National Republican., 1873-03-27
THE RAILROADS.,

The action OF the leading railroad lines In
regard to the postal-car service has had the
effect of calling the attention Of the people
to the power, magnitude and usurpations Of
these giant monopolics. The New York
Evening POsi, journal that Is neither sen
sational nor disposed to cXaggcrate present
evils, In an article on the subject says
These corporations have been so privileged
and pcttCd have been allowed to go on 80
long without restraint Of law, that they treat
with the Government as from sovereign to
sovereign, and menace the entire nation with
disarrangcmCnt Of Its affairs, In order to
bring about their private ends. In view Of
prctcuccs like these, is Il not time that our
statesmen should take up the various qucs-
tions involved in the granting Of corporate
privileges, as among the most vital and im-
mincnt now claiming attention. The power
welded by q few men, who represent a
wealth almost fabulous-a wealth surprising
that Of the mfghticst mOnarclB, and who use
their positions for their own purposes and
not the public goOd-is at this moment the
most formidable that eau be conceived The
old slave power, which cost half century Of
agitation and lvc years bloody war, was
hardly more audaCous aud dictatorial in Its
palmy days than this capital-powcr has be-
come, or soon will become. Let us, there
fore, be warned in time, and grapplc with the
danger before II shall have gone beyond our
ability to advert its final abuses and brought
on terrible civil catastrophe"
The railroads have grown TO their present
enormous proportions during the last ten
years. While the country was engaged In
the struggle with slavery and the rebellion,
aud settling the troublesome question Of re-
construction, these corporations have been
consolidating their strength. Under the
leadership and direction Of able aud keen
sighted men, small yilroad companies have,
by combinations and alliances with other
lines, by purchase Of competing roads, and
the extension Of branch lines, formed a net
work which extends over the leading States
Of the Union, binding them with bands Of
iron-pcrhaps We should have said Of gold
The Pennsylvania railroad, for instance, has
expanded into imperial dimensions, throwing
Its arms into twenty States of the Union,
stretching from the Atlantic TO the Pacific,
and as far South US the Gulf. And so on Of
other lines. II they had conteuted them
selves with simply extending their material
resources and influences, and acting as the
would not be inclined to complain; but
they have gone further than that. They
have assumed to be the masters Of tho public,
instead Of Its servants; to control not only
the legislation Of municipalities and of States,
but Of the country at large. They have as
sumed not only TO elect state Legislatures,
but Congresses, and to make them the mere
recording boards of their wishes and COM
mands. And now VIC find them assuming an
attitude Of hostility toward the Administra-
tion aud toward the entire nation, insolentiy
threatening that they will disturb business
and break down the usefulness Of an import
ant branch Of the Government unless their
demands are granted, law or no law. In
solid line they have thrown down the gaunt-
let and challenged the country to take
II up. They have declared themselves
above aud beyond courts and Congresses
It may be, Us they claim, that the
compensation they are at present receiving
for the postal service is inadequatc that they
arc running these cars at loss but in view
Of the fact that they arc the mere creation Of
the people, that the breath which has made
can at any moment unmakc them and that
II their claim is just II will certainly be grant
ed, their present action will be universally
condemned as insolcnt and tyrannical. II
they should carry out their threat, 1t will be
the beginning Of q struggle In which not
wlthstanding all their wealth and all their
power, notwithstanding that they call on
their payroll Senators and Representatives,
they are certain to be defeated