds-immensely beue-
ncial a. theyare 70 the whole people Of the
country through which they rUn-the i'm
stances are not infreQUent in which,
from l-O0seness Of phraseology in the law.
or want Of foresight in the grant Of priv
lege, the monopoly they enjoy bec0mes
an unmixed nuisance and hindrance q
the general welfare. The Intelligent
reader viii readily call TO mind many
illustrations Of this truth, IN the har-
RAISING law suits, as 10 right Of way, ana
other matters, which have grown out Of
the grasping disposition ofhuman nature,
when IL finds itself fortified behind a.
monopoly.
Hence il is that we cannot be too
guarded, too cautious, TOO jealous IN FORE
seeing and providing against the evils In
herely in m0n0P5Ies, when We are about
70 bring one into existence. We are very
apt TO be misied in all such matters,
from the fact that the good we seek
Is present and immediate, and the
evil that may attend its attainment (
remote and contingent. Yet, in the life
time Of a city, ora State, the chasm
which separates the present and the f-
ture, is a very narrow one, and is soon
lsA ed over by gafer Time, who may re-
veal D Us that we have installed an
odious Tyranny over those who are 70
succeed US. Take our Gas Company as
an e1ample-Te take It for granted
thst it exercises 10 power beyond what
Il has been invested with. Supposing I
this 70 be so, it canzot be denied that we
have established over us an arbitrary des-
potism in the matter Of charges for gas,
and Of collecting It's dues, that no citizen
would be allowed TO exercise FOR n mo-
uent. You are q Customer Of
the Gas Company. To become
50, you have gone 20 expensive fCtings
I'd Of gas pipes, burners, and the like.
In shoyt, all your arrangements are such
tbs. gas has become Indispensable to
you. Your monthly bill, or weekly, as
the case may be, falls due, and from
some cause is not paid-say because it is
deemed -exorbitant A man from the or
hce Of the Gas Company comes along
turns a screw out Ia the street entirely I
your control, and presfof your
business Is as efectuaily stopped. as # !
your mouse Iau pe-A 7eAA-t ANA smut up.
In your case, Il a customer fails to pay,
you have 10 such summary remedy.
You have to awaitthe claws delay, F"
which takes good care that your bill Is a
correct one. But the aut0cratic Gas
Company Las the matter all in
rs own haud-price as well as
u--ment Of the gas-and the
s.4zea ua 10 au5mb % is exGctions
Through az incaurouIy granted alOpop-
20, = comparatively few persons have