Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-12-23
The Railroads and the Psopls.

of the country do not stop at electing
their own men to shape legislation, is
shown by a recent revelation IN Penn
sylvania. The following Associated
Press" dispatch tells its own story:
PHILADELPHIA, March 2s.h, lsSO.-A
consultation was held here tonight by
number of leading politicians regarding the
persons convicted of attempted bribery, in
order to devise plans for their pardon. The
case is by no means given up by Kemble and
his fellow defendants. The bitterness of the
fight is sowing seeds of much future trouble.
Palmer and Stone, the two members Of the
Board OF Pardons who are holding out against
an amnesty, are the subject of severe COM
ment, and have cut themselves off from all
future political preferment as far as il is
controlled by the dominant politicians, II is
generally believed that, if pardons are not
obtained, the sentences will be very light.
The cases are the subject of general discus,
sion in this city to-nig ht. and there is much
conjecture as to the general result. Many
political leaders, including Senator Don CAM
eron, are here"
In 1877, the great railroad riots
took place, and at Pittsburgh large
quantity OF railroad and other prop
erty was destroyed. The railroad
companies refused to idemnify ship.
pers, but at the same time had bills
introduced in the Pennsylvania Leg
islature to make the State RESPONSE
BILE TO them. They employed lob
byists to buy those bills through the
Legislature, but their operations
were exposed, and William FL. Kem-
BILE, E. ]. Petroff, and several 9TH
ers, were arrested, tried, and, not
withstanding extraordinary efforts
were made to secure their acquittal,
were convicted. They Immediately
applied for pardon, and aoere par
doned. 1t shows what politics in the
State of p ennsylvsnia have come to
when it is publicly stated that "Palm-
or and Stone, the two members of
the Board of Pardons who are hold.
ing out against an amnesty, ars the
subject of severe comment and have
cut themselves off from all political
preferment, and Senator of the
United States leaves his seat and re-
turns home to "arrabge things"
Kemble had been State Treasurer of
Pennsylvania, and Petroff was at the
time member Of the Legislature.
ION the twenty-seventh day of January,
1850. Mr.. Franklin B. Gowen, President Of
the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, in an
argument before the Committee on Conn
merce of the House of Representatives of the
United States, in Washington, stated; 81
have heard the counsel of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, standing in the Supreme
Court Of Pennsylvania, threaten that Court
Nth the displeasare of his clients i Il decided
against them, and all the blood in my body
tingled with shame at the humiliating spec
tacle." In the Associated Press reports
this was suppressed and only when the
argument was published by Mr. Gowen was
this remarkable statement verified to those
who heard it.
In lecture by James Parton, Esq
we find the following:
:" Men who bride and are bribed nowadays
talk about the matter without a blush. An
officer of the New Jersey Legislature told me
how the bribing was done, and how he did it
himself The railroad man said to him,
Come to my room at eight o'clock this even
.ng,' and when the farmer-legislator got there
the railroad man said By.the>way, Mr..
Smith, you did not call upon US to subscribe
toward the expenses of your election. /
know it must have cost you great deal, and,
better late than never, here is something TO-
ward it., and the railroad man passed over a
pile Of money much more than the farmers
election expenses. q know added the COR
ruptionist, by way of casual remark, chat
you would not vote for any bill that would
not be good and honest, but there is bill of
ours now before your House that, you will
take my word for it, is for the best interests
of the community examine it, and if you
conscientiously think SO, too, OF course you
will vote for it,
Most Americans will admit that
such practices are evil and should be
abated, but so conservative are
Americans in all their methods, so
respectful of property rights, so self
reliant and conscious of their own
power to overcome evil when it be
comes "worth while" to put forth the
effort, that they are tolerant of abus-
es to an extent that seems absurd to
other nations. An illustration OF
this may be had in the different re-
suits accompanying similar action by
the Governments of the United
States and Brazil The latter coun.
try few years since. for the purpose
of meeting extraordinary expendi-
lures, imposed tax upon the street
railways of Rio de Jaueiro, equiva.
lent to about half cent for every
passenger carried. The companies
undertook to re-impose this upon
the public by adding the exact
amount of the tax to the fare; the
people rebelled. A riot ensued,
tracks we're torn up, cars destroyed,
and the companies were compelled
to recede from their attempt to make
the public pay the tax. During our
late war, tax was imposed upon
horse car companies of half cent
for each passenger carried the com.
panies paid the tax, added whole
cent to the fare, and the public ao-
quiesced without murmur. Dur
ing the war, our Government, under
the then existing tax laws, collected
from the New York Central railroad
about half a million dollars. The
railroad company claimed this was
unauthorized. raised certain legal
points. brought suit to compel the
Government to refund the amount
employed Senator Conkling as coun.
sci. and was successful The bear.
ing of political influence upon this
case was so obvious that it was com.
mented upon at the time by several
newspapers-among others the Utica
Observer, as follows:
"Now, when Mr.. Conkling went down &c
Canandaigua to try this railroad case, he
carried with him greater political influence
than any other man in our State Yields he
appeared before Judge whom he had ele-
waited to the bench only few months be-
fore. He confronted District-Attorney
who could not hold his Office day if Mr.
Conkling should demand his removal. He
secured verdict which the jury was forced
to render by the rulings of the Judge. In.
der that verdict the railroad RECEIVERS a
round half million, which it might have lost
but for its shrewduess in employing the
right man TO prosecute its claim"
The New York Tribune, in an ar.
ticle at the time, entitled Legislator
and Lawyer abiding to this case
said