The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-07-27
THE aREArarRsKE.
How shan Is be AdIu.sed .

tant In their consequences, than any
that have transpIred since the war.
The gravest misfortune Of the situation
Is, that it brings to the front the very
worst elements of society. We do not
believe that any considerable proper
ton Of the strikers-the genuine rail-
road men-sre disposed to counte-
nance the destruction Of property, or
the employment of physical violence,
further than is necessary to prevent
the full working of the roads until
their demands are complied with.
But all the rufiians, thieves. and law
less vagabonds of the community push
themselves forward, provoke tumult
and violence, and at length convert a
stern but peaceable protest into a
scene Of confagratIon, robbery and
ruin.
The telegraph reports Gov. Hart
ranft to have said, on his flying re-
turn trip to Pennsylvania, that he was
fully convinced of the necessity of the
material enlargement of our standing
army-that 1t never should consist OF
less than $1,000 men. We are inclined
to think that the public judgment win
run very closely with that of the GsV-
ernor on this subject. 1t is one OF the
most regrettable features of the situa-
ton that 1t has q tendency to bring
our form OF government into contempt
and Of course to weaken 1t. Folks
remark bow promptly and efficiently
such outbreaks are put down in other
countries, where there L. less diffusion
Of responsibility, and at once begin to
sigh for q 'strong government" 1t
may safely be remarked, too, that the
militia system of most of the States be-
comes almost contemplate In its lnei-
ficiency when brought In contact with
large bodies OF rioters who are their
fellow citizens, and have been to Q
large extent their personal friends. It
Is less difficult to dwell upon the mag
nltude Of the crisis than to suggest Ell
Gectual means to remove it and to pre-
vent its recurrence. One thing is very
clear-laWlessness and violence must
be put down, no matter at what sacri-
fee. The government that Is not able
to do this, and keep open the great
lines OF communication between the
sections, is delusiOn and sham, and
Is not entitled to the respect of any
body. But when these disturbances
shall have been put down by the
strong hand of military power, what
Is to followP In the very nature of
things 1t will be impossible to select
the guilty from the innocent with any
degree OF certainty, and so. anything
like general administering Of pun
ishment will be found to be impracti-
cable. Nor can the railroad corpora
lions afford, for their own safety, the
safety of their property and the travel
ing public, to make permanent enc
mics of so large and powerful body
of men as their employees now engag-
ed In the strike constitute. Up to the
point where violence and outrage COM
menced, there is no doubt that an over
whelming majority of the people sym
pathized with the strikers, and that SC
strongly that the lawlessness spoken
of has scarcely weakened that sympa-
thy. The general feeling is that the
poor laboring men are being ground
down to a starvation point, and that
the railway companies might find
some other and better mode of econO-
MIXING.
The bulk of the railroad property OF
the country has been acquired In
"good times" much of 1t in times OF
fictitious prosperity. It's capitalize
ton is exaggerated and inflated. Elk
tensive and permanent leases have
been secured to trunk lines upon
the basis of an extravaganza capital
stock on which living rate of inter-
est Is to be earned. Then ruInous
competition between roads comes In
to exhaust the revenues, and each fear
Ing that the others will receive an I'M
equal share Of the traffic, all do busi-
ness at q loss. 1t Is certainly not right
that the companies should seek to re-
coup losses thus Incurred by q reduce
ton Of the wages of workmen. Let
them scale down the nominal capital
of their roads to something near the
figures at which they could be replac-
ed now; In other words, let them re-
capitalize them to correspond with &C
tual values at the present time. All
other property has been subjected to
this process. The occupancy of a
tenement Is worth as much now
intrinsically as it was five years ago
but the fee of the property Is far less
valuable, and the rent, of course, can
only be a reasonable interest on the
actual value.
But this matter of interruptIng
trade and travel, of disturbing every
branch of business In every quarter
of the country, has a Significance be-
yond q mere controversy between en-
ployers ana employed; 1t appeals d.
rectly to the government, which is
bound to protect the citizen in the
pursuit Of his legitimate business
1t has been suggested, perhaps not
without force, that the states ought to
provide by legislation for just such
emergencies rs the present. With
proper legislation the state might, by
the exercise of its right of eminent
domain, take temporary possession
of roads, from which lawless men had
elected the lawful owners, and run
them in the interest of the public un-
ill some adjustment could be reached.
The Idea may seem . novel one and
we advance it merely to evoke discus
sion, and elicit the views Of thiRking
people.
Two things are very palpable:
First. The railroad lines of the
country must not be permitted to re-
main at the mercy of q mob.
Second. That there ought to be an
equitable adjustment between the COM