New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-10-16
An Inconsistent Demagoguc.

No paper in the Union has labored more
untiringly or unscrupuloualy than the Chicago
Tribune, the leading and noisiest Liberal
organ of the Northwest, to influence the
minds of Western farmers against the rail-
roads of the couptry, and to bring about the
panic which has involved SO many of them,
and so many Of the cnterprisng business
men of the country, in n common ruin. 1t
has waGcd bitter and relentless war upon
railroads rs dangerous monapolies, the power
OF which must be utterly destroyed. 1t has
ridicued the opinions of those papers which
predicted that its Efforts to fan the flame of
discomfort against railroads, and its recon-
mendation that large part Of the capital
invested in them be cOniiscated, would pro-
duce just such results as have followed.
But it is now cOnvicting itself of the grosscst
stupidity, dishonesty, and inconsistency, by
cOntessing all that was ever charged against
1t. In its own columns, as we see from an
article before us, it is stated that at the be-
ginning Of the panic eight Illinoi, railways
were engaged in important works of construc
ton, which would have Facilitated trans
pOrtation, rendered travel safer, and living
cheaper" but which now cannot be carried
out. The Lake Shore and Michigan Central
were laying double tracks, mainly of steel.
to facilitate tire movement of our exchanges
with the West. The Burlington, Rock
Island, Alton, and Northwestern were also
putting down large quantities of steel rails.
and perfecting their magnificent systems of
roads. The Illinois Central was assisting
the Southern Railroad Association 10 form
an all-rail route between Chicago and New
Orleans, and several companies were endea-
vorng to bring coal much cheaper to
Chicago.
According to the Trib,mc's own statement,
men are being discharged by hundreds on
their works, owing to the panic it has done
so much to create, wages cut down, and the
laboring classes in danger of serious embar-
easements for want Of employment. And it
has the effrOntery, after all this mischief has
been done by its own wicked course, to
explain that the cause of this unfortunate con-
dlton of things is the ''violent outcrv'' raised
by certain individuals, whom it does not now
distinctly point out, against the corpora
tons,' and adds that prominent railroad
men, foresaw the crisis, but were powerless
to avert it, because "only the hoarse cry,
down with the monopolies. could gain the
popular car" "The multitude caught up
the shout, and, accompanying it with fierce
demonstrations, sent it across the sea, until
capitalists, who were ready and able to adj
vance the money the West needs and must
have for its development, shrank from touch
ing securities which the ambition of dema-
gogues could at any moment render value
less"
When public counsellor in one month
loudly demands confiScation, and the next
refers to its own demand as the "hoarse cry
OF demagogue," and to prove il insists on
the very arguments it ridiculed a month be-
tore, we can hardly wonder at the wild Ian
guage of those whom he advises. This whole
thing Is the result of efforts by such DEM
agogues as the Tribune men to create an
excitement among farmers which might result
IN combination that could be used for de-
stroying the supremacy of the Republican
party and throwing the control of the Gov
ernmcnt once more into the hands of the
Democracy, for that can be its only political
result. But the financial disaster it has
brought upon the country has alarmed the
demaSogues who started the ball, and now
they turn upon and bite themselves like some
serpents we read of.