Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-09-11
Correspondence.
Niles, Ohio, Aug. Both, T%3.

Correspondence.
Niles, Ohio, Aug. 3oth, r873.
Editor Mo.e<- C."".y 7,a".er:p':
In your issue OF August 2lst, l fino
an article headed Railway Corpora
,ions," stating. ut some length, the
wrongs Of which they are the cause.
have read the article carefully, and
with pleasure, and having grown old i,
railroad experience venture few re.
marks relating to the remedy Of rail
way wrongs. shall be greatly obliged
it you see fit to publish them, especial.
" 50, since they "" the thoughts Of an
old resident Of Minnesota.
The gordiau knot, which modern
statesmen cannot unite, is the hpita,
tiou Of railway monopolies. The pow,
er which they hold, and often wicld, af
fects every nerve in our political frame
Complaints are continually being made
in all parts Of the country, and We
have had experience, sadly, but never
theless certainly, that this power may be
abused, a. we'll as bene6cially used
Yet it is the abuse alone which need
be limited-for no power can be too
great which is exercised for the beneR,
Of ration-but the abuse, the excess
and the unwarra nted extension of pow.
er should be brought back and kept in
its proper ohanuel. How this power
has been abused is set forth by the
writer Of Railway Corporations very
credibIy to himself. His remedies,
however, do not appear to be so happi.
" chosen. Let US examine then. aud
see if tley would supply this dedoieu-
cy. They are two in number, and as
follows:
1st. "That all National, State and
Municipal aid to railway corporations
should be stopped" This would be
like attempting to starve IN army when
it was amply provided for. No sir, you
cannot starve them out; their Golfers
are already full, and this mode Of pro.
csedure would only exasperate them
instead Of having the desired effect
You must strike deeper. and reach the
root. Gifts and subsidies can do no
harm If corporation is properly limit
ed by just laws, and those laws strictly
enforced. The fault is, not in gifts
and subsi lies, but rather in thu nom
enforcement Of existing laws.
II. ITO have thoroughfares owned
by the government" This experiment
has been tried in South Carolina to
certain extent. The railway from Au-
gueta to the sea coast, is owned by the
State, and before the war, its reports
show it alone supported the State gov
ernment. But South Carolina had
little or no competition, and tho same
plan would be an utter failure if the
United States should attempt to run
line across the continent. and compete
with the other..great lines, now amply
sufficient.
Besides, Congress would have no
power to construct such road without
an amendment to the Constitution. 1t
Isl State affair entirely. All charters
are granted by the States, and' such
step would be but another pace toward
the Capitalization Of power in the gen.
eral government. Again, 1apprehend,
that neither State nor general govern
ment can interfere with private corpo-
rations. The reason of this is embed
ded far back in the English common
law Of corporations, which the Uuited
States have accepted aud acted upon.
1t was acted upon in the Dartmouth
College case, which vas ably prosecu-
ted BY Webster, and defended by Writ.
New Hampshire attempted to interfere
with and change the College Charter,
but tho Supreme Court Of the United
States with John Marshall on tho
bench, decided that the charter formed
. contract between the State and COL
lege, and that to change the charter
would impair the obligation Of the
contract. The same reasoning will up
ply to railway Corporations. They are
private and cannot be dealt with AZ VII
lagos and cities, which are public cor
porations. The two ale entirely differ
eut. Public corporations may be chan
ged by State laws, but private can new.
or be, as they are contracts. Great
Britain seems to have hit the happy
medium. All of her charters are grant
ed only for certain number Of years,
after which they revert to the crown.
Thus they get their roads built and af.
forwards possess them. But it appears
to me, that railroads can be controlled
a. we'll as men. The one thing neces-
rary is this-our laws must be rigid in
the limitation Of their power, or rather
in the punishment Of the abuse Of pow
or, and then they must be enforced, as
We would enforce laws against men.
They should be protected and fostered
while they obey the laws, and punished
and dissolved when they disobey them.
But this is question not to be consid-
cred by the cold medium Of abstract
laws. The abuse is in our public men,
as we'll as in our corporations. They
are often DEPRIVED and unpatriotic
thus they arc often bought and sold like
sheep in the shambles, and I tell you,
Is long IS men are capable Of being
bribcd, there will be found somebody to
hriha them 0nr 1ava oro c,oo.I onon,,h