The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-28
The Railroad Question
toaclajoi Jan, tat ,c,,A..

0Hciad,tf T.oBl iIAt 'cc>A.
Mr. Atkinson claim. that by ths cSn
solidation Of railroads there - hsttef
service a. les. expense, hut The puohc
bss found no ,itficuity IN mAna.iug X
the vast business OF ths Postuihce DE
partm-ut AMI all the other AFFAIR." OF
the country Mr.. Atkinson assumes
that IL the Government should undsr-
take 10 mauage the railroads, the tov-
eminent might. with EQUAL reason.
manage bakc.hop, or n farm, or cot
ton factory. The fallscy Of tins res
soning Is. that he los.e. sight OF the
great fact that the railroads are for
public use, AMI their real estate ~as
taken oy them under the law OF eml
nent domain, on the assumption that
1t va. required for Pubhc use. They
are not the private and absolute prop
erty Of the corporatlon, which It can
use, or let remain unused at its pleas
ure. The same Argument can be riadc
to show that the Governmsnt could
not have gun factory. OF an sngras
ing bureau, or printing office. Nh.
Stuart says The Government claims
the right OF doing for the people such
business as the people see Ill 10 have
the Government DO. It IS govern
ment Of the people, and what corpo-
rations can do for Themselves the people
can do for the people.
The railroad corporations claim that
they own highways, and they can hold
them ia spite of anything which the
people can lawfully do. II England
made such claim, war would ensue
Whoever owns the highways Ola coun-
try is master Of that country, and has
it by the throat. If these corporation,
own the highways, there is httle left
in the country worth owning. The
roads have acquired many million. Of
acre. Of land. and are llndholders.
They own tracks OF land equal
10 area to some Of the great eIn
pir,s in Europe. For large portion OF
these lands the road. gave uothing,
others they compelled the owners TO
sell at an appraisemcnt. It'll. the theory
Of these corporations that the stock
holders own the property which De
longs to the corporation. In many
eases the stockholders put no money
into the corporation Bonds and land
grants built the roads, and the owners
Of the charter or franchise divided
among themselves the stock a. Their
private property, paying hlug Tor
it We have beard something oil tins
in the Credit Mobilicr disclosures. his
stock, costing nothing, is put up for
sale. and If some person. like Jay
Gould, buys il for one fifth Of il. :ace
he clans to own the whole property,
which the farmer ha. over his farm.
He claims to own one OF the National
highways, built on grams of Nations
property and National credit, and to
The building Of which the stockholder
never contributed one cent Of his OWE
money The English complain ef the
unequal distribution OF their lands as
great National evil, causing pauperlsm
and threatening revolution. But no
landhoIGer there holds sucn vast do
mains rs our Government has ceded to
the raj iiroads
What can be done, what is the first
step to be taken, in order TO regain
the sovereigntv OF the public over the
public highways Mr.. Stuart seeks
and finds the remedy at the ballot box
| He saws: Send to the Legislature
''men who represent the people. Send
mo more railroad attorneys. Exclude
| from the bench Of courts men who
have sold themselves to the corpora
"tions, and who are placed on the
bench by the corporations to declare
''as the law Of this country, that II .
/ "Legi,lature can be made to pass la"
swbich reno iers a corporation irdepen
dent Of all future Legislatures, there
''is no emedy for this wrong What
kind of vested rights arc strongest
''thc vested rights Of the people in their
Sovereignty or the vested rights Of
''corpor ations
Mr.. Stuart's paper is both strong
aud suggestive, and the Anti Monopoly y
League are doing good work in giving
I il wide circulation.