Liberal Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1872-1???, 1873-01-04

are, be owned by one company,a then
take into consideration the well known
fact that no more roads can be con-
structed or maintained in the valley,
and we would like to have some friend
of humanity inform us why the people
of this valley could not be governed
completely, and controlled absolutely
by this railroad company, who have the
right to charge just what they please
for freights. It is obvious that they
could reduce the yeomsnry Of the
country to poverty, and keep them in
that condition, while all the rich profits
resulting from the hard labor Of the
working man would go directly into tha
Golfers of these monied sharks, who claim.
in this land of boasted equality to have
"vested rights" The whole thing Is q
humbug, and an imposition upon the
rights of the people unauthorized by
any rule of law or equity known to
popular governments, and can only be
brought about and established in this
country by corrup:ing our judiciary.
Notice for one moment, the magni-
tude Of the right, these soalless devils
claim. In the first place they receive
charter from the legislature or organize
under eeneral law of . State, enacted
for that purpose, thea they open their
stock books, subscribe the required
amount, and to all appearance comply
with the statute or charter creating
them. What then the next move is
to make survey of their route, they
run wherever they please and when
they find route that suits them best
they then demand of the owner in fee
OF the soil, deed to all the land he owns
which is necessary for them, accord
to their own calculations, to build their
road, workshops and for depot grounds:
and when the man who has purchased
his land and paid his mony Cor it, and
who for his whole life has earned his
honest bread by the sweat of his brow
ask these sharks, the question, by
what authority do you demand my land?
lie is answered by the authority of the
legis 'ature of tho State, and produces
the Lay. But the honest yeoman
unable to understand. how in this free
land, he has n,o "vested rights" in his
own soil, asks ihe other qustion, by
what authority dos the legislature
authorize you to run where and when
you please through my possessions ?
And the answer is ready, ii is this the
Legislature is authorized by the ri hit of
the'eminent domain, to appropriate yo:,r
property for purposes like these, be. /
Gcnse il is taking private property for
public use, the use Of the lands Of the
farmer is tak6c for railroad purposes,
because railroad IS for the use Of the
public, consequently everybody is so in
terested in the matter that it becomes
n public use, not private, because If it
were for private use, it could noS be
taken, for under the Constitution OF
the United States no private property
can be taken for private use. Now
mark, after they have whinned around
and have got the lands from private
citizens, on the theory that the railroad
is Of such public utility, as to give the
right TO appropriate your landed estates
as they please, they then turn round
with all the arrogance of despot, and
say to you, we have "vested rights"
here this railroad is q strictly private
concern, and we nave the right to
charge you just what we please.
When the same honest farmer, the
pr, fits of whose toll is going constantly
into the hands of these monopolies,
asks in astonishment, how is it, that
you have "vested rights" as private
individual which the people cannot con-
troD, il you take my lands for public
use? The impudent answer is, it turns out
that it was your OK that was gored, and
rs different rule applies. The whole
argument simmered down is this,
when these railroad corporations want
the farmers lands, they are public in
stitutions. when they have got them
and have their road built so that they
are we'll prepared to fay the farmer,
then they suddenly change into private
institutions, and claim "vested rights"
an imposition which they force upon