Litchfield enquirer., 1873-04-10
FARMERS AMTa-RAllR0AD CON.
 NEMTaOa nm ILLINOIS.

Avery fan meeting of Illinois farmers tso& F.4oe ia Springield, III, on wednes- s1E ef lHSt week We give. below, the sPsssAss q GSv. Bevezidge and Gov. Pal 2sr ss EePorsed to the Tribune, and the resSlzsso7x p<sse5 bT the convention:
 Gsw. BereFSige referred to the various SzsknSztz sA@A wSxe in existence in the S1sess x2d wnseA colhined to make uD its rSosrsuSy. All of these interests de. 72-.1@3 s11 shJz3 ha~s the rourishinr S--S C4 ike St&te. and no one shOuld be S-pra<l 0< oppressed for the benefit ofthe C-a~E& AA rsecgnized the importance to tss Sszts 0< tAe farming interest the great sst 1z3esS 1f a1 bat the railroad interest. s14 IT .hoEA not be crippled. The inter- e%ss of she fArnazrz aad the railroads were rsa1y eios.ty identified; one could E7s EaI-IsA without the other. He how ever reecgniza3 tha fact that the railroads had bos7 and were nOE exacting from the farmers cxt0-slonats prices and making Cziuz: alsc<1-1iEaticas ia freights, tn us exiPptEg the best interests of the country, sz4 there nnsk be found a remedy for these exilA Bat he cautioned people not to make vG< upon the railroads to abolish them. but simply to bring them undert the prcper control of the people through their reprssenkAtirsz. Applause. and cries '%Tk&tis all Ee want F 'sThat's it: we w4ns mora roads I'l Gov. Beveridge then proceeded to the consideration of the remedies to be applied, and took occa- sion to say that he believed the Legisla- .are n0w in session had given its best ef- forts to a solution of this question. He believed it was honestly trying to serve the people in this matter, but it was diff 6eulk one to manage. Referring to the decisions of courts that the charters of railroads were contracts between the peo- Ple and the corporations he argued against the correctness of the proposition, and expressed his belief that these charters were simply grants of power to the cor porators to build the road, and were con- seqneatly subject to the control of the Legislature, and the time was coming when courts would so decide.
 He took the ground that the provision in the Constitution of this State giving the Legislature power to regulate the ratss of freaghts and passenger charges on railroads and to prevent unjust discrimi- nation, left the decision to their discre- ton The courts had no right to go behind that action and decide upon its correctness. What he wanted to see was . law passed by this Legislature which woald bring the question directly before the cOzrss and have the matter decided at once. He believed that 1t W4s for the in- terest both of the people and of the rail- ro39s t0 have a speedy decision of the matter, and If the courts decided the Leg s<l&tare had the right. then the railroads mast sah12lt If they decided against it, the psopls must either settle down to r.. -e EE woa6 Nol No Never I''l or obtain an xzaeadment to the Constitution of the Cmlte3 States which will secure the de- sSrei ohieSA This was an undoubted EseAk of the people which had often been sxsrcSSe1 and cOald be again. In concia- ssoa the Governor declared his intention to salkAfaEly. without fear, favor or affec- tsna, % forward m the discharge of all hSS 5zk1Gs and leave results to the consid- sr@se Iz3geZsat of the people of the Sszse-
 EEEKxxs or 0Ov PALMER.
 E-G0S. Palmer then appeared by in- yItxsS07 of the Convention, and made sAsEs speech He considered the fact s2zz the farmers of the State had come l saSe<AeC ia such numbers to seek for a TsEzs1r from exlls that oppressed them l w<& Ssgzz6e1zt. Indicating as 1t did an in- 1 ss4ssaa of deal1ng with living present is- sz1s8 Ez<ss&3 0f Ear avay or past ones. l Iae zeees<1ky of bringing the products | 0k tAa c1zzsxy to market made railroads 1 Iz tAzs pCaslEe country absolutely necas- l w&rvs sz1 the question was not now be- l s~eea sae railroads and other means of srGzzpc<kAE5oa, but it was struggle be- tween tAe r1SEr01d managers and the peO- Fse wH0 Ezke rzilrOGds and are taxed for tk%Er xzppo<k The dOctrine of vested E-~atx, wAS=A kz1 been declared by some cf the courts cs the country, he declared vVxy o1e which could not be submitted to. Ihs S<eature coaid not he greater than Us czGxtnE. and corpdHatio1s could have Ess H&7Es x1ghts than single individual As tzAS& the groun3 that the railroads are Fznf1s hlgh=ayS, and their managers pub 1E areas. beth subject to the same con- sr0I by tI1s LegIslzture as other highways z23 St3sz public agents. But the real a-znag .rs of our railroads were not the Cs5Sers whO lived along the line or at ei- taeE end of if, but the iobbers in the SEsask= 16 these roads n WaIs-st., who. by s2exx za2zipalsiic7s w-ung from the peo- pSs extoVtsOaate prices for freight, and cPPreS Ssed both pEOdacers and consumers. AS rsEnsly for this great evil he would like sS ESe a law passed repeating the laws now ln foZcs which makes the stocks of tAesa r03ds personal property, and then impose tho same conditions upon the transfer of these stocks as are now impos- s1 on the transfer of the roads themselves. In conclusion, he urged them to be pa- tisnt and persistent, and they would be certain to secure their object at last.
 \ resolution condemning the Repre- seatativSs of his State in Congress for their action in voting for the bill increas- ing their salaries and the President of the United States for signing the same was offered and adopted without objection The report by the Committee on Resol7- tions vas then read and adopted after some discuSssoR.
 fErsfs That all charter mOnopolies not regu- lsta1 aad controlled by law have proven in this respect ese imc1t2l to pablic prosperity cor. Tap1nS m their management, and dangerous to Eepaht1eaa institutions
 Sacosd: The raj ways of the world, except those countries where they have been held under wsxSck regulation and supervision of Government. hAvs pr0ved themselves as full of arbitrary ex- togs1on and opposed to free institutions and free co@@ecca between the States as the feudal bar c1s of the mi33le ages.
 Zawas That ws hold, declare, and resolve that the despOtism which defies our laws plum deES ozr sAIPpe<s. inpoverishes our people and sorxaPts oar Government shall be subdued and Gaas tO szhssrve public interests at whatever S0SA
 Eessenef, Ta2t xs believe the state did not, and So1A aes confer any of it's sover, ign power spSa s7y corporation, and that now is the most tAS1x1has tine to settle the questi n So that it Exy nSsas be hereafter misunderstood that a S<1se cannot create . corporation that it cannot thereafter control.
 Rsss Srl Th4t In view of the present extor- sSa2s. ws sesk with alarm upon the future of an E1tezest whkeA ca1comhine ia ths hands of a few
 @z capSs1l of near Sa50 O0S 900 in our own S<sks. =2a SA03e. .0sa. .009 in our Union, and we
 s<Svs i1 essential to fhe prosperity of all class.
 e thak tafs csnkska continue until those curpo-
 cas5o1< a.&now3edge the supremacy of the law.
 kssssnez shas Ue regard 1t as the undoubted
 PsEs- az8 EAFerzkfye 11sy of the Legislat are to
 F8ss taTs &Klag reasonable rates for freight and
 nmnsaEe wIEA11f classification of roads: and tha.
 z~ urse aPoa oar Geaesal Assembly the passage se nncA hKws
 RnsnAnna That khna nxisfinr skass,ta r,rnriiina