Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-01-22
Communicated
IUomnunleated.I
Voting Railroad Aid-The Principle
Examined and Condemned Article
Second.
Mr.. EDITOR.

roads you become as conspicuous for
criticism and prophecy as for argu
ment or rhetoric you charge me
with prefacing with singular meta
argument and covering
himself (myself) up in mist Of yer,
bage and of using extreme par
allels" and predict that unless strong
er arguments are offered than he has
Ct have) used the people will follow
Mr. Field dead certain" Thank you
my dear friend ("for who can be my
friend if it be not he who tells me of
my faults y but believe me | have
no pride of authorship. If | have
been metaphysical | own | was for
oign from my subject. That | could
have been "physical' in relation to
railroads [ can understand but the
'nleta" is what / cannot see. To be
sin mist Of verbage" is not more
unfortunate than to be in a mist Of
thought. think / have the right to
use "extreme parallels" in combating
extreme ideas and if the people want
to follow Mr.. Field "dead certain" all
right. Mr.. Field enjoys high respect
among his acquaintance, has been
;,lo,.+ ;f,ol ,,,;t l. ,.,;Ir1oI oiJ of a ,,DL
lie spirited nature in former times, is
probably surrounded by considera-
tons specially calculated to inspire a
deep interest in projected inn rove
ments of this kind and in every way
is entitled to q generous public con
sideration but | should not be sur
prised if it were found that the peo-
pie Of Grant Co. arc not going to 'J0}-
lolo" any person in particular. | am
Of opinion that our people will con
slider all subjects of taxation for them
selves as citzens-as elements of a
well defined sovereignty as well as
individual proprietors engaged in pro-
ductive accumulation, and should they
repudiate the particular form Of aid
under consideration it will not be
from any Indifference to matters Of
public interest nor any want Of laud>
ible enterprise, nor will it be from any
repugnance to soap unless it be to soft
soap. But | must approach the tan
gibIc points OF your review. You
say, "but we just go one step further
and affirm that a railroad is also an
actual necessity" Yes, my dear sir,
u business or commercial neceSSity if at
all, not ciUd or government necessity,
as common roads, bridges, jalls, court
houses, common, schools &c. &c. and
consequently whore is the logic OF
your Observation-Disclosures, that, a
majority 50 thinning the property OF
all may be taxed for money to build
a needful railroad" OF What avail is
ga majorit so tAiaking" upon a matter
over which q majority has no legiti-
mate control ? What is the origin,
nature, power, and scope of the ma
jority any how ? Is it not simply q
form Of authority incident to representa-
tire g0Uernm6nt-a COMPROMISE between
convenience and safety in the practical
aspect of our civil rule, but except
for government purposes does it ever,
or ought it ever, invade private pro
perty without the consent Of the
owner ?.You know that in corporate
joint stock associations the only case
except in representative democracy
where the rule Of the majority obtains,
the individual consents to the form Of
rule in becoming a stock holder and
then only to the extent Of the stock
subscribed.
But Grant Co. is not q commercial
Joint stock association even, nor can
an enabling act to aid in the con-
struc,ion of railroads make her one
without the consent of all her citizens.
The whole genius and purpose Of our
government would be subverted by
such doctrine. The well defined
scope Of our government is to exact
Of the citizen whatever Of personal or
material aid may be necessary for its
own perpetuity in order to enable it
to guarantee to him full protection in
the ownership and control of the re-
mainder Now unless you can max e
it appear that railroads are indis-
pcnsible to government Q majority
can not bind minority to aid in their
construction. And should you sue
coed to your satisfaction in making it
50 appear, DO not, l pray you, aid in
their construction, going into Joint
stock arrangement with indiyiduals
who will control results for private
and not the public wclfare-but tuid,
9Hp and control them as we do com
mon roads, bridges, court houses, &c.
and after making them bring US back
our money grade them to our fiscal
wants and simply make them earn
our revepue-relieving us from other
forms Of taxation. 1t monopolies and
exclusivep privileges have to exist why
not exist in the State? Why not al
low the state to retain all the forms
OF monopoly and render them merely
subservient to adequate revenue and
release US from all the fraud and per
jury of assessments E? You may not
consider this financial suggestion en-
tirely pertinent to the discussion but
permit me to say | deem it worthy
OF your thought and if, you fail to
turn it to some advantage hereafter
it may not prove SO entirely useless
to me.
have not reached the policy in
volved in this subject yet and must
not attempt it in this article. In