The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-01-23

Fighting the Railroad.
The ingenious pamphleteer who, amid gem
eral applause, christened the Hoosac tunnel
The modern Minotaur," might have given his
ielicitous phrase less specific application and
fastened it upon the whole railroad system of
the country. 1t may be conceded, however,
that though this voracious monster has tre
mendous powers of consumption and absorbs
good part of the national wealth, it makes
such compensation to the country as amounts
to something more than an indemnify. The
problem is how to keep it in vigorous hie' 50
as to enable it to confer all the blessings upon
mankind that it now does. without putting us
to so much trouble and expense Il.
The railroad is the father of the lobby; it is
the mightiest of monopolies; it has made its
way into politics aud rules great States. It
confers crowns on its principal managers, and
they are called kings. Camden and Amboy is
omnpotent in New Jersey; Erie and the Cen.
trail in New York; the Central in Illinois: the
Baltimore and Ohio in Maryland; Hoosac
Tunnel and the Western road are beginning to
make their power felt in Massachusetts,; the
Grand Trunk almost rivals the Canadian gov
eminent in power and influence. The railroad
has dictated nominations for Senator in sever.
al States this month. The Republican candi-
date for Governor of New Hampshire is one of
New Eng'ands railroad kings, but fortunately
is in all other respects admirably qualified for
the position which he will be called to fill.
But it is the new trans-continental roads
that create the most alarm. The government
in its laudable anxiety to develop the resour-
ees of the country, an anxiety in which the
people have shared, has given them means for
becoming monopolies on a scale of imperial
magnifcence. 1t has tickled the national
pride more, perhaps, than anything that has
occurred during the last year to read the daily
bulletins announcing the gigantic strides of
progress of the Pacific roads. But just now
that pride is largely qualified with alarm. 1t
has been discovered that the land subsidies
granted to Western railroad corporations
amount to one-third of the national domain,
and that territory large enough for ten States
of the size of New York is already under the
control of those "soulless intangible, immor-
tal' associations. The Union and Central Pa
cf1c constituting a single line from Omaha,
Nebraska to Sacramento California, have been
subsidized to such an exten: as to hold proper
ty and franchises that cannot be valued at less
than $200,000,000 The recklessness of these
subsidies can only be excused by the immense
aud acknowledged national Importance of the
roads. ..-
But there is an end of this reckless granting
OF land and money. The House of Represent
tatives has formally declared that it will grant
nd Sc al, a. III
refuse grants of land The alarm is so great,
in view of past transactions and their conse-
quences, that an appropriation is refused even
for works like the Niagara Ship Canal, a meas
uro which is supported by many friends of re-
trenchment, who regard it as an economical
project, tending to make immediate and mani
fold return for the expenditure, and as not at
all to be identified with the substituting of
railroads. The Senate is not so thoroughly
alive to the danger to be apprehended from
further liberality as the House, but on the last
test vote the RAILROAD men" (for Congress is
divided on this question by as sharp line
as on reconstruction) found themselves con-
fronted by "anti-railroad men" numbering one
more than themselves.
The manifestations of alarm at the encroach-
ments of railroad corporations have taken the
form of numberless schemes that individuals
are urging upon the attention of Congress
and State legislatures. Some of them have in
view merely the placing some restraint upon
the Minotaur; others, like Theseus of old, pro-
pose to destroy him. The scheme of Josiah
Quincy and his Massachusetts associates who
propose that the State shall take to itself the
control of all the lines with its limits, manag-
ing them through the agency of public officers,
paying the expenses of their construction and
working, and giving their earnings to the pub
lie treasury, is of the former class. The times
are hardly ripe for such q revolution yet, but
when it becomes question whether all States
shall be owned by the railroad, as New Jersey
is, it may be thought better that the situation
shall be reversed and that the State shall own
the railroad. The objections to the plan are
obvious and Immediately suggest themselves.
How much better off shall we be after the
change, with the immense in rease of railroad
officers, and the enlargement of the duties and
labors and the means of corruption in the ifs
cal departments of State governments? Can
such affairs, requiring tho most delicate treat
ment and the most watchtul care, be as eco
uohiCdliy indudScu NY 'oIaIe DIS Dy lnulVlu-
uals who have an immediate pecuniary inter-
est in their success?
Senator Sherman's bill for air line roads
Fest, West and South from Washington,
which, at the stage of progress reached at the
time of this writing. has been limited to
road to New York, is intended as blow to the
unprincipled extortioners who control the
lines centering at the National Capital. AS
the bill presumes the possession by the general
government, of the right of eminent domain
over the lands embraced in the territory of
States and raises grave constitutional cues
tions, it is doubtful if it can pass. Senator
Morton's bill to prevent the levying of a per
capita tax on passengers by States means the
State of New Jersey, which is so inextricably
mixed up with her railroads as to make it i'm
possible to distinguish one from the other.
Illinois has been startled by the inaugural
address of her new Governor, Gen. Palmer
That gentleman recommends that the Legisla-
ture assume the control of the franchises
granted to corporate bodies,-those created by
special acts as well as those hereafter created.
He would have the Legislature fix the tariff
of freights fares and compensation for other
DSAfieOo' AAO Sihiuio euetu tuc lcSisidtiNc pOW-
er has reserved right to decide when these
rates are "just and reasonable" What action
will be taken is as yet uncertain, but the rec
ommendation of course raises the old consti-
tutional question as TO the power of States to
impair the obligation of contracts, besides
grave considerations of public policy.
These are few of the phases of the rail-
road question. Until some definite conclusion
can be reached as to its treatment it is great
consolation to reflect that however great are
the wrongs done to the public by the kingly
sway of railroad corporations, they must from
their very nature, confer more than compensa-
tory blessings If the evils attending the rail-
road system were ineradicable, still it would
be prudent and necessary to keep on building
new lines until all parts of the country are
easily accessible to each other =.
The TEMPERANCE MovEMENT-The Tenn.
perance Convention to be held at Augusta on
Tuesday and Wednesday of next week will no
doubt constitute the formal opening of tenn
perance campaign in the Legislature. One or
two petitions for State police have already
been presented in that body, and ere long they
a tod -. H.