Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-10-26
Complimentary to Carpenter.
from the sparta Eagle.


The Lacrosse Leader of the It'll
publishes the late speech Of Senator
Carpenter, delivered at the State
Fair at Madison, against railroads,
telegraphs and express monopolies
and makes some very pertinent COM
ments upon the same All have felt
the necessity of some legislation up
on this subject, and that some means
should be devised to arrest the i'm
pending danger from the expressions
of these powerful monopolies. We
gather no hope from the Senator's
speech. The remedy proposed by
him is worse than the disease. Had
the Senator made this speech one
year ago, we think he would not
now be one of the representatives of
the State of Wisconsin in the United
States Senate. The Leader says:
The speech of Senator Carpenter
at Madison, which we give in to-
days paper, is the most significant
speech of the season, and touches
upon a topic which will soon become
one Of absorbing interest.
There is sometimes a vague, unde-
fined and unexpressed feeling of i'm
pending danger pervading a com
nudity, or a people and while all feel
its presence, none ike to first give
voice to the universal conviction, or
lead the movement to avert the peril.
The growing influence of transporta-
ton monopolies has for some time
filed the public mind with apprehen-
sion, but while there have been occa-
sional protests-sagaeious men here
and there sounding notes of alarm
the leaders Of public opinion, the
controlling men in political affairs,
have themselves, in a great measure,
been too dependent upon the none
poles to guard the people against
the encroachments Of their power
1t is matter of some surprise
that this bold speech-this speech
which declares the growth of mono
poles source OF greater danger to
the Government than slavery ever
was should come from Senator Car
penter Gen. G. G. Washburne, in
his place in Congress, has been noted
for his able and persistent defence of
the rights Of the people against the
entertainments of monopoHes, and in
the Senatorial contest in this State
last winter, the powerful corpora
tons against whose influence Senator
Carpenter now inveighs soseloquent-
", were unanimous and enthusiastic
in has support, and against Gen.
Washburne.
But whatever causes may have
impelled Senator Carpenter to take
the position be has, (and We would
not assign any other than a sense of
duty, his large popularity and great
ability will do much to arouse public
interest and direct public action.
We invite careful perusal of the
Senator's speech, and confess that
for 0urself we see no way of relief
from the threatening danger, and
oppressive burden complained of,
except through action Of the Gov
ernment, and such action is also
environed with many peris.
Money is power, and when aggrega-
ted in large quantities, is controlI-
ing power. 1t is force simply. and
any attempt to endow it with moral
qualities, always has been and always
will be failure. How to control
this force, without infringing upon
the just rights Of capital, and at the
same time protect the people from
oppressive taxation by powerful
combinations, is one of the grave
problems which our Legislators Will
soon be called upon to solve.