Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-06-25
THE WEEKLY HERALD
THURSDAY. JUNE %, 1870.

THE GENERAL RAILROAD
BILL.
This is, to our mind, the ablest
document which has yet animated
from this officer. It evinces q
careful research into the atrocities
Of an atrocious swindle, and makes
q full, fair and complete exposure
of them. There is q terseness
and compactness about portions
of it which is in strange conflict
with the majority of his State
papers. The glaring defects of
the bill are plainly exhibited
while its subtle, hidden iniquities
are also exposed, in the most mer'
CHESS manner to the scrutiny of
the public. With his scapel he
has probed It's innermost recesses,
and has'swept away the tissue
covering by which schemes Of
fraud have been sought to be con
cealed. He pays n compliment
to the Legislature TO which we
feel satisfied it is not entitled
when he asserts that the bill was
not scrutinized by that body. We
doubt not Representative Sites
gave the true cause Of the passage
of the bill, when he asserted that
it was pushed forward by green
backs. The editor of the Pilot
gave the key to its passage in at
tributing it to lobby influences,
against which he 80 pathetically
plead with his party q few days
since.
The Governor, however, could
not restrain himself from INDUCING
in a certain amount Of demagogue
soft sawder, when he prates so
loudly about his determination to
protect the poor man of the land
from the burdc6sOmc oppression
of the rich when he so indig'
nantly says, II can never consent
to hand over the public tied hand
and foot to the despotic temper OF
o great monied corporation, under
such astounding enactments;'
when he says, "If | were not con
ldent.that the bill before me had
not received due consideration
from your honorable body, |
should confess myself astounded
that a Legislature which has been
sent here pledged to establish the
rights of a people Cho haze been
dowahr0dden for ayes BY capital
should so act" 1t is lamentabIC
that the politician cannot be sunk
in the statesman in the discussion
of such grave matters. But it may
be q stroke of policy on his part
knowing as he does the character
Of the people with whom he has
to deal. We may feel that some
such CLOSING over is necessary tC
make his pungent structures pal
ateable. We are willing, however
to forgive both the motives ant
means adopted, lift will surely sc
cure the State from the iniquitie'
of the measure under considera
ton.
Either n lack Of moral courage
or that he entertains opposite sen
timents, has prevented him from
attacking the most odious feature
of the whole atrocity, as it SHOULD
be met. That principle of tn
bill which forces social equality OF
the roads he does not assail upol
those just grounds which shoul'
be apparent to and jealousl
guarded by every white man VIII
entertains a particle of self respet
for himself or his race. But h
chooses to put his objections to
upon clerical and other defects /
the bill. He endeavors to sho
that while the bill prohibits in on
section any distinction on accoul
of race or color, and attaches pei
alties for requiring that at tt
option of the conductor or IL
managers of the road, persol
shall occupy such coaches as tho
to which they are assigned, but
other sections it provides til
there shall be separate coaches f
ladies and for smoking, they a.
virtually conflicting with and nul
flying the original section. WI
q he not combat the mott
which caused the Incorporation
this social equality clause up