, 1873-03-24

RAILROAD D1scRrM1NATIoNs.
Tho railroad corporations of Illinois aro mnls-
Ing worry serious and costly mistalte If they
| misconstr,1o the neaning Of tho Bupromo Court
decision on tho subject Of determinations, or if
they disregard tile sentiment Of tic farmors as
declared in their meetings mud conventions
throughout tho State. Tho decision Of the st,-
promo Court is not III tho interests Of tho
| railroads, US some Of tho farmora clubs hive
boen lod boliove. 1tisa decision TINT theromust
benounju Just discrimination in railroad rates that
competition alone will not Justify diacriminn-
tion; mud that location at q junction point shall
carry with 1t no ppooiu1 advantages ovor IN equal
Or betsor location which docs not happen to 10
favored with competing roads. THIS III a do
cision baHod upon tho principles Of common
Inv, and the railroads will find that thoro ia no
Escape from 1t. They must conform to It, md
speedily. Tho complaint is vol ground
cd TINT thcro is unjust discrimination
on oyory important railroad of tho State.
It ia not tito single caBo Of Lexington
and Bloomington (Which WIS nlndo tho tost Of
tho constitutionality OF tho statute), but unjust
discrimination on all tho lines, which tho su-
promo Court declares to be illegal, and which
only need to come before It in tho proper ehapo
to bo duly punished and oblterated. Tho proper
modo Of procedure hos boon provided III tho
Donahue nairoad bill, which recently passed
tho Senate by unanimous votc This is 0
statute which omboaioa tho principles Of tho
%1,Hft
tho constitutional toBt, and furnishes tho means
Of enforcing them at tho public oxponBo. Tho
ponnlty provided for repeated violation Of the Inv
is e100 900, and 1t becomes tho duty Of the Hail
road Commissioners to bring suit upon tho applf-
cation Of any cltzon, aud to employ all lho legal
assistance TINT may bo necessary to prosecute
auccossfully-the coats to be paid out Of tho
State Treasury, paid out of taxes leyIod upon
the railroads themselves.
This bill ia tho result Of the popular Bonti-
mont, outraged at tho position which the rail-
roads have assumed IN respect of determinations,
and determined to assert the rights of tho poo
plo. Tho railroads cannot be ignorant OF the
growth Of public indignation against them and
1t would DO as foolhardy on thoir part to ignore
1t rs 1t Is wrong for thom to continue their un-
Just Determinations in plain violation Of tho
law. Tho conviction Of injury and the deter
minatlon to secure thoir rights, and perhaps in
somo casos to oxoood thora, han takon firm
hold on tho people throughout the whole WoHt.
Central Illinois il nearly unit in tho purpose Of
fighting the railroads to tho bitter end. Tho
fever has extended into Iowa and Indiana. Wis
constn aud Minnesota will catch 1t by md by.
Tho Hame spirit is cropping out in Kontucky aud
Tennessee, and it will extond South simu1tauo-
oualy with the movement to the Northwest.
Even tho giant corporations Of tho East are dis
covering that they nre not all-poworfu1. Tho
Pennsylvania Company laye juat had signifi~
| cant setback In New Jersey. Their money had
secured the passage OF bill through tho Senate;
porpetuating for thor benefit tho monopoly of
the right Of WY across tllo stpto. But tho Low.
or House has defeated tho measure amid tho
vociforous reioiclnga Of tho people, and 1t is now
confidently predicted That q gonoral railroad law
will bo passod by tho Legislature which will grant
equal privileges to all tho railroad companies
which nre necessary to accommodate the public
demands. These events are not isolated and
Bpasmodio, hut tue concerted action of whole
people, rousod to vigorous resistance, gathering
strength and reinforcement as thoy go, and pre-
pairing to overwhelm tho weak aud strong alike
! with tho force md impetuosity Of tornado.
The railroads must look upon them rs lilo laul-
writing on the wall. If tho railroad directors,
managers, and officers Of tho roads will not heod
thenl then 1t ID time that thestookholdorH should
take tho matter into thoir OWL hands to eayo
themselves and their property. There are
demngoguoH in tho movement who will not hesi-
tato to counsel tho most oxtrome measures. II
! these woro to 10 met alone, tho situation would
not DO so alarming for the railroads. But, in
this case, tho don1agoguos arc simply taking atl-
vantage Of doep-rooted conviction on the part
Of tho people TINT they have boon Bwindlol and
they will, on this account DO the mora oasily led
into desperate acts, oven though they be detri-
mental to themselves, unless the railroada have
tho discretion to conform to the law.
Tho Immediate issue in t1is stato Ia unjust
discrimination. There Is no doubt that it ox-
lists. There is no doubt that 1t must
be stopped. In this plain view of tho caso, tho
railroads should be ahrowd enough, If not honest
enough, to provide tho romcly themselves.
What this romotly shall DO 1t 10 not for lis, nor
the Legislature, nor for tho conrts, nor for tho
people In town-noetings, to determine. It Ia a
matter upon which railroad mon must conccp-
tyato their undivided attention and exporionco.
1t ia enough for tho courts to DECLARE, as tloy
hayo, that unjust discrimination IL unlawful for
! tho Legislature to provide, Us thoy will, tho
adequate ponaltlos for violating tho
law III this rospect;, for tho people
to provo, rs they eau, that this
unjust discrimination is practiaoa by tho rail-
roads. It III for tho railroad corporations to