Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-04-13

no stock-g gamblers here investing nine cents on
the legislation of Congress about the railroads to
make twenty-one cents clt ar profit; there should
be end to all "taupering' of that kind, the
Senator declared but five short wears ago.
And now the s ma or d. clares that what he said
then does not apply to this pr position, but that IL
the railroad companies would come here and offer
twenty millions on the top of II he would not fere-
go the pleasure OF nchng the railroad throug h
Legislative channels, allowing ANYBODY 10 specu-
late If they choose That Is the iniendment and
the inference to be derived from the senator's
proposition, That is consistent legislation We
who offer to take the Judic sry Committee at its
word are accused of being willing to give over
the powers of this government. When the Sens-
tor from Vermont bad pictured tremendous dis
asteT, a catastrophe IN the shape of destruction
Of the securities OF the road, default of all the
bonds, and hOally the fr-t mortgage in peril and
our hands were thereby tied SIN ply made an
anne ndnent and provided after they had paid all
that was due under the per cent. all that was
due under the half transportation that there shoud
also be minimum of $500 900 per annum from
each company. Then the Senator said in answer
to the Senator from Iowa, | believe, that had
put too bard a condition on the roads. Fust, |
was going to allow il to 20 without any sort of Sc
curIty, aud when | make it perfectly apparent that
It could not be so, he says that place too hard
condition on the roads Now, | nave come to the
conclusion that 80 far a. nv humble ability lies
have not the power either TO plea,e the senator
from ONO or the Senator from NcTmont, for
would not vote for twenty millions wear. Even
that would not please me, and ! could Rot vote r
IL to please them.
| say with all due respect, Mr.. President that
if this legislation b. intended 10 good f.Ilh from
nv stand point, If be intended that these roads
shall 20 about their bu i1ess and quit the lobby
aud discharge their duties aHd pay their debt to
the government aud 10 their other creditors, the
way 10 do ii is to saw that they shall not he dis
tuIbed SO long as they "fathfuly comply" with
the terms and conditions LAID down by u. This
gigantic railway company is pet corporation.
What would Senators find in the whole eg lsatOn
of the United States 10 dwell on as to the over
shadowing danger aud monopoly of coIporaii0n-
il 1t were not for the Union Pacific Railroad?
asked yesterday if there was another in the whole
United States | asked the honorable Senator
from Vermont whose knowledge is so minute OF
all laws, public aud private statute aud common
and civic and criminal and ecclesiastical, and he
has not told NE what other corporation we could
vent our spleen upon; that we could air our vo
cabulay upon. What other one IS there that can
be trotttd out here as the specimen monopoly If we
let 20 this company II we let 90 thi. company
on their simply paving their honest debts, we will
be Is bad a. tie young man 10 London who sue
ceeded to his fathers chancery practice and when
the father asked the son about the famous case OF
Smith vs.. Jones the son laid. 81 settled that yes
erdsy amlcaby and fairly to both parties "Oh
YOU young blOckhead," said he, 81 have lived on
that for the last twenty wears" IL is proposed
to make capital of the agitation of this railroad
case for the next twenty years. This is to be
agitation always handy for political purposes, AL
ways to be drawn on and always to he dragged in
and TO the extent that the Senator fIom Ono
himself says that he would not give up that prec-
ious privilege if they would ctfer TO pay $4,000
600 per snnum to the Treasury of the United
State.