The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-08-06
NOT AN ENEMY OF THE RAIL
ROADS.

ROADS.
We have had occasion, more than
once, to assert the supremacy of the
people over everything in the land, in
Guiding railroads but we do not wish,
therefore, to be understood as, in any
sense, the enemy Of the railroads.
y The Changers of the Northwest would
turn out with their rifles to defend the
railroads against the attacks of any
enemy who sought to destroy them.
1t is because the railroads are so es-
sential to the country, that the people
insist that they have the right to control
them by legislative action,
There have been many instances, in
States where no issue was raised be-
tween the people and the corporations,
in which railroad companies have been
bankrupted by mismanagement, to the
great injury of those who owned them
and of the whole community. Would
it not have been better if the people
had asserted and exercised supervisory
control in such cases over the road?
Neither are we hostile to the men
who are identified with railroad COM
panies, simply because Of that fact.
Hundreds of times have we taken occa-
sion to speak, publicly, in the highest
terms of the distinguished men whose
energy and enterprise have helped Min
nesota to these great public works.
But if these men hold the people in
contempt; if they deny them the rights
exercised by every other civilized peo-
Pile; if they plot and bride to despoil
them of their property, then indeed
are they the peoples enemies, and
should be treated as such. But, for
tunately, those whose brains are large
enough to conceive great projects for
the public good, are usually the last to
deny the people their legislative rights.
Hence We find such men as Hon. VIM.
L. Banning, of St. Paul, Ito whom,
more than any other, the State owes
the Lake Superior Railroad,) working
with the representatives of the people
to perfect laws that would prevent in
justice and extortion by reckless rail-
road managers.
The St. Paul Press, master of all the
arts of Misrepresentation, has time
and again tried to make it appear
that we proposed to drive all the
railroad companies of the State into
bankruptcy. We said nothing of the
sort. What we did say was, that if
company boarded it's land
grant; refused to sell it; and charged
the people unreasonable rates; that the
Legislature should not be estopped from
limiting the company to reasonable
rates, simply because it was already, as
the result gifts own Encouragement, on
The verge of bankruptcy. Any other
view than this would simply be to offer
IN encouragement for bankruptcy; for
company would only have to misman-
age its affairs and become impoverished
20 place itself beyond the reach of the
aY.
I'VE have no desire to drive the rail-
road companies into bankruptcy. We
believe in the Grange motto, "Live and
let live" We have no desire to op-
press the companies. But they must
first acknowledge and respect
the supreme and sovereign right
Of the people; they must get down
from the high horse they have so long
ridden, and assume the attitude of
submissive subjects to the collected ma
|esty Of the commonwealth; and then
We are ready to meet them and reason
with them.
We would suggest to our readers to
this point:
Is there not marked difference be-
tween high tariffs levied on articles i'm
ported into the State, and high tariffs
levied on articles exported from it?
For instance. the freights may be too
high upon groceries and dry goods, and
yet the farmer, on his annual purchase,
will hardly feel the difference.
But if the same farmer sells 5000
bushels of wheat. and the charge per
bushel is ten cents greater than it
should be, this takes $500 out of his
pocket every year. And this sum may
determine whether he will make any.
thing or nothing. In ten years, with
that $500 per year will amount
to a sum which is fortune in itself to
most farmers.
1t was this view that last winter in
duced us, in the bill, which we introduced
in the Senate, to say nothing about pas.
senger fares, or the freight on dry goods.
&C., but to confne our pro-
posed Law to the freights on grain and
other farm produce. We knew that
Rome was not built in day; and we