The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-08-23
From Colorado,

WEST LAsiNIMAs, August Is, 1877.
ED. EAGLE The railroad strike
having been suppressed by the prompt
and heroic course Of President Hayes,
and the great corporations are again
in the peaceful possession of their
roads, and thoughtful people begin to
inquire into the cause of so much
trouble. Our Republican friends in
Ohio have formed a good platform
upon the question of labor, but the
great question that affects all classes
of the people lie not so easily solved.
1t is very difficult question to deter
mine what is the best manner of regu-
latiDg by law the great railroad cor
porations that have caused 50 much
trouble. No one looks for honesty
among railroads, and the whole sys-
TEN is Il swindle from first to last. A
half dozen thieves, called officers, fix
exorbitant rates Of freight and fare,
and those counties that have voted
the most bonds to aid them to build
their roads are imposed upon the
worst. If it were possible TO have
two or more railroads from the AT
lantic TO the Pacific built, owned and
run exclusively by the United States
government tor the benefit of the gov
ernment, and also the people, with a
law regulating the freight and passen-
ger business at very low rate, too
low for any other line 10 compete
with them, it would go far towards
solving the difficulty, and it would
not be absolutely necessary that any
dividend should be made, for, like the
postal service, il would be beneficial
to the whole country, and in time of
war the country would be greatly ben
Gifted thereby. President Lincoln
recommended railroad to be built by
the general government through Cum
berland Gap, and why not build a
Southern Pacific and also a Northern
Pacific, and let the Union Pacific pass
into the hands of the general govern
ment, as it has failed in every particu-
lar, except in the game of swindling
the people and the government? Ibe-
lieve that Congress has the right to
legislate upon the question of rail-
roads in every particular. so as to pro-
mote commerce, preserve the peace of
the country, and prevent injustice and
oppression, and furnish labor for hon.
est and willing laborers. The country
needs prosperity and peace, and great
public enterprises after great war,
inaugurated by the government would
greatly tend to produce better times.
God grant that Congress may adopt
some plan to break the Sabbath-like
stagnation. We need more public i'm
proyements, and only once let Con-
gress take the lead, and the great cap
italists would soon follow.
There is too much boarding of mon-
ey, or rather there is too much idle
money, and consequently too manay
idle men, too many hungry children,
for the credit a great republic. There
is an abundance of wheat corn and
cattle. Think OF Sedgwick county,
only about seven years old, having \
Full half million bushels of wheat aud
quarter of a million bushels of corn,
and more. And only think of this.
(BenD county having one hundred
thousand head of fiue cattle, and yet
cur eountrymen have been fighting for
bread for their families, and hundreds
Kansas delegation will be found equal
10 the emergency. If the west will
puly act unitedly, and make silver a
rgal tender for all debts either public
or private, times would certainly re-
vive west of the Mississippi river.
We don't want any more class legisla-
zion. The war is over and all are free
and edual before the law. At least
that il so in theory, let the theory be
put in practice as soon as possible.
GEO. SALISBURY.
PSI am informed that the Kan
sas Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe railroad have entered into
q pool, or combination, in regard to
fare or freight rates, and | notice that
the combination seems to aid our flour
merchants at Wichita, and hope it
will enable the good farmers of the
Arkansas Valley to send their corn to
this State, and especially to Southern
Colorado. i hope to see many hum
dred car loads Of -four and corn come
from the enterprisiug city of Wichita
which, in my opinion, is the center of
one of the finest farming countries in
the west or in the whole world.
G.S.