The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-02-28
FRIDAY EvEN'G. FEB. 2s, 1878.

prevalent, where uncorrected by information,
than the idea that free railroad laws Will cause
the introduction and investment of capital in
railroads located in state enacting.such laws.
- Wig
This is sharp, but not so entirely disin-
genuous as The Wing would have us be-
lieve. A very large majority of the northern
and western states have free or general
railroad law, and in many Of them most
of the railroads have been constructed un-
der these laws. All the railroads in Hi
nois but five were originally constructed
under the free railroad law of that state,
which was passed as early as 1S49. The
managers of the five railroads referred to,
however, finding that the free railroad law
was barrier to the frauds which they de-
sired to put upon the people in the interests
of a more swindling monopoly, went to
the legislature for special charters, and
by the use of money, lavishly distributed
through corrupt and corrupting Hobbies,
obtained some special privileges which the
people, in their senses, would never have
granted, and never supposed that their
representatives could be induced to grant.
These special grants are now giving the peo-
pie of the state good deal of vexaton,
and they find themselves engaged in inter-
minable law suits growing out of their
special legislation-the very folly for which
The Wing has been clamoring for the last
three months with force equal to that
of forty-horse windmill power.
The people of that state, assuming in their
new constitution that railroads are pub
lie highways, authorized the legislature to
fix maximum freight and passenger rates,
and to exercise general supervision over
railroad management, including all the
railroads Of the state. The roads specially
chartered, including the five principal cor
porations, fell back upon the law of con-
tract, as declared in the Federal constltu-
ton, and defined by the Supreme Court in
the Dartmouth College case, that char
ter is contract. The legislature
passed the necessary statutes, and
appointed commission to carry
them into effect. The roads refused to
recognize the commissioners authority.
Test cases were agreed upon-one on pass
enger rates and one on freight. Two decis-
ions in the state circuit court were recently
rendered-one affirming the authority
of the legislature and one denying it.
In each case an appeal was taken to the
supreme court of the state, which lately
reversed the decision Of the court that
affirmed the authority of the legislature,
upon the ground that the law was uncon-
stitutional. A new appeal, it is said, will
now be taken to the supreme court of the
United States. 1t is pretty safe, therefore,
to predict that for at least couple of years
to come Illinois will not know whether she
has any authority over her railroads or not
or whether she has not erected an impe-
riatm in imperio that may yet crush out
every material industry in the state with
impunity, so far as her legislative action is
concerned.
And vet, in the face of these and similar
facts the Wing is fiercely advocating these
same chartered monopolies" which are
now hiding themselves in other states be.
hind the doctrine of rested rights as laid
down in that ultimatum of all argument
on the questionable Dartmouth College
case-while it charges the advocates of a
free railroad law with the identical SINS
that lie so conspicuously at it own door.
In its issue of this morning it has the
effrontery to say:
II is true that the originators and chief adyo-
Gates and propogandsts in Virginia of this idea
(meaning free railroad law,) have Teen those
who We're ernissaries or agents of the Penn
sylvania Rail, DAD company, or We're in some
way officially, professionally or pecunarily con-
neeted with or interested il that monster corpo-
ration. or some other controlled by it.
AS we have strenuously advocated a
free railroad law, and broached the sub
ject in advance of any of our contempo-
raries as one proper for the consideration
of the present General Assembly, it NAV
be that our neighbor regards us as a paid
propagandist Of the measure, if not one of
the very terrible 'emssaries" co which it
refers. 1t is none of our business to inquire
into the truth of the matter, and we cer-
tainly have no purpose to insinuate that
The Wing is ''pecuniarily" connected
with any ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS or
pigmie--in its conspicuous fight against
the free railroad law; but so far as we
are concerned, no person or corporation,
either in the state or out Of it, has ever
approached us on the subject of advocating
what The Wing has so pertinaciously
fought, nor have we received, nor do we
expect to receive, from any person
natural" artificial or otherwise-the first
penny's consideration for O line that
has appeared in these columns, in
advocacy of free railroad law,
which we deem of such vital Importance to
our people. If The Wing can say as much
of what has appeared in its own columns
against the law, then it can fling its accusa-
tions of dishonest advocacy" in the face
of others with a good deal more grace than
would otherwise seemingly become it.
1t is because we detest chartered monop-
olies of all sorts that we 60 in for gene
raj law against all such special railroad
grants as are now giving so much trouble
TO the nennIa of Illinois The nannle IF