The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-06-14

lney nave repeatedly prevented the ~
election Of representatives, for opposing with
manly tirmness, their invasions Of the Peo
pies rights.
They have by false representation and sub,
teriuge induced the people 70 subscribe funds
To build roads, whose rates, when built, are
80 eXorbtant, that in many instances trans.
portation by private conveyance IS less bur.
deHsomc.
They have procured charters by which
they condemn and appropriate our lands
without adequate compensation therefor, and
'sIrogantly claim that by virtue Of these char
tiers they are absolutely above tie control OF
legal enactments
They have procured law oI congress by
which they have dispossessed hundreds OF
farmers OF the homes that by years OF toll
they nave built up; have induced others TO
mortgage their farms for roads never intend
ed to be built, and after souandering the
money thus obtained, have left their victims
to me mercy of courts over which they
held absolute sway.
They have obstructed the administration OF
justice by lnJunctions procured from venal
judges, by legal bubbles and appeals from
court to court, with intent to wear out or ruin
the prosecutor, openly avowing their detcrm-
inaion TO make 1t so terrible for the public
to prosecute them that they will not dare un.
dertakc it.
They have virtually made Judges depend.
cnt on their Will alone, and have procured
their appointment for the express purpose of
reversing decision of the highest court of
the nation, by which millions were gained TO
them, TO the injury Of the holders of their
bonds and the breaking down this last safe
guard Of American freemen
They have affected to render themselves in
dependent of and superior to the civil power,
by ordering large bodies of hircllngs to en-
force their unlawful cXactions, and have pro
tected them from punishment for any injury
they might inflct upon peaceful citizens,
while ejecting them from their conveyances
for refusing to pay more thad the rate Of fare
prescribed by laws.
They have arrested and summoned from
their homes for trial, at distant points, other
citizens for the same offence of refusing To
pay more than the legal fare, putting them to
as great inconvenience and expense as posi-
bic, and still further evincing their dctcrmin.
alton to make il too terrible for the people to
dare engage in any legal conflict with any OF
them.
They have combined together to destroy
competition and 10 practice an unjust ais
elimination, contrary to all the expressed
provisions OF our constitution and the spirit
of our law.
| They have virtually cut of our trade with
examinations and by. their eXorbitant rates
of freight forcing upon us the alternative OF
accommodating upon our hands q worthless sur
plus or of giving three-tourths Of the price
our customers pay for our products, for their
| transportation
Under the false and specious pretencc of
developing the country, they have obtained
enormous grants of public land from con
gress, and now retard rather than develop its
settlement, by the high prices charged for
such land.
They have converted the bonds iraudulcntly
obtained from the government, INTO great
corruption fund with which they arc enabled
| to bribe and control legislatures, and subvel1
every branch of government % their own
base and sordid purposes.
The have increased the already intolerablc
burden of taxation, which the people have to
endure, compared with which the tea and
stamp tax, which precipitated the war OF the
revolution, seems utterly Insignificant, by tht
appropriation of money from the public
treasury, while they have escaped taxation
themselves by evading and violating the eN.
pressed provisions of their charters.
In every stage of these expressions we have
petitioned our legislatures for redress in the
most humble terms. Our repeated petitions
have been answered only by silence, or by at
tempts to frame laws that shall seem to meet
our wants, but they are, in fact, only legal
snare of courts to disagree upon and for cor
poratons to disobey.
| Nor have we been wanting N attempts 40
obtain redress through congress. We have
warned them from time TO time OF these va
rous and repeated encroachments upon our
rights: we have reminded them of the Gil
cumstances of our emigration and settlement
here; We have appealed to them as the al
minstrators of free and impartial govern
! ment, to protect US from these enCroachment>,
which, if continued, would inevitably end III
the utter destruction of those Liberties for
which our fathers gave their lives, and the
Reinstatement Of privileged classes and an
aristocracy Of wealth. worse Than that from
which the war of the revolution freed Us
They too have been deaf to the voice OF Ju>
| tice and of duty. We must therefore acqulesc,
| in the necessity which compels Us to den0uncc
their criminal inditterenceto our wrongs and
hold them rs we hold our legislature-ene
mics to the produccr-to the monopohsts,
| friends.
We therefore, the producers Of this state ~
our several counties assembled, on this, lh'
anniversary of that day that gave birth TO !,
nation of treemen, and to government OF
which, despite the corruption OF its Officers,
we are SO justly proud, appealing TO the 81
preme Judge of the world for the rectitudc
Of our intentions, do solemnly declare thai
we will use all lawful and peaceabe means
10 free ourselves from the tyranny of mOnOpc-
jlv. and that We will never cease our efforts
| for reform until every department OF our
government gives token that the reign OF Ii
centious extravaganza is over, and somethin.
of the purity, honesty and t-5gality with
which our fathers inaugurated t has taken
! its place.
| That to this end we hereby declare ourselves
absolutely free and independent of all pas
political connections, and that we will give
our. suffrage only 10 such men Tor Office, from
the lowest officer in the state 70 The President
OF the United States rs we have good reason
10 believe will use their best en- !navOrS Othc
promotion Of these ends; and Tor the support
of this declaration, with tru reliance on
Divine Providence, we mutually pledge l"
each other our lives, our IogrreS, ana or
sacred honor