Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-02-04
The Fifty Thousand Dollar Railroad
Aid Scheme.


WHEREAS, The Legislature of this
State, Ut the annual session in 1867,
adopted a joint resolution proposing
an amendment to the State constitu.
ton, as follows
"ReSoiued BY the Senate the Assem-
bly, concurmg, That section four of
article eight OF the constitution Of the
State OF Wisconsin, is amended to
read as follows: The State shall
never contract any public debt eX
cept in the cases and in the manner
| herein provided, but the Legislature
shall provide by law that for every
twenty continuous miles Of railroad
operated by other than horse power,
hereafter built and equipped as first
class railroad, within this State there
shall be donated from the State treas
ury to the company building the
same, one hundred thousand dollars
For that purpose II public debt may
be created, ana bonds may be issued
in addition to the debt provided for
! by section six aud section nine Of ar
ticle eight
AND WHEREAS, The Governor in
his late message called the attention
of the Legislature to the above joint
resolution, and it has already been
referred to a committee of the Sem
ate, and there is reason to apprehend
that it will be pressed to hasty rati
fication; therefore,
ReSolUed, by the County Board Of
Supervisors for Rock County, That
the foregoing proposition is traught
with the deepest interest and i'm
portance to the inhabitants OF said
county, and we feel impelled both by
our interests as citizens and our sense
of duty as supervisors, (having the
oversight of the financial affairs OF
said county, to express officially our
views and wishes upon the momen-
tous issues involved in said resolution.
ReSolued, That the proposition is
full of danger to the owners of the
soil, and all tax payers of the State
1t is in the highest degree injuri>
GUS to the interest and true prospect
ty Of Rock county and OF every other
county where railroads have been
constructed
1t is manifestly unjust to the en-
tire population of the State, but more
especially to all persons residing
along existing lines Of railroads, great
numbers of whom have already been
subjected to heavy losses and sacri
fees, and to great injustice and OPP
pressions through the fraudulent prac-
tees and dishonesty of railroad man.
ayers and confederates
Many OF our best citizens in all the
southern counties have been irnpov-
erished and others driven from the
state by reason of mortgages given
to railroads
That although the experience of
multitudes in every such county is
too recent and painful TO admit of
their becoming again the dupes and
victims of railroad swindlers and ad
vcnturers, there is great reason to
fear lest they be overborn and de-
teated in the canvass by the unity of
action Of the inexperienced in those
counties that have never passed the
terrible ordeal in combination with
existing railroad interests.
The proposed amendment would
destroy the protection and security
afforded by the existing constitution,
to the possession and enjoyment of
property and incomes, the result of
years of toll and self denial, whereby
most Of the inhabitants Of Wisconsin
have acquired their possessions.
Its adoption would depreciate the
value Of real property and render the
same to a great degree unsales-ble.
Ia the strife for local and sectional
advantages to be derived from Stale
donations to railroad corporations, it
would inevitably lead to reckless and
corrupt legislation, and to I'M ust and
oppressive taxation, taking the prop
erty of our most useful, industrious
and enterprising population f r the
special benefit Of railroad monopolies
and scheming adventures without
any equivalent, and arraying in bit>
ter hostility one portion of the State
against aHObucE
To take one mans property OF in>
income for the benefit Of another,
without just compensation, is con
ceded by all to be robbery; and the
scheme proposed is nothing less than
a system OF robbery under the form
of law.
The terms of the proposition clear
ly indicate that it originated in the
crafty brain of the over reaching and
the dishonest; instead of having it
discretionary with future legislatures
and to the wisdom taught by exper-
fence, whether in any case to encum-
Der the property OF the people for
the benefit of railroad company,
it is made imperative in every case
TO issue bonds to the amount of $780,.
900 for every twenty continuous
miles Of railroad.
| The principle involved in the prop,
osition is vicious, tending to corrup>
ton and immortality, and must result
in driving from the state great num-
bers of our best citizens.
Not only is the state debt without
limitation, but by this proposition the
hands OF the people and their future
representative are tied, while the
vultures and the railroad cormorants
pluck out their eyes, without even
the poor security of I'd or Sd mort
gage.
The resolution is so absurd, unjust
and unreasonable. that it excites uni
versal surprise and astonishment that
so monstrous proposition could ev>
err have passed legislative body,
and tends TO confirm the very gener
al conviction of the venality and cor
ruption of the majority by whom it
was adopted.
We DO not hesitate to declare, from
our bservaton, that said resolution
col " Il eaE