The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-01-30

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by the managers Of these railroad cor
porations, who, by their secret dis
ordinations in freight rates and i'm
proper favoritism, assume all the pre-.
negatives of sovereignty over you, and
ignore your Assembly and It's author
ity.
BY their individual exercise Of these
usurped powers the railroad corpora.
tions actually govern your State, and
thus the sovereignty which the people
of right possess through their General
Assembly, has been grasped by a few
railroad managers. These railroad
corporations claim the right to dis
criminate in favor of a large shipper of
commodity by giving low rate of
freight in consideration of his large
shipments over their lines, aud to
charge a higher rate of freight to q
shipper who may not ship as much.
1t seems needless 70 point out the
fallacy Of these claims. The system
positively stops enterprise in such mat
ters, and the small shipper of to-day
must remain small and only live by
sufferance. Nor is it necessary to
point out how inevitably it must cor.
rupt the management of these very
railroad corporations, as we'll as de-
bauch mercantile honor by such sys.
tematic deceit in freight rates.
To G Unit its longer continuance is to
consent to the Capitalization of busi-
ness apd wealth into the hands of the
few, and the consequent result of re.
ducing the many to state of poverty
and servitude; for under such an un.
business-like and corrupt system, en-.
terprise and ability is little worth and
must end in being suppressed or rem
dere6 abortive.
Fellow-citizens, we ask you to con-
slider and ponder this matter take it
home to each of you and then adopt
such procedure as shall terminate a
systemwhich has been SO long an in
cubus upon the commerce and mer-
camille affairs of our State, and which
has brought bankruptcy and ruin upon
the many to the enrichment Of the few.
We ask that you instruct your rep
resentatives to the General Assembly
to see that proper laws shall be passed
us shall make the constitutional pro-
visions upon the subject of discrimna-
tion and rebates in freight rates, efiec-
tive and cause the Constitution of the
State to be rule and bond in fact
that these corporations shall be held
liable in damages for infractions, and
that the managers of them who shall
violate the law and the Constitution
by giving such rebates, shall be liable
by fine, and Imprisonment as well.
We ask that you instruct your rep.
resentatives to enact a law whereby
any person or persons, company or cor.
poration, who shall furnish full car
load of any commodity to any rail.
road, shall have the same transported
at as low rate of freight as is charged
any other person or persons, company
or corporation, upon similar commod-
tiles and between similar points.
Railroads are common carriers
they have no inherent right or dele
gated powers to govern the people OF
their business. This power belongs t.
you. Will you exercise it or will yor
longer submit to the exercise of pow
ers and executive authority over you
which, never granted by you to any
corporation, have been usurped to your
and our great detriment?
VIII you exert your rightful author
ity over your servant the common car
rier, the railroad corporation made by
your laws, or will you longer submit
} tamely until the entire enterprise ant
, ability Of our noble Commonwealth
has been still further emasculated anC
brought to a still greater servitude?
Do not misunderstood us f; we NEAR
no war on corporations. They arr
: useful means Of achieving valuable
ends, but the creature we create mus
, not become the master. Such, how
ever, tho railroad corporations hay,