The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1874-09-02
GAZETTE ECHOES.
STIEE 4'E6sING 4 NAY IT TIE
F. llfsa7'4'kFgD. 1TONOPOLIES.

/
u must he 60 every one who has had
cause to complain of the extortionatc
and dishonest tariffs of the railroads of
the State, that influential public journ-
ais are daring to expose and drag tolight
| tlieir ruinous draining and bleeding pro-
cess. The following case, an instance of
unjust discrimination, noticed in a late
number of the Chattanooga Commercial,
will be recognized by our readers as one
handled by us months ago: ofF
Outrageous Railroad Discrimi-
| .,.- -.-.-.., nation.
Chattanooga CommerciaI Aug fS
| Weprinted paragraph yesterday from
the Knoxville, PFess a1td Herald, which
| is worthy of the careful attention of our
prospective State legislators. 1t is
stated rs fact that wheat is shipped
| from st. Louis through Knoxville to
| Petersburg for fOrty-four cents per hun
dred, while fOrty-siX are charged from
Knoxville to- Richmond or Petersburg.
This will probably explain to farmers
why they cannot dispose of their wheat
crops at satisfactory prices. Railroads
of Tennessee, built largely upon. the
credit of the state and exercising char
tered rights granted t0 them by the poo
pie, are parties to this combination dis
eliminating in u most outrageous man
ner against the farmers of this State and
in faVor of those of the Northwest.
1'fis, indeed, looks like realization
of the saying about taking an adder to-
your breast, warming it To life; md af-
terwartlS being bitten by it. We recog-
nize the value of railroads and are not
disposed to incite the. people to make
war upon them, but such palpably out
rageous determinations as that alluded
to should not be submitted to by the
people The voters should study this
question, arrive at some conclusion up.
on it. and take measures to have their
rights in this matter placed in the hands
of legislators who are able and willing
TO maintain them. In no question now
before them have the people of the State
greater interest.
The Nashville Commercial Reporter,
paper of larger circulation than any pa
per of its class in the State, prefaces our
standing Indictment against the railroads
of the State, with the following positive
language: .-.
We publish below an article from the
MORRIsTOwN GAZETTE, that plainly and
tersely presents complaint in behalf of
the people against the railroad monOpo-
lies of our State that deserves n careful
reading. No people were ever more com
pletely swindlcd than the people of Ten
nessee have been by Il lot of shrcwd men
in building and afterwards so manag-9
ing the railroads. of the State as to induce
the people to believe that their invest
mentS would never pay, and through
agents, to buy the stock held by poor
farmers at merely nominal figures. But
the GAZETTE presents the case so ably
and fOrcibly, that we can add nothing
except to invite the reader to give it
careful considcration.-N0sh CONNER
ci1y RtDorter.
Not less gratifying is it to our tax
paying people to see that movement is
at last being made to make Railroad
property bear its proportion of the tax
burden that rests upon the State of Ten
nessce. 1t is Il leading feature of the
platform adopted by the Democratic
State Convention. 1t was to construct
and put in operation the most of the
Railroads in orr State that the heavy
debt under which our people are now
was contracted. And ae,r,
that these Railroads have become i7,di-.
r53Hqt property, mostly, and are operated
for f2dtEa1aoJ profit, and not, as they
were intended, for the public good, it is
but just and right That their owners and |
beneficiaries should pay taxes upon them |
at the same rate. that other property is
taxed. There are from seventy to one |
hundred million dollars worth of Rail-
road property in the State, and if a tax
should be placed upon it equal to the
tax upon other property, it would light.
en- the burden of the. people most per-
The recent decision of Judge
Guild, at Gallatin, thus holding in the
case of the people against the Nashville.
md Louisville Railroad, we gave some
weeks ago, and in this connection wei
;all attention to- the following leader
rom a recent number of the Nashville
Union and AncFtcuIs:
The Railroads to the Rescue.
1t must be gratifying to a people labor
ng under n legacy of Radical debt. and
he depression of a Radical panic, to
NOV that some seventy to one hundred
Millions or railroad property must here
fteT bear their share of the common
,itrden. No less encouraging is it that
re have courts, superior to the siren
FilcS OF powerful corporations, faithful
nd fearless TO dispense Justice between
hem and the people. a special tcle-
ram published in yesterdays U5rson !
nd 4 HleTEeT3, announces the significant
act that Judge Guild has decided that
he railroad line and equipments in 4,
umncr county are liable to taxation the
lne as any other species of property.
his adds something over a million dol |
IRIS to the sources of that countvfs rev. I
nue. The GaIIatin Ezani17e- saws:
The amount claimed for the year 1874
'ould amount to about $4,000 or
-, 0OO-and if obtained, would reduce
lc taxes of our people to small figure.
he Importance of the suit will not be
mited in its effects 10 this county, but
ill effect every road in the State, for
ne question will, doubtless, be taken {
} tie the highest court and adtndicated
nally." We need hardly add TINT the
upTeHe Court of Tennessee Is likely to
ccide the matter according to the plain
lstice of the case.
1t may be argued thot railroads are a
ubiic benefit: So are all enterprises
lat pay-sO are farmers, artisans and
horcrs. And so all should be taxed TO
lpport the government that protects
u. Every species of property which
SLuS anu ACGtAN u pIOAGttiOH. biAO0lu
)ntribute the cost of protection. No
ass of corporations or of citizens have
ore frequent recourse TO the courts,
AN railroads. They should bear some
lFt of the costs of courts. SelT-interest
ctatcs their support of the courts, in
der that they may themselves obtain
stiec.
1t viii be well for the people to bear Il
is Important railroad problem in mind r
the coming canvass. Our laws for ;
e collection of taxes are defective, :
hey are often defied with impunity for II
.tlrs by wealthy indiyiduals or corpor- :
ions, who can command the highest
gaf talent in tile land. These laws
,Cd improvement. r 9ra.-. sra
Again it may prove desirable to de-
arc by statute where md In what man