The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-24
Tom scott's Defeat I'm Jcrsey-Dovvn
with Blonopolles.

with Monopolies.
Great men are liable to mistakes as well a
the humble, unpretending day laborer. Docs
any one cavil at the axiomp The king can
do no wrong, but he may suffer defeat, even
though he be hedged round with divinity
When the student of history looks for mani
festation of that divinity in any age whatever
he is befogged. We are no better off in this
respect than our ancestors. Nobody appreci-
ates the force of this philosophy to-day mora
than the great and hitherto invinoible railroad
king, Tom Scott. His dominions extend from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. Like the lion that
challenged the echo in the fable, he
has stood upon an eminence more command
ing than the lofty SUBMITS of tha
Alleghanies or the Rocky Mountains. and dared
rivalry. He conquered without STOPPING.
wave of his hand or movement of his shaggy
locks was moro efficacious in securing obo-
dience to his mighty will than the tinkle Of
q certain famous little bell within the past de-
cade. Fisk was regarded as invincible, but only
because public opinion is often superficial and
invincibility becomes synonym for success.
He believed he was invincible and he made
others believe it, and. believing it, they feared
him. Vanderbilt measured swords with him,
and his blade was shivered to pieces. But
Fisk never challenged Scott to combat, and
this in itself is sufficient proof of the undis-
puted sway which the latter exercised. He
was ruler of the rulers in the mighty railroad
confederation. He, too, believed he was irwin
cible for he had never suffered defeat.
How the mighty are fallen What change
within few brief months! A monarch may.
indeed, suffer defeat but the mistake which
engenders it is more CALLING than the defeat.
King Scott holds dominion over vast terrific
ries, where his command is absolute. His
ruling passion is annexation, as his ambition
is to subject the whole railroad systems Of tho
country to his sway 1t is but two years
since, like Bismarck with Alsace, he set covet-
Gus eyes on little province called Jersey, and
he unceremoniously- there were few forms
of law observed--annexed it to his dominions
He took the railroads as boy would his play
things into his hand, and after gloat-
ing over his prize quietly slipped
them into his pocket and marched back
to Pennsylvania. From that day poor little
Jersey has been on appanage of the Keystone
State; province twice conquered, &r Cam
den and Amboy ruled over it for more than
quarter of century 1t was change Of
masters, one being as remorseless as the
other. But now, to make the parallel COM
plete, Jersey has proved an Alsace to the con-
queror. The mutterings of disaffection arc
deep, and the resolve for emancipation cannot
be crushed out. The people cannot be cajoled
with such legal phraseology as railroad con-
solidation," nor deceived by the sophistry
that the promise of increased dividends to the
old Jersey stockholders under the new order
of things indicates the advent of an era of
plenty and peace The Pennsylvania Central
in Jersey is just what old Camden and AM
boy was-a tyrannical monopoly That is
the case in nutshell The people have
grown weary of monopolies, for the long
standing one alluded to had become notorious
for its defiance of public opinion, its disregard
of the rights of the people, its fragrant corrup-
ton and its demoralizing practices in tho halls
of legislation. To secure both branches of the
Legislature in the interest of Camden and
Amboy was matter of little difficulty. The
lobbyist cracked his whip, the money bags vera
united, and SO the corruption Of public officials,
especially legislators, under the reign of Cam
den and Amboy, has become proverbial And
here is just where Tom Scott made the mis-
take which must prove most detrimental to
his prestige. The work Of debauching the
Legislature at the present session is failure.
The lobbyists occupation is gone for few
weeks at least.
The memorable contest on Monday night
in the Assembly was ostensibly carried on
between the friends of the monopoly and the
representatives of the people on the floor Of
the House, but it was in reality deadly
struggle between the masses represented
in the galleries and the recreant repre-
sentatives on the floor. The menacing
attitude of that audience, containing hun
drcds Of ladies' could not safely be disre-
garded and three weakened members. cow
ering before the storm, confessed their sins
just in time to prevent their enrolment in
1.-THE Black List" which is to be widely cir.
culated throughout the State. Petitions from
eyery quarter in favor of new railroad
in opposition to the Scott monopoly were piled
upon the Speakers desk till that officer, too
quailed before the storm and openly avowed
his conversion. Well might the railroad mon.
arch exclaim at that moment, as he Witnessed
the wholesale and unexpected desertion Of his
troops, "a horsel horse! my kingdom for
a horsel" But no horse was at hand, and the
bill, which declares that the people have rights
which even railroad kings are bound to re-
spect was passed by the handsome vote of Al
10 Is The fnte Of the pen cor,nriainn ihaf