The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-10-03

Is emlnently satisfactory. VINO
would think Of dissecting the post
al system of the country and de
iiVering it into fragmentary state
or local management, like that ap
piled to the railroads, with rates
of postage, and the manner and
time of transportation forever
fiuctuating at state lines? The
greenback currency of the country
is national, and who does not pre-
fer it to the old state bank arrange
ments?
| In short, if we he NATION, as
has been asserted by the Declare.
ration of Independence, by the
war, of revolution, and by the
adoption of the federal constitu.
ton; if We be a NATION, as has
recently been proven in the face
of million armed men support.
ing the negative of the PROPOSE
ton, shall we not at once and for
ever resolve to perform national
acts? Rather than continue the
present fragmentarv, unequal and
unjust system of internal com
merce, half state, half national, let
US nationalize both the railroad and
Geographic systems.
The blood and nervous system
of commerce is national; why may
not the veins, arteries and muscn-
lar forces be so also. Let Con-
| gress, and Congress alone, under
the constitution, have power to
regulate commerce. Then in case
of grievance we will have but a
single point on which to fix re-
sponsibility, in most cases being
able to say ''thou art the man."
No complications with state con
situations, state legislatures, and
three or four orders of courts
subordinate, intermediate, supreme
and more supreme-Congress may
be made quite as accountable to
the people as the state legislatures,
and much more so than some of
the courts. It should be remem-
bered, also, that the local annoy
ances and Gtigations under the
present system are very costly to
the companies as well as to the
people, SO that try they ever so
hard they cannot run their roads
so cheaply or SO satisfactorily as
they could were they freed from
them. Give us then as soon as
practicable, the hard pan of ma
tional law for both parties to stand
upon. Let fairness and justice be-
tween man and man-between indi-
yiduals and corporations-in its
simplest form, be established by the
highest authority known in the
country. If new clauses to the con-
stitution are needed to cover the
newly arisen circumstances let
them be duly added. If undue
franchises or advantages have
been granted by ignorant or cor
rupt legislatures, which cannot be
abrogated without impairing the
obligation of contracts, let them
be bought out at fair figures, or
let new and better roads be laid
parallel, forcing them to reason
by public competition. The plea
of private ownership Of railroads
is a hazardous one for the rail-
road companies. Private property
may be condemned for public uses
and paid for at its value. Rail
roads form no exception to the
rule. The companies have set US
the example by compelling the
right of way through private pro-
perty. Railroad beds may be con-
demned, paid for and used as pub
lie highways.
1t is question, also, whether
in changing the nature Of the
roads from public highways to
private property, the companies do
not impair their claim to munich
pal bonds, which can be constitu-
tionally voted only for public pur-
poses Of general benefit by the mu-
nicipality which is expected to re.
deem the bonds. At the risk OF
provoking criticism on details, the
following suggestions are offered
towards a general system of mill
and commercial railroads, to be
built and operated by the people,
under the supervision of the gen
eral government:
No. l should begin at the city
of Boston, Mass, and pass as
nearly as possible on q straight
line through or near the cities OF
Providence, New Haven, New
York, Trenton, Philadelphia, Viii
mington, Baltimore and Washing
ton, thence south and westerly
through Richmond, Raleigh, Col
umbia, Milledgeville, Selma, Jack
son and Shreveport; thence west
erly through Texas, New Mexico
Arizona and California to the bay
of San Diego on the Pacific coast
This road would afford direct
communication between the opu
lent cities of the east and thu
planting and grazing states ant
territories of the south and south
west. The surplus population o
the east would have easy outlet tt
the most needy and unoccupiet
portions of the country. Th'
easy communication and com
merce which would NATURAL,
spring up between these TWO di
verse regions .'ould vastly pro
mote their wealth, friendship ant
, homogenity. Unobstructed b.
; torrid heats or winter SHOWS, thi
J road would give rise to q trans
continental trade between the com
mercial nations of Asia and Eu
| rope, vastly more beneficial to thi
, country than anything which Cal
: possibly arise from all the canal
) and railroads that can ever b
built across the isthmas of Darie
l by all the world combined. Sue
E a road, passing through the bes
1 portions of the southeast ant
: south, cutting all their great ma,
2 igable rivers at right angles, pass
| ing numerous branches, built b
!. private enterprises, and in cas-
/ reach of the ocean and gulf coasts
would well answer the purposes {
D land-locked navigation in cas-
of foreign war. The Mexica
i and Indian questions would be u
: der the direct and easy control I
s the government. This road cal
F not be built too soon. It is no
y urgently needed, both by the go
e eminent and the people. No.
e should pass east and west throus
g the very heart of the countr
The eastern end should have te
e mini at Washington, Baltimor
II Philadelphia and New Yor
y These branches should converI
o and unite near the region of Pitt
b burgh, Penn. Thence pass wef
IN ward through Columbus, India
IS apelis, Springfield, Central Misso
re and Central Kansas; thence thu
e. the mountains near the Iatitu