Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1876-02-08
LETTER TO DR.. TANNER.
SUMMIT POIxr, JEFF. Co, ". Va, !
HsbrurY 2l, 1875. /

Dr.. T. S Tanner:
ny DEAR SIR: received duly copy of
your admirable speech of February 7th, and
have read it With much pIsasurei aud give
| you my hearty thanks for it. could wish
there were more men in your body who would
initiate your independence But l fear too
many of them are uuder the influence of the
| Banks, Railroads, aud other monopOlies, either
| by direct bribery, or the fear OF their in>
| iuenee on their political prospects, preseut or
future. | wish TO see, in all our elections,
the line drarR, not by names, but Jy facts
| not by Democrats aud RepuLlicanS but by
! producers aud non producers. Uutil this is
done, the masses of the people, and their sub
stantial interests will be the sport of political
trickstcrs. You can see this, in an especial
degree, iu tue currency question to which the
force of your speech has been directed. 1t
is almost impossible to get from political as
! pirgnt direct and positive answer, aud simply
because such au answer would put him on one
side or the other, and his wish is to swing
like pendulum between the people and the
Daonopoiics. He cares more for himself than
either, and looking out for No. one, wants the
votes of both Tor his good, rot theirs. Such
mco have, heretofore, been but too successful
in humbugging aud cheating the people but
trinI and Pr0periy Interests is such that this
doub!e game cauuct be played much longer !;
and the people will, without regard to names.
party names, compel their servants, or IOOMhl
be servants, to the certain know ledge that.
they Caunot, at the same time, serve God and
mamm0n." Tue late electiCns-amounting
almost to reyOluIiun-Sh0 this tendency of
| the people to come together and, In spite of
their leaders, to tnhe curr Of MemSei0eS.-
Aroused from their long slumber, and with
their eyes wide oPcu to thor own interests, all
they will have to do to guard against frGifors,
in this their struggle duh .iruyyle-with
| the monOpOlies-,rW be, to watch tie m0nop
ptss and their iUGbies:s, aud just as they rote
! tOr, and tvJhy fOr, or fug0s au aspraut to
| UOte plump against this fayOriie or their
enemies saw, aud repeat it, 'iheir cncmies:"
Nor 60 | use the term in i iguratiyc, but in
iherHI sense! Fer when the railroads
e.rc(Uo|imy their 'zatercti stock aud It Should
| G"crcI"1ca arc making on their bona fde,"
and reRl-(mot fctitioWS) stock or capital at
least 10 per cent; and, the Banks aud Nouied
o!igarchy, with The whole sovereign rouey
| power OF the nation handed over to tneu., are
| laundering, At the rate of Is aud % per cent.
the weaiIh producing people of this tram Piled
| t2wa !sad, who are. by Commissioner Wells
! taoIuTerS mel ChautS, netting ouly 81 per cent,
aud the farmers, u class dVcrGyiAy only .
| per cent; surely, such greedy, roracious, aud
e1tortiOuste corporations can, in no sense Of
! tho word, be regarded rs the friends, and
allies Of the wealth producers as they were
| intonded to be, but their cpprossors and
onemjCs: II thy friends, | say i'll the
language OF the old Spanish proverb ''GUd
save us from cur friends, We eau t-ke care OF
our enemies ourselves :"
The question, then, comes up," what is to
be done, ana what is It The duty Of the Wes,
| Virginia legislature to DO in regard to Rail
ro"ds )" and, also, in regard to the "mnnied
oiigarchy" whether embodied in Banks or
| corporations; or separately, md individually,
and on their Gown hook > pcrrcrting the
| Sdcred and 4cd,c0icd medium. Of c.rcltnnge"
! into n'crcham'itse; aud warping it from its
| lawful use Of currency into vile aud fraudu-
lent engine of usury and u>urers?
| In regard to the Railroads, the legislature
! should promptly take measures tn ascertain
| their bona tide" stock or capital by tapping
aud drawing off the rGter In the next place,
! it should hy law fix the rates of passengers
and freight at so much por mile; scouting all
! discrimination under Whatever pretext; aud
so to fix the rates to allow fair per cont
on their aforesaid bona fde" capital or stock.
1t should also provide the proper remedies by
law for the prompt redress and reimbBrse>
ment of citizens whose stock is killed and
fences burned by the railroads in the course
of their business: Nothing should exempt
than from the common law principle, ''sic
"tcre tuo at GtisnIla, nan 2Gr3as, or ''use your
own avocation 50 as not to injure another"-
/ The legislature should attend to this immo-
diats!y, and not suffer itself TO be beguiled by
| the ing IrHH of Ton. Scott and Jno. Carrot,
! and the idea that competition will, now, put
all things right, since tho railroad kings have
! fuarreled- Competition may regulate in IN
| 8iria"n1 and l,rivdfe matters, but not IN pub
| !ic matters. Railroads, aud Banks, and
money, public things creatures of Ea,r,
! and should be regulated by ulC Thi1 u.ar,
re! of the railroad kings is very opportane to
! legislative movements, and may be all sham.
| 1t is tie duty of the legislature 70 lay down
| the law for both Tom and J0iI7, and not to
| leave the public at their kiDgIy discretion,
and whether their quarrel is bogus or real
/ We want no Kings in this country, or Em>
| perorP either, or Dictators, at the heads of
| railroads, or any whore else. II any body, or
! any thing. is TO be King in this free laud, let
! it not be CoHon, or GolI, or any one special
! thing or person, but let L0Gor be Eiay-no
! Pres'leMt-and, then, let his President be
the embodiment of the acreage net pratt of
the entire labor of the whole country. to wit
! the report of Mr.. Commissioner Wells, 8 per
! cont
In regard to money, the creature of law,
have already said above, it should be reyu-
i1ted Gy ialr- If tie public make a turnpike
road for the convenience of the public 10 one
will question its Tight-nay, duty-to fc HE
toll on the road, in order that the public, who
| make it. may have the use of it at The arersge
rate Itistheir creature, and this is their right.
the equal use of it at the same rate it matters
not into whose hands the stock may fall