The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-07-09
GOV. PALMER's SPEECH.

PROBABLY no man III lliiuViS OVu'N SPNNN'
upon the questions now agitating the PEG
pie in regard to monopohes and Legislation
for favored classes, who would command
such universal attention as ex-Gov. John
NJ. Palmer and it is not necessary Tor us
TO urge our subscribers to read carefully
all he says in the speech to be found
in this paper. For twenty years
he has been one of the foremost men IN
Illinois, man whose integrity was never
questioned faithful to every delegated
trust, and possessing the ability to adorn
any Office in the nation. He seems to
have caug, the spirit of the people and
given ex; gression to it. He shows that the
people have the power to right every
wrong and that if they do not it will be
their own fault The greatest danger, he
says, lies in the willingness with which the
people trust the professions of others.
After exposing the excessive expenses OF
the government, and the consequent OPP
pressiveness of taxation, and after, de
nouncing the system of taking bounties
and subsidies out of the pockets of com
munities and bestowing them upon indi-
vidua's as inducements to enterprise, as
falacious and deceptive, he advanced tc
the discussion of the railroad problem
The solution most commonly proposed
that of direct legislative interference to fH
the rates for transportation, he pronounced
utterly impracticable, while the other
which proposes that the federal govern
ment shall engage in building railroads, h
characterized as worse than folly. TIL,
Governor then supported briefly tn
theory that he has frequently urged, tina
the ownership of the railways and tn
business of transporting freight and pass
engers over them should be separated
He referred to the law OF last winter as
monument of the patience and reasonable
ness of the people but showed that tn
railroads are only making it pretext 70
new extortions. All we want from Legs
latures, he tells us, is legal rules of ev
n deuce that will throw upon the railroad
y the burden of showing the reasonablene,
c of their charges and enable us to asce
Z tain the real values represented in the
: investments, and the actual profits
which they are entitled on this basi
The people are willing TO pay such rat
as will give reasonable interest on Il
actual capital invested. But the railroad
e have first begged subscriptions, privat
3 and township, and city, and county; thu
confscated all this to their own us
ID but added it to the Il
le parent capital then issued fl
~ titious stock TO themselves for viii,
n nothing was paid, and added this to the
apparent capital They then pay theI
selves enormous salaries live in magui
5, cent style build extravagant houses t
lie themselves keep fast horses; wear cost
diamonds; indulge in great extravaganC
and after taking this out of the earnin
r, of the road. by some indirect way, tn
re claim that they ought to have such rat
Ii of Transportation as will after paying
their extravagances, divide 10 per cel
? annually, The people will not submit
4, this kind of swindling any longer Tn
are willing to pay fair wages for comp
1t tent, careful, frugal, honest men TO mana
$ the roads, and a fair rate of intereston t
actual cost of the roads, economically a
honestly built-but nothing more. 1t "
: be well for the railroads to realize the
facts early in the fight, for the result is Il
doubtful The people will triumph.
=, Legislatures and courts fail them they W
u pull up every mile of track in the countr
er The people will rule in this country, eth
!. through law or over it,-and the sooner
re monopolists who Cypress them realize tt
II fact the better will it be for them and tn,
n, property They will have justice, son
a. 'way,-peaeeably if they can. forcibly
to they must