Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-04-08
SEntit Of Aeffersoll.
Charlcstown, Jefferson County, West Va.
TUESDAY MORNING. APRIL s. 1873.
WESTERN FARMERS MOVING.
What They are Doing in Illinois.
lode.l un )corre.pondence Chicago rime, !,


Union, Dwight, Pontiac, Sunbury, Esmen,
! Sullivan, Round Grove and Brompton. as
sembled in niass>convention at Odell, to listen
to speeches and take action on the railroad
question now agitating the entire State.-
There was an especial interest given to the
occasion by the fact that the action recently
instituted by the Chicago and Alton Railroad,
In the United States Court, ia against certain
Inhabitants of the town. Those first martyrs
in the cause of popular rights include some of
the most respectable men in the township,
! and one is brother of the great farmers can
didate for Railroad Commissioner, Colonel
Morgan Their names should be eugraven
on the roll of honorable fame as the cham
pions of the law-abiding population. They
are as follows: S. S. Morgan, l. f. Frink, A.
j Wright, George Thompson, John Alma,
Solomon Houchin. John Ferguson, Wm. 6 ust,
Edward Bolter and George Morkins.
The action is brought in the United States
Court to recover damages for trespass The
facts appear to be that about forty seven resi>
dents Of the township entered the cars at this
place to attend Convention at Pontiac, a
distance of nine miles. They each tendered
twenty cents for fare, but the conductor
would not take it, asking an additional ten
cents, because the party had not obtained tick
cts. Among the party the train was
States Attorney, james Fl. Funk, who in
qu'red by what law the conductor asked the
additional ten cents The official replied that
it was regulation of the company; but Mr..
Funk pointed out to him th"t the regulation
contained in the depnts was that ten cents
would be deducted from the fare if tickets
were purchased before entering the train
The conductor could no: answer this, and
finally, after much handying of words. took
the money under protest. On the return
three cents per mile was again rendered. aud
accepted under protest The company, on
the matter being reported proceeded to take
stems to ''have this thing settled''
They were about to institute suits in the
Criminal Court of Livingston county, when
they made the discovery tha. one of the of
tenders was less personage than the
States Attorney himself This cooled their
ardor in this direction, for they felt sure that
he would enter noUe 7'rosequi-and finally
awaiting themselves of the provisions of the
Kuklnx Act, they entered a suit for tresnass
in the United States Circuit Court at Chicago
The indignation which at once aronsed by
this tyrannlca! action, scared the officials to
such degree that their legal REPRESENTATIVE
in Pontinc, Mr.. Jonis T.. Pavson, made over
lures to the parties to the effect that they
should allow verdict to lie entered for nom
innl damages and have the suits dismissed hy
this means hoping to secure II tacit acknowl-
ed"ment of the right of the Company to
charge what fare it pleased, or in other words,
with the idea that the simple consent of
dozen of outraged citizens could turn an un-
lawful act into lawfn' one, and thus prevent
all future dispute. But the offer was rejected
with the contempt it merited, and the case
will go to trial,
49,,
farmers poured in great numbers from all the
above townships. The condition of the roads
prevented many from attending the Cnnren-
tion, hut notwithstanding this drawback. the
large hall was crowded to repletion and nun
hers stood outside unable to ohtain admission
There was no doubling the spirit of the peo>
pie. Not single man could be found who
supported the railroads, while not few were
loud in their expressions of willingness to re-
sort to forchle measures if necessary to secure
their rights A band, under the direction of
Mr. W D. Wilson, who also runs the excel>
lent local news paper, performed several se>
lections in admirable style
The Chairman said the object of the meet
ing was to express their opinion of the abuses
OF the present management of the railway
system: They would hear speeches from
several gentlemen. and first from their tai
chAeu U "Lstuan, MT a. Z W Tignt.
Mr.. Wright said They had to forge. tho
political issues of the past, for both Repsb-
licans and Democrats were swallowed up in
this grave oppression of railway monopolies
They had put themselves into contest which
would be as resistlcss the force of the ocean
They were asked by the world, What is the
question of this hour? what question was it
that took frora these hearts all the feelings of
the past, and asitates them so thar they had
become once again a united people? It
this ever>present oppression of an accursed
monopoly. a creature of their own making.
that had taken their fellow. citizens up before
Courts of which they had no coenizance-
They had to adopt what WIS right aud show
that they were free when in free state
The papers guided sentiment when they had
once been adopted their children but
when, in the case of the Tribune, they
went back on the interests of the people who
had nourished them. they should be crushed
to earth. The question now before them was
would they support the men who had heeu
selected by the monopoly in their midst the
objects of persecution. Loud cries of I'VE
will' and cheers
Mr.. Wrght-Yes, and in that YOU repre-
sent the genius of the people The cry about
the ri ghts of contract. of the fact that a
State could suicide itself. was damnable lie
No contractor ever gave a contract which
caused him to submit to illegal extortion.-
II understood that no Legislature had the
right to enact laws which were beyond the
purview of succeeding Legislatures. II the
Chicago and Alton Railroad had such rights
granted to it. then it was a base outrage, and
the people could resume the rights thus bar
tered away by the ordinary means eff law, if
possible, but by force if necessary. GCheers.
1s
rank of such an action as this were reasonable
by some, while they were esteemed unreason>
able by others. They had met there to do
what they could in social discussion together
If the rule of railroad monopolies were to be
submitted to, then hand in hand they would