The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1875-01-29
hailr,,Ad l<eislA,lsa.


|. Il rsrt the ambition II ratal lers.
laiuts 70 grasp and wtessle ~l,h sub.
jeess and matters far beyond their epm.
p'ehrn-ion. A State legislature. ~ !
general thing. u ,ssef quite 70 perfect
y eon.cntcd - when II IA teguls.ing
The governments of large cities and
placing restrictions on every custom
and a,husemen. that ID not considered
an fai. On tho farm. And when Ii
wants 10 do something more than usu.
ally beyond i.s ability, |. plunges head.
long into railroad legislation, II ressls
Will, In tho depths u freight rates.
figures. tables. statements, exhibits.
transportation reports aud statistics.
estimates anil al ssra.is. and finally
out of breath. cotnes 10 tho surface
with 4 schedule n freight and parscn.
yer tariffs. And such u schedule N II
is
A legislature appears u look upon
managing . railroad, ~ y hundred. "
n thousand railroads, for that matter,
very much ~ tho mara ri mankind
look NJ keeping = hotol Or editing =
newspaper, something ~ b. jumped NJ
aud ,nastorod ~ = moments notice,
without my preliminary training "
education whatever. Il becomes no.
cessary, In tho EYES VI tho Legislature.
90 regulate the railroads " tho State.
Committees arc appointed, fsw weeks
investigation II sufficient for them n
acquire more practical and theoretical
knowledge VI tho railroads and their
workings than tho eldest railroad men
IN tbs State possess. or even clsim ~
possoss, bill u prepared, smhvdyi ying
all this suddenly acquired Wisdom, ard
tho result II. what ~ have aesn.
Illinois can toll what . mistake her
railroad law was and ID, Iowa knows
that eyen with tho experience of her
sister Prairie State 10 guile her. shs
did far worse when she dabblsd In rail.
road legislation. and Minnesota has
made tho worst botch. and has adopted
'bs moa suicidal legislation u oil tho
States that have attempted 70 take
charge Of the business of railroads,
merely because they aTs corporations
When 40 join II tho popular and
generally foolish elamor against rail.
roads. wo arc very apt 10 forget what
thu railroads hAse done FIR III. II
they charge u dfly.dyo ccnts 10 get
cur corn 10 New York. W even then
DO bsiter than whom 10 ussl 70 and ils
cheaper % burn our corn than wood
With all our grumbling. W do not sigh
far tho good old ante railroad tlmes,
People WHO cry out now sgsinst tho
extortienate fares which tho railroads
charge, can they remember that They
ever travelled - chesply before tho
railroads came. ~ they do te.dayf
There II no nproar against tho hacks.
tho omnibuses. tho .ssge. sll legitimate.
old .ims ccnyeysuees. tho only ones
nur fathers hal. and yet the railroad
will ehrry W ten miles for what tho
hack will sats u ono. Tbs most Aery
Anti.slnnop,liat In the country. were
he In start 10 mako tho trip from herc
10 Nsw York In N old fashioned stage
coach. would anathe,natitise tho
Orange and be willing 10 psy ths ros.
ular railroad fare " he could only catch
= train, long before hc got ~ Indian.
apolis II shs railroads are not sutir-
sly good. neither are they anmixei
evils. I'hey found this state ! vii,lsr-
nsss, and they have made II dwelling
place. Wherever the iron rsils evspt
through tho prairie grass, ~ u by mag.
10 farm l'ouses dosssd the plain, golden
harvssts waved In ths sunlight. scl,ool
houses sprung Into sslsssncs and sbureh
spires rose white against Tho sfure
background VI tho sky; tho hmm u the
fsesory md ths slastsr of The workshop
brvks tho Milinsss thst had bvoodad
over Tho unsettled stais. tho whir and
mise and busy clsmor u business
mingled with and echoed tbs whistle
u tho engine. and whore The railroad
erept the desert smiled.
by lsgislasing - harshly IN these
matters u which ~ ars wofulIy iGnor.
ant, - bavs given . s4siesa, danger.
ous sbsek - railroad enterprises w
can 10 more sGord 10 DO without sbs
railroads than Tho railroads can DO
without ". And live Insist on con.
trolling and managing shsIr business,
snd die'ssing their policy 10 ~ terms
- moss s6ossually bar 10 advsp, o.
rvogsssS u railroad satSvrvss4. !"
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