Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-11-01
THE GREATEST PUBLIC CGLAnITT
OF MODERN TIMES.

ne cOnsOuQEtlOn OF railway must ltAG
necessarily to the assumption by the
Federal government Of supreme control
over the railway system Of the United
States. The Pennsylvania Central threat
sns the subsection Of the Federal govern
msnt itself to the DEGREES OF railway
susocrscy. Ths struggle between rail-
road power snd that OF the government Is
unavoidable, and Tom Scott, eonfessine
the fact, is 8 candidate for the presidency.
The contest, as now shaped, Is between
the hirelings Of Scott and those OF Grant
Scott bossts OF as many slaves to do his
bidding as Grant. In fact, Scott Yields
greater power than Grant. Grants en-
ployes have 8 sham patriotism. They
profess 10 serve the government. Scctt's
power Is founded confsssedly upon
money. Grant has relied upon the
banks; Scott can make the banks
fsithless 70 Grant. If M rose from
the dead who wss wont to adhere to
Henry Clsy, or Webster, or Calhoun, and
beheld this u~nblushiDg sacrifice Of public
virtue on the altar Of gold, be would con
fess that honest worth was entombed with
the dead Of Federal and Confederate
armies. II railroads give Us 5 federal
chief magistrate, he will be simply the
representative Of financial power, and
gold becomes the touchstone Of fsslty 10
principle. Offices will be sold st auction,
as was the disdem OF Roman imperialism,
and Tom Scott is the hrstAmericsn Didius.
The thorough unmixed ~corTuptness Of the
z is illustrated in the fact that Tom
Soott's leading sdherents are Democratic
newspapers. Pslpsbly enough this ex-
cretion Of modern public vices grew ont
Of Grants supreme control Of the
nstionsl banks, and thus the one species
OF public evils has begotten another
sven more dangerous snd more intcleTa-
ble. Money in the shape Of bonds and
grsenbseks, or Of iron, is the country's
god, and Tom Scott or Grant the 'joss"
lifted up on every altar. The bsse bow
down in humble alteration, and legisls-
tive bodies PROSTATE themselves like
Oriental worshippers before the rising
sun, in the majestic presence Of the
gilded idol OF the hour. He glitters with
kA-AF 14A AAN HLEOA u - AANAE AhAS UP
his pathway to supreme political power.
The agents Of railroad authority saw the
coming Of this conflict with the banks and
Office and bondholders, and, IS the result,
we have Tom Scott, the msnipulstOr Of
OF railroad rings, pitted against Grant, ms
nipulsted by the banks. The enc is q
plisnt tool of others; the ether owns to-
day perhsPs two hundred thousand white
slaves. They constitute a countless army
along the great railways Of the CONT
nent, and we have e railroad candidate,
and then z bondhclders' csndids.eS May
we lot also have 8 peoples candidate?
The people have learned thst railway
consolidation causes the issuance OF fcti-
tious stock, which levies enormous sud
needless exsctions upon the cOuntTy's
commorcs that dividends may be declared
The amount Of wstsred consolidated rail-
road stock now shOst could hardly be
computed by all the figures in tables OF
lOgsrithms. When the Rev York Central
effected It's schemes Of consolidation with
connecting rOsds, 100000 Of nav stock
was issued, and not enc dollar Of sd
ditionsl property was represented by this
stock. Subsequently, S24,O00, 600 Of stock
dividends were issued, which represents
nothing; but it gave lordly thieves who
controlled endless consolidated roads
3 prstext for enormous exsctions upon
trsights and travel. The whole cost 0 fthe
Lake Shore road Wss less thsn S, 600. 900.
Its capital stock, by processes OF coBsoi-
dalton, becomes sl2,125, OC0. A bonus CT
100000 Of stock wSs distributed IN a
little ring thai brought about the consoli-
dstion with the Cleveland and Toledo
road. This 100000 represents the
blank sheet Of pspsr on which the articles !
of consolidation were written. the bogus
stock bsgotten by these consultations
amounts to about fifty per cent. upon the
actual cost Of American railways, and
this stock constitutes Tom Scott's capital
s. q candidate foT the presidency. /
It gives railroad managers 3 p-etext for
the augmentation Of freight charges, even
81 the absorption Of telegraph lines and
s-tock-wstering processes levy q needless
tax Of millions annually upon the com
and intelligence Of America. In
order TO secure an income Of ten per cent.
upon money nOminally invested, the peo-
pie are 50 taxed that they pay twenty per
cent. upon the sctual investment. Il is
Tom Scott's success in this gigantic sys-
tenn Of robbing the country which makes
him, as against Grant, q proper candidate
for the Presidency. Scott coneeives, di-
reefs and controls q magnificent scheme
Of continental plumber, while Grant Is
the simple tool Of robbers.
Il is not money, nor the rich alone.thst
these frightful corporations control. They
bought the Congress Of the United
States, and own boundleas public domains.
Corrupt lswgivers have given them lands,
which, sub-divided among tenants, make
railroad potentstes masters Of wcs-
,ern States. They have q lobby at Wash
ngton to whose DEGREES congress Is the
registrar, sRd S. a little place like
Nashville, Tom Scott would die Of cha
,rin Il his slightest wish were Eot crys-
allied into legislation. I
We have read Of the hostility 10 the old ,
bank which, when honest pstri- I
tism ahsped the country's laws, was I
eemed most dangerous 10 the purity Q
I State and Federal legislation. Andrew a
sckson, for this reason, crushed "the '
lonster." How strange 70 ind a Demo 4
rat, even the Pittsburg Post advocating Il
be claims Of one who is the impsrsons- q
lon Of every principle and fact
which Democracy was
orD to fight in uDdying hate. c
democracy has pronounced against ns- z
onsl banks, but these are impotent and o
when eontrssted with the land A
ailabsorblng power OF eonson- n
zted railway lines. Illinois Is the first q
I States to recognize this growing public ii
lsmlty, and a clause was inserted in the L
w consultation Of that State TO Prevent b
10 growth Of railroad ~monopolies. IN q
apply for Tennessee, cur constitution d
lntains all that It should not and a
tie that it should. The New York W
IerdJd says that the Pennsylvs- b,
8 Central railroad Is all-poWorful "
d controls all legislation at Hsr- &C
burg. In fact, tho Pennsylvania Cen v
Al owns and controls the State as much sc
more than the railroads Of New Jersey a
the State Of New jersey. The same re- th
arks apply in q great measure to other St
ates snd their railroads. Besides, it is vi
i0Sn that with the enormous wealth pe
d power OF Tho leading railroad lines. IN
81 can buy up and control Legislatures 40
they choose. There is no ef- y,
'tusl way Of reaching these monopOhes lie
: through the general government. di-
norazs muet. sooner or later. and the =,