The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1874-03-12
Railroad Matters.

uy Gil.
BY the report Of the Railroad Com
missioner, it appears, that the present
roads have been run the past year at
an average loss OF income. upon his es.
Inmates Of their cost, ut the rate of ST.
ll9 per mile, being an annual loss in
the aggregate Of 50 2Ss,O00. How
long. think you. eau this 90 on and
the public be adequately served? We
cannot obtain more f.om these road
than they have power to yield. W.
cannot keep them up aud break them
down at the same time. We cannot
drive horse fifteen miles an hour
when he Can only 20 eight, nor has
been demonstrated as yet that sunshine
can be extracted from cucumbers or
blcod from turnips. All admit the
sicEly condition of our railroads; in
view of which some of the official CON:
munications We have had upon the SUBJ
ject Of restraining their functions as
now exercised seem to me to be master.
pieces If irony.
More than half of them are bank
rupt, and a snow blockade like that OF
last winter would break up all the
others except the Milwaukee & St.
Paul. and the Winona & St. Peter,
which are backed by the main trunks
leading to Chicago.
But it is replied that the people
gave them lands Of enormous value
aud they will for,ify and uphold their
! financial strength. If such were the
fact now lovely it would be, for as long
As the proceeds Of the lands should
;,old out, the roads would be largely
taxed, aud serve the public for moth
ing. The trouble however, with the
railroad lands is, like the measles in a
large family, there are no. buyers
''euoush to 20 all around" They
have been held out to the world to be
rs valuable AS were those Of the Illinois
Central in 1856. whereas that company
had then the only railroad lands on
he continent. The emigration to the
West was precipita.ed upon them, aud
they were rapidly absorbed at high
prices.
Now we have railroad lands of more
than one hundred companies stretch
ing over the western halt Of the CONT
nent at all points Of the compass.
But did the psople Of this State
give the lands to our roads ? Taking
a broad view Of national interests by
Fastening the groxth Of the west, Con
yreSs granted them to the State in
trust to SECURE the buildings OF the
roads, and for no other purpose a; and
hence our people did not give them
aud had no more legal interest in them
than the people OF New Hampshire
and most of them were as valulcss as
any other wild lands. They were
worth just what it cost to extinguist
the Indian title aud to survey them,
which was about ten cents an acre
The roads had to be built to give them
value. aud the companies then had to
co un'ze them in part In anticipa
tion, while 'ulldins, and since, people
have settled alcny their lines, and i"
the space Of a few years, almost as by
magic, magnificent harves, fields have
sprung up all over our broad State
aud villages with their school houses
aud churches, cities in embryo aud
towns with great fortunes. scarcely
haviuy parallel in rapidly Of growth,
are l"ominy up in allUirections
But without the roads these would
not have been; without the roads,
four -fifths Of the people would not
have been. A few struggling villages
in the valleys, few lumbcrmen near
the most accessible pine. few trappers
,r'ders nd farmers, poor, isolated aud
discouraged, would constitute our p"p
ula,iun. Aud what is true of this
State is true Of the great c"u TRY west
Of the Lakes to the Pacific Ocean.
where these railrounds were the in.
strumenta|ities Of combining vigorous
populations that gave a controllin.
blow to the rebellion aud thus cement.
ed all the States Of the Union.
We have now in the State in round
numbers 2 600 miles of reads, aud
6OO 900 people, who are better off and
have moro health, comfort and wealth
than the samc number Of people any.
where in any newly set led region on
the face Of the globe. II this be ruin
in the name OF Heaven let us have
more Of it: aud Feudalism too ii you
please. Aud yet as I look back to the
time when the large number Of our
public spirited aud energetic citizens
who originated these great and splen-
did structures, who stood by them in
their long years Of greatest peril and
until their success was assured, when
[ hear the eloquent voice Of the astuts
senator from Steele dcnouncing the
extortions that these institutions have
i"f .ctei when l hear the able and
distinguished Senator from Blue Earth
exposing and dcprecating their over.
shadow!ng power. when l hear the
powerful voics Of the statesman and
orator upon this floor from Dakota
portrayius day after day the terrible
poverty. degradation aud despair, with
which these Ionstrous moDopolies
have enthral:ed the people, begin
To think that those citizens whose gen.
ias fortunes and :he devotion of the
best years Of whose lives have created
these roads instead Of benefactors, have
been the eacmies Of their race, and
that l myself have been criminal Of
more than Ordinary proportions, de-
serving better = dungeon than a seat
upon this floor; that I have been
conspirator and traitor to my State /:
aud that it would BE- my duty we're it
in my power, as partial atonement
for m7 crimes, to aumhilate every
road within our borders Yet though
cannot do it, it is in the power Of
the Legislature to destroy them It