, 1880-12-02

| 1tHI III 1nN[ul 1fnnCn1sG 10 nldk0 tOtt on
| r,tlilio h!ghway cnn excunl tdoso limits. 4
charter Tint gocs beyond this IL void.
IN TIE GRANGER CASES
from Town and Wisconsin,. tho bargaln wns
tint tho Companies might fix their own
rates. but tho Supreme Court Ut tho United
statcs held TINT a subsequent law
10 restrain thom within reasonable
limits was no v'otnt1ou nf tho original
cuurtlct. THIS principle applies to Conipnny
whose maximum 10 unrcasonably high, because
such a rntao Is prutlcnliy tho snmo thing as
no limitation At nll Tho cnncl,lslon that
nil tho raltroni corporations In tho onuntry mar
bc constttuttona!ly restrained to Reasonable
md Just charEcs is not drawn frorn
Tho fAct TINT railroads aro public highways
II thoy owned tho corpus Of tho road, and used
It IN tho bislttcss OF common carrier. they
| might 10 c0tnucletl tn bctnyc themselves Justly
tnall thofr customers and submit tn any rcguu-
tlon fur tho public 9oud
MOST or oun WESTERN RoAps !.
were built with tho proceeds OF public lands
granted immediately by tho United Stntes 10
tho several companios which now have
really cost tho etockholdcrs anything. and, in
sonso casos, TINY rot lands worth n
| Rrcat deal moro than all tho pxpenaos
Of milking stock and running tho roat1e.
Tho two companies between Omaha and san
| Franotsco raised In cnsh cut Of Government
bonds, lands, and mortgages Of their franchises
FOUR OFT FIVE TIMES AZ siuclf As THEY
NEcEssAlsItY EXTENDED
| upon tho roRsts. Tho stockhodcrs, Without
lMyiuR anything. put tho enormous surplus
Into theIr pockets. ThcHo r0nds, thus built
at tho public oxpcnso, anl In sosno
casca pnit for by tho tnlbllc Ave times over, nro
iiow claimed us tho private property OF tho COM
phnfcs. anl tho right ut rho public to uso
them rs highways ls utterly denied. Neyertho-
lcss, think tho ciatm of these COM
rancs 10 ,take reasonable tolls stands
upnu tho eamc foundation rs
Tint Of companies wht'so roads wern built by tho
stockholders themselves, at their own proper
expense. Tho grant of falids Invested
tho grantees with n tItto whtcf, could
not BE- revoked II tho conditions Of 1t wero per.
formed. II tlloy sold or mortgaRcd the lanl
mud Invested tho proceeds In tho construction
ut ratlrond under charter from
State or General Government. which authnr-
zcs them thosn to tnke fntr profit in tho shape
OF tolls. tlsoy have gooti right to tho tolls Us
If tho capital tn build thu roul
1tAn nEEv lsAisEn liz rltEMsELvEs.-
fhns Is eo sns thoso companies which built tho
roads with capital donuted by tho PUT.
lio hnvc tho satno right as 9TH
er co!nphnlcs to chnrHo reasonable toll, but
thor demand OF excessive tolIs, though not
worse IN shs, seems In tho ego Of natural reason
y sroatcr outr',xo. II rallrond corpora.
ttuH3 IkfG tuG unlimited poEGE
which they claim, then ali business Ia Mt tluir
incrcy, Agriculture, eotntncrcc. manufactures
must suHcr what they chuUsU to fnllct.
They inny rot 1abor Ut tho brcAd It
wins and deprive at other enterprise Of Its just
row,trd. Though thls power uoe8 not butoug to
lle.n legally,
THEY HAVE lsEEN PERMITTED TO usuRp IT,
and I need not .ell you tint they hnye
grossly Unused It. They Avow TINT they
mako their cxactions with an cyo
slugfo to their own advantage,
wssilnut considering my right Or interest Of tho
r'lhlIc. Thoy boldly express thoir totcrmlnu-
tton to ehnrgo ms luch us tho trai1o
VIII benr,"-thnt IS to say, thoy
will tako from tho profits Of eyery man's
without compelling him to 1uit It. 10
tho aggregate, this amounts to tho
'nnst cnortnuus oppression md Unjust tax
tEat ever WIFE Hid upnn tho Industry Of my
penrlc nInaor tho sun. Tho Irregular
ity with which this tax is laid mikes
It all the 'nr.er to bear. Men 10 Into n
business wliIch mny thrive 1T presont
rites, and Will iiud Themselves crushed
l.y burdens. uncxpeotc1y thrown linon
thoM after. 1t IL tho h.l,It Of tho railroad
c'Hnpancs tn ehnt,re tk0Ir rAtcs Of transporta-5
tim nfscn asid ssttiienly-1n purttculur, to mnko
tl.' charges r1llnously hiRh without any notice
1T nit.
THE rArIMEns or THE GREAT WEST
hive slla1o ii lurge arbp Of grnn, Which tloy
''y sctl ut fair prices II tloy run iynyo It cnr-
rl~t to tho .Enstern purts, even ut tho
stn1raAo'intly high frei4h.s Of Inst summer,
Hit. lust n'w, 1t Ia suit that tho r,liway cotn-
t,hnscs hnrn uErccsi an,onR themselves to r,.ise
fhc freight hye cents prr hundred wetvht,
Which Ia eslHii . to MI export tux upon
tho who!e crop Of prnhahly $150O0,oo0.
The flslnera nllst snbmIt to this highway
robbery, or else scep tho prtul,icta 1T