The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-08
j The indian "a ,a;,road.

+AOlAzAl6 tne~ tOWnS Oh LumDrOta,
Pine @Tslandy Minneola, Roscoe.
Wanan,ingo, Cherry Grove, Holden
ard Kenyon in this county, togeth-
'aer with certain towns in W'abasha,
Rice and lie Sueur counties, to issue
bonds to aid in Constructing a rail-
road from Wabasha city: westward.
It provides that the bonds issued, to-
gether. with any other Indebtedness
fot similar purpose which may be
existing, shall not exceed ten per
cent. of the assessed value of the
taxable property of the towns, and
= provides, also, that whenever twenty
five voters in any one of said towns,
who own real estate therein, shall
submit petition to the supervisors,
the latter shall call an election, when
the questi ions as to whether bonds
shall be issued by the. town and to
what amount shall be voted upon by
the people. If a majority vote in
favor, then the town authorities shall
issue the bonds.
We have always opposed the issu-
ing of such subsidies to railroad
companies and other private enter
prises, and still contend that to do
so is violation of the principles of
equity which no circumstances can
justify. Until We are convinced that
one man has right to give another
mans property away, we must con-
tinue to oppose such proceedings.
Let us admit that the road will be of
vast public advantage, that the price
of property will be enhanced by its
construction to an extent far beyond
the amount Of the bonus. Or, let us
even grant the truth of the absurd
exaggeration that the increase in the
value Of a single crop. Of wheat will
pay the. bonds. Still. this does not
make it right for majority of the
community to compel ever SO small
a minority to give their property to
the projectors of the enterprise.
1t should be borne in mind that
this involves the taking away Of one
mans property in order to give it
to another; and the same argument
by which it is sought to uphold such
conduct in the case of a railroad, if
elaborated only slightly, would make
it equally just to apply the rule to
any other scheme protesting to be
for the public welfare Indeed, the
practice violates the right of proper
ty, and can only be successfully de-
Tended by resorting to the funda-
mental idea upon which monarchists
and comm ,nists base their theories,
i. e. that the State is entitled to SUI
preme control over the persons and
property Of the citizens.
It may be urged that those who
vote against the bonus, in this in
stance, do not know what is best for
them. Admit 1t. Still the conmu-
nifty has no right to assume guardi-
anship over them and dispose of
their property as it sees fit. 1t
might possibly happen to be the ma
jority that is ignorant Of the true
interests Of the community, as in the
case Of our old State bonds.
Holding this view, We cannot be
expected to approve Of the propos-
ed bonuses, upon any other condi-
ton than that the vote to give them
shall be unanimous; nor can we
even be expected to sanction public
subscriptions to the stock of such
company, because that involves a
similar usurpation of powers that do
not exist rightfully.
We believe that the proposed road
will be advantageous to the section
of country through which the route
;passes, but we doubt whether such
benefit will compensate for the wrong