The Placer herald., 1873-01-04
CORPORATE MONOPOLIES.

and all the States will be between the peo-
pie and corporations. The insidious encroach-
ments on the rights of the people, and the
CALLING chains placed on them in the shape
Of political and financial exactions are begin
ming to bear fruit, and that fruit will he death
to all monopolies or destruction to liberty it.
self in America. Under this head the San
Francisco Chronicle has some sensible re-
marks, from which we clip the following ex-
tracts bearing on the general question Of mo-
nopoes:
''The next great division Of parties in Ameri-
can politics will be opposition to and war with
monopolies. The organized power OF these vast
corporations is obtaining controlling influence
over the Government of the country that IL IRE
sistabe. The absolute Indifference and insensibil-
ity to individual rights and private interests by
these monopolsts Is marked as was ever the in
| science of authority in feudal times. Never did
| Saxon slave the badge Of q more Calling
servitude than does the American people to-day
1 to the great corporations. Gradually they have
| so debauched the morals of the community, 81
| lently they have so demoralized public virtue,
| that It really seems though there was no end
| and no limitation to corporate exactions and de-
mands We see the officers of these great
| corporations doing acts that only from their very
magnitude their perpetrators from cohvc-
ton and imprisonment as felons. Gould steals
millions, restores part, and the ottense Is con-
doned. We see our wealthy managers, directors
and presidents of corporations III the lobbles OF
our Legislature, debauching and bribing men,
bers for coin. We know that a California Leg
ature is not an honest body, and that each year
it is than the preceding year. We know
politics is rotten and corrupt, from the primary
election to the Senatorial election. We know
that the same thing is true of New York and
! Pennsylvania and we know that it is true of the
Government at Washington. The Senators OF
the United States buy their positions for money,
and in turn sell themselves for com. Corpora
tions expend their money with reckless extrava-
gance among lawmakers to purchase the enact
ment of laws that enable them to rob the people.
1t is not yet necessary to bribe Judges to give
! these corporations false interpretations of toe
law, because so far the laws made for the
corporations The most alarming condition OF
things challenges the attention and will soon
arouse the action of the people. 1t will soon
become insupportable and when it does then
great corporations will be scattered like straws
in tempest. At present they are bound together
| by the mutuality Of sef-interest. The press is
the natural friend and ally of the people. AS
the great body of the people are honest, so the
great body of the press will be true and constant
| to the right individual members of the press
| will be seduced and bought and brbed.
| we repOSe ourselves IN commence tnut tne tliHe
| is coming when an honest and intelligent people,
following the lead of n fearless and unpurchasa-
BILE press will break themselves loose from these
great corporations, and will place them where
they belong, under the feet Of an indignant and
| outraged people"
After this the Chronicle attacks the Union,
Bulletin, Alta and CAL for apologizing for
the Western Union Telegraph monopoly.
All these papers, and the Chronicle also,
supported Grant for PRESIDENT, WHO is the
chief instrument and with his Congress the
great head of all the monopolists. We can
tell the Chronicle that if it wants earnestly
to 90 with the people and be leader in the
fight against monopoies, it must strike at
the head of this great monopoly serpent, and
not be haggling at the tail. Mash the head
and the tail will not again wiggle after sun
down. The press Of this State must keep
its own garments unspotted and unscented
with the putrid stencil that surrounds all mo-
noposts if they would be the organs of the
people. On this coast the great monopoly
is the Central Pacific railroad, and when you
hit it you hit the head of the monopoly rep
tile in California. Wells, Fargo & Cos, ex-
press is a monopoly the Western Union Tel
egraph is monopoly, the Friedlander wheat
ring is a monopoly, the Steam Navigation.
company is monopoly, and hundred 9th
er little monopolies oppress the people, but
with the single exception of the telegraph,
all of these are the mere aduncts and suck
lings of the mother monopoly, the Central
Pacific railroad. The Associated Press and
the Telegraph is monopoly, but it is one of
small import to the public and one that don't
rake the pockets of the people for half their
earnings. The press of this State that make
the great howl against the telegraph reminds
us of The cry of, "stop thief" by the thief
himself, and nine times out of ten you will
find it proceeding from the very papers that
are doing the mere ickspittle work of the
great Stanford monopoly. Their work is to
attract the attention of the people away from
this railroad monopoly that is poisoning the
legislative power of the State and robbing
the people of half their hard earned substance.
They do not fool us, nor will they fool the
people. Stanford's little bread and butter
pets will stick to him, but the people are fas,
comprehending the real fight and are making
ready for it against all monopolies.
COAST NEWS SUMMARY.