The Portland daily press., 1871-12-11
THE PR SS.
MONDAY MORNING, DEC. H., 1871
"ua, Tom scot. any Further Business luz
ri. Housed"

"Has Tom Scott amy
srcb ;s the formula said to be used by tne
.uoa;a;na officer of the lower House OF the
pa..,svlyania Legislature. 1t is good joke,
,ooo,,se it is based on the great truth that
the President of the Pennsylvania Central
Railroad has become the autocrat of the sec
ond State in the Union. Several of our State
exchanges habitually exclaim 'Who's
afraidp" and ''What has that to do with us -
whenever we call their attention to this set
ting up of one-man power in so wealthy and
populous community as Pennsylvania. The
PRESS confesses, though it should become an
object of general derision thereby, that it is
very much afraid, and that it thinks the case
above referred to has very much to do with
Maine. 1t sincerely believes that it would be
much easier to bring small, poor State, like
ours, into the deplorable condition lust de-
scribed, than it was to subvert the liberties of
empires, like New York and PENNSYLVANIA.
Our readers could not fail to be greatly i'm
pressed by the Geographic report of Gen.
Hawley's speech at Brooklyn, last Thursday.
He must lack either intelligence or sensibih-
ty who can look unmoved on the spectacle OF
State Legislatures purchased regularly, ses-
sion after session, at fixed price" by rail-
road monopolies that have finally grown suf--
fciently strong to control the politics of their
several States. "Log-rolling ofthe large rail-
road bills'' has, according to Gen. Hawley,
made seventy per cent. of the members of the
Pennsylvania Legislature corrupt! Nearly
million dollars was paid that Legislature for
one bill last year, Finally the speaker pre-
dicted that in the future the railroad compan-
les would exercise greater influence on the
destinies of this country than the aristocracy
do on that of England
Those rash people who favor making aid to
railroads settled feature of our State policy
ought fully to realize while shouting teWho
is afraid ?" that they are bent ON taking pre-
cisely the steps necessary to make certain the
speedy advent of Tom Scott to these parts
Tom SCOTS are plants of easy growth under
favorable conditions. We can have one, east
ly enough, if we want him! But let us state
the exact ground of our apprehensions, and
let those who oppose us in this matter show,
if they can, that we are incorrect, or that our
fears are without foundation.
First, obtaining money from the Treasury,
under pretense of aiding railroads, has been
one of the most prolific sources of monopoly,
log-rolling, corruption and bribery known in
this Republic. An appropriation for build
ing railroads and plumber go hand in hand,
everywhere.
Second, the policy Of paying subsidies to
railroads out Of the treasury has been adopt
ed in EVERY ONE of the States avhere the
railroad corporations haze corrupted the Leg
islature and introduced an era Of lawlessness,
plumber and general Generalization, and In
NO OTHER. This fact may fairly be claimed
as establishing some sort of relation between
Fiskism and subsidies. Massachusetts,, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and nearly
all the Southern States may be cited as in
stances of the association of these two worst
forms of moral plague.
Third, the very system of State aid that
1t is proposed to introduce here has in
creased the aggregate debt of the Southern
State over hundred millions since the war,
and has involved several of them financially
so that the alternative of reputation or bank
ruptcy is presented to them. A large part of
this vast aggregate has been used as a cor
ruption fund, and in many cases has been di-
verted to the personal use of unprincipled
men.
These are some of the considerations that
must be met by those who would induce the
people to amend the constitution so as to per-
NIT the State to enter upon the fatal path
from which all experience warns it. Can we,
with any reason, claim that our people are
less susceptible to corrupting influences than
those who have already fallen a prey to SUBJ
sidized railroad corporations? What with
only half our children at school, and with
our school teachers more inadequately paid
than those of any State in the Union? Are
we in situation to invite visit from this
veritable Apollyon, when our defective school
system leaves us peculiarly open to his at
tacks on all sides? Certainly, the result of
the single departure of the State from its es-
tablished policy has not been such as to en-
courage any feeling, of selfcongratulation.
The recent developments in regard to the
European & North American road show how
~~NSNSiy' SoSP W oNSP, PniiPoAOu wi pOAo~
ton makes its way. Not content with its
large subsidy of money and the recklessly
generous donation of all the remaining pub
lie lands-not satisfied with its release by the
Legislature from its obligation to pay off a
large incumbrance on its landed estate-not |
ashamed to perform in a reluctant and per-
functory way its single remaining obligation,
that of encouraging the settlement of the
unoccupied lands,-it is now reaching out its
eager hands for the lands expressly reserved
for settlers! 1t is already trying to drive set
tiers from these lands by suits at law,
and has applied to the Governor and Council
for an order to the Land Agent to cease is
suing permits The conduct of the corpora
ton and its tools, as described by our Au-
gusta correspondent, we do not hesitate to
denounce as inconceivably impudent and
grasping If anything were needed, besides
the moral dssolation of States where the sub
sidy plan has been fairly adopted, to fill the
people with horror at the idea of adopting it
here, it would be the conduct of the only
company subsidized by this State. Scott was
never more patient and sagacious in solicita-
ton or Vanderbilt more reckless and arro-
CANT in action.