The Portland daily press., 1878-04-13
SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL Is.

not of course, because that would take away
the immense privilege of punching and worry
ing the railroad companies next year Would
the Senator from Ohio give up the precious
privilege OF punching and knocking and har-
rying, and pounding and twisting a railroad
for the pittance of $20,000,00O year to be paid
into the treasury of the United States? Not
he! The Senator says he would rather lose it
all, ne would rather lose every dollar OF the
debt, he would rather bury it in the depths OF
the sea. than surrender the power of Overhaul
ing these railroads for a single year. And yet
the Senator told us only five years ago on this
floor that there ought to be an end to 'this
tamperine" with the subject! Let us stop.
said he them and not leave this thing at 'loose
euds,' let us have a tinality with this question,
let us have no stoek-gamblers here invesliLg
nine cents on the legislation of Congress about
the railroads to make twenty-one cents clear
profit; there should be an end to all camper
ing" of that kind, the Senator declared but
five short years ago.
And now the Senator declares that what he
SAID then does not apply to this proposition, but
that II the railway companies would come here
and offer twenty millions on the top of it he
would not forego the pleasure of punching the
railroad through legislative channels, allowing
anybody to speculate If they chose! That is the
amendment and the inference to he derived
from the Senator's proposition. That is con-
sistent legislation We who offer to take the
judiciary Committee at its word are accused of
being willing to give over the powers of this
government. When the Senator from Vermont
had pictured tremendous disaster, a catastro-
phe in the shape of destruction of the securi-
ties OF the road, default OF all the bonds, and
nnaliy the first mortgage in peril and our hands
were thereby tied, simply made an amend
ment and provided after they had paid all that
was due under the five per cent. and all that
was due under the half transportation that
there should also be a minimum of 100000
per annum from each company. Then the
Senator said 10 answer to the Senator from
Iowa, believe, that had put too hard a con-
diiion on the roads. First, 1 was going to allow
it to go without any sort of security, and when
l made it perfectly apparent that it could not
be so, he says that place too hard condition
on the roads. Now have come to the conclu-
sion that so far as my humble ability lies l
have not the power either to please the Senator
from Ohio or the Senator from Vermont for
would not vote for twenty millions year,
Even that would not please me, and could
not vote for it to please them.
L say, with all due respect Mr. President
that IT this legislation be intended in goot
faith from my standpoint, if it be Intended
that these roads shall go about their business
and quit the lobby and discharge their duties
and pay their debt to the Government and to
their other creditors, the way to do it is to say
that they shall not be disturbed SO long as they
faithfully comply" with the terms and con.
ditions laid down by US. This gigantic railway
company is pet corporation. What would
Senators ind in the whole legislation of the
United States to dwell on as to the overshad
owing danger and monopoly of corporations il
it were not for the Union Pacific Railroad
asked yesterday it there was another in the
whole United States? l asked the honorable
Senator from Vermont, whose knowledge is SC
minute of all laws, public and private statute
and common and civic and criminal and eccle
siastical, and he has not told me what othel
corporation we could vent our spleen upon; tina
we could air our vocabulary upon. What other
one is there that can be trotted out here as the
specimen monopoly il we lie. go this com
pany? If we let go this company O,
their simply paying their honest debts
we will be as bad as the young mai
in London who succeeded to his fathers chan
Gerry practice. and when the father asked III
SON ABOUT the famous case of Smith Us. Jone
the son said II settled that fairly and amicabl,
to both parties, yesterday" sob, you younI
blockhead," said he, 81 have lived on that sui
for the last twenty yearsw 1t is proposed t.
make capital of the agitation of this railroad
case for the next twenty years. This is to b.
an agitation always handy for political purposes
always to be drawn on and always to be dragged
10 and to the extent that the Senator from
Ohio himself says that he would not give III
that precious privilege if they wouldsoffer t,
pay Sl0.O00,000 per annpm into the Treasury
of the United States.