The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-08-16


them instruments to develop our State.
rather than monop0lies to rob it of its
wealth. They should be subject to leeis-
latlve control, and taxed upon their fair
cost value. He believed they had no
higher rights than those enjoyed by the
| people. Ii in the investigation now being
carried on it is found that the constitution
confers greater rights upon the railroads
than upon the people, then the same
power that made the constitution would un-
make and remedy this event. He believed
the question would soon be settled and
the State would make greater progress in
the future than it had done In the past
GOV. PALMER
was the next speaker, and he said it was
source of pleasure to him to find an au-
dience to whom he could speak without
treading on some one toes For thirty
years he had been making speeches
throughout the State, and during that time
he had always been fighting some one or
some one had been fighting him But to-
day he could find no great question which
the people ought to dispute. Old things
have passed away and we have entered
upon new era in which all our past ex
perience is Of no a~aiI. He regarded the
settlement Of the slavery question as the
termination OF the first political period in
American history, and to-day we are one
people having nothing to quarrel about
With the new era new duties devolye upon
us as citizens Having established the
great principles OF our government We must
now turn our attention more to the min
utla. We must arrest the corruption that
has crept into the administration of our
pubic affairs. We must more carefully
watch our agents and select honest men
We must discharge the duties of our citi
zenshIp more carefully than we have. We
have III our negligence of these duties Sc
lected men who have disgraced us BY their
salary grabbing and Credit Mobiher trans
actions. hen we get to be as careful
with our public affairs as We are with our
private affairs, we will have good men in
office, and not until then. Heretofore the
politicians have made up ticket and YOU
have voted 1t without knowing or caring as
10 the character of the men composing it:
new and powerful interests have sprung
up which have been and are now robbing
YOU OF the products of your industry.
These powers must be resisted and put
down. But the people can only secure re
form by giving every movement in that di-
rectlon their determined support. We al
ready have more railroad laws than we en-
force, andit is plain principle of law that
railroads cannot practice extortion, and
yet there is not shipper here to-day who
has not been the victim OF extortion by
railroad companies, but not one of them
will resent it by fighting for his rights.
They are afraid to fight these large corpo-
ratlons, yet it is idle to discuss measures of
reform until we get rid of this fear and de-
termlne to enforce our rights
to the end of the law and no.
longer submit to wrong. The railroad
are part of a vast system, and our remes
dy must be as great and extensive as the
system, reaching every part. 1t is more
important to know the nature of the laws
We now have than to have new ones You
cannot abolish the railroad companies for
they are part Of our social system, but
you can reduce them to their proper posi-
ton and make them instruments of usefuI-
ness instead of extortion. The claim of
these railroads to powers greater than
those OF the people is baselese one. and
OF the same character as the claim of the
highwayman to your money.
Gov. Palmer then proceeded to read an
elaborate legal argument in which he CON
ceded the rights OF Incorporated compan-
les as set forth In the decision of the Dart
mouth college case, and the several cases
decided by the supreme court of this State.
A State cannot violate or impair a CON
tract IN the shape Of charter made be-
tween 1t and an Incorporated company. but
he proceeded to prove by law and extracts
from decisions of the supreme court, that
railroads were, by virtue of their charters,
common carriers, and subject as such 70
all the obligations and liabilities of that
class which are to furnish reasonable faciI- !
ltles for the transportation of goods and
persons, to transport such goods and per-
sons with despatch and safety, and to re-
celve such goods and persons In the order
III which they are offered, making 10 dis
elimination, and to perform these services
for reasonable compensation. The en- |
forcement of these obligations is sufficient
to protect the public from all the wrongs
complained of, but as long as the people |
consent to take less than their rights they
will receive less, but when you demand all |
your rights you will get rid of monopoly
when You determine no longer to submit |
TO It, The people who concede the ninth
part OF hair to wrong, will soon lose the
Whole.
zen ). c, Black made an able speech,
which closed the ceremonies.
Inc greater part Of his argument was
devoted to the railroad question, on which
he TOOK positive grounds. insisting that no
State Legislature could delegate powers to
creatures which itcould not recall, and OBJ
jecting to any interference by the Federal
government since whenever power was
exercised at distance from the home Of
constituencies, it was always necessarily
corruptly exercised. There were, laws
enough, and what was needed was the
election OF men pledged to the administra-
ton OF the laws as the people made them.
The concluding portion of his remarks was
devoted to taxation, where he took ultra
free trade ground and in favor of direct
taxation, since in that way alone would
nannla knouu inst hou r,,,.oh uuar 4al-op