Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1881-01-19

/ ouDIoAtt NOuIt ~ vi W ~ Ao0AOd 4
legal shots that its best friends will no
recognize the remnants which are left o.
it," CELIA.
THE NEW RAILROAD SCHEME,
what's i'm the Little Racket.
To THE PEOPLE OF EUREKA COUNTY
GREETING: Take notice that the Legislature
of the State of Nevada, through q bill intro
duced by Senator Perley of White Pine
county, is making a bold and unjustifable
attempt to confiscate your property under
the forms OF. law.
II such bill be passed, it imposes a tax
upon you of one hundred thousand dollars
which sum of money will be actually
donated by you to the parties named in
the bill or their assigns for the building
of about twelve miles of narrow guage
| railroad, and when completed it will be
their absolute property. That is to say.
Eureka county will pay for ten miles Of
road. and the parties in whose favor the
bill is made will own it and be entitled to
charge and make you pay ten cents per
mile for travelling ON it and twenty cents
per mile for every ton of freight carried
over it.
When such road is completed with your
money, the owners will beseech your As
| SCISSOR and petition your Board of Equali-
cation for the reduction of the assessable
| valuation of their road to a sum not ex-
| ceeding four thousand dollars per mile.
This scheme, like many others Of a sim
liar kind, is made to seem advantageous
and for the best interests of the country.
The bill even offers to the county paid up
stock for its bonds Liberal indeed !
Yet who is foolish enough to imagine that
such a modicum of stock will ever be worth
a dime to the county. We know too much
about Credit Mobiliers, Finance Commit
tees and the "wheels within wheels" that
move corporations and associations of rail-
road owners. to be so crazy as to think
for a moment that Eureka county will
ever receive a dividend for such stock.
Under the general law, railroad COM
panies and associations are granted all the
privileges and immunities they should
have, and if the parties named in this bill
want a railroad they are at liberty to build
it. and to induce capital for such purpose;
but the people are tired of this eternal
begging for subsidies by which they are
forced to pay money into the Golfers Of
those who are already too rich.
/ am opposed to subsidies, and especially
railroad subsidies. l like to travel on rail-
roads and think them to be of much con-
venience and utility. But if they are to
be built and only to be built at such a
sacrifice of principle and expense to the
people, and for the sole benefit Of a few
individuals, / would rather see the stages,
mule and OK teams do the freighting
and carrying, and controlled by men who
spend their money in the county, than to
hear the steam whistle of the engine con-
trolled by nabobs who carry all their gains
away and luxuriate in the princely man
sions of Fifth avenue in New York, or the
palatial residences Of Mob Hill in San
Francisco.
/ suggest, would it not be better to issue
500, 900 worth of bonds for the develop
ment of a mine or mines in this county
And take stock paid up if you please.
What is the use of a railroad unless the
mining industry is maintained
All such measures as these increase tax
alton, retard mining and every other
branch of business. Those who W cattle
and almost every other kind of personal
property will speedily remove them from
the county if this bill becomes a law.
The people Of Lander county are groan-
ing under oppressive taxation from a debt
incurred by such a bill. Yet Lander
ty has about 100 miles Of taxable railroad
property for its 5000, 900 of bonds, while
Eureka county will have about IL miles OF
railroad for its S100. 900 of bonds.
The people of this county should pro-
test Enthusiastically against the passage OF
this bill. or any bill that provides in any
way for any subsidy at all. So long as
there is hope that Legislators will, in viola
ton Of their duty, their oath and their
pledges, yield to the specious and plausi-
Bile protests MANUFACTURED and coined in
favor of subsidies, just SO long will needed
and proposed railroads be delayed and
Just so soon as it is discovered that Legis-
lators cannot be induced by plausible theo-
ries, or the more potent means sometimes
brought to bear by lobbyists to vote away
the PEOPLES money. private enterprise will
build ali needed railroads.
1t is said by the parties interested in this
bill that they ask no subsidy. II it be not
a subsidy they ask it is still worse, for 1t
opos to force the county to take stock.
1t is a subterfuge, and SO framed no doubt
that the lobbyist may relieve the conscience
of the legislator who cannot quite vote d.
rectly for subsidy. The sin Of evasion is
as great as that Of commission, and in my
opinion infinitely more unmanly and dis
honest. Still another prescription is ad-
ministered to relieve the conscience and
responsibility of the legislator by submit
ting to the people the question Of subscrib-
ing or not subscribing for the stock ; that
Is. to have you incur the expenses Of an
election to decide what your representa-
tives have been elected to do, viz: to de-
feat the bill and every bill of similar char
acter. The county of Eureka, by the pro-
visions of the hill. shall hold 800. 600
worth of railroad stock, subject to State
taxation, and receive taxes from the rail-
road on but $40. 900 worth of property.
What an investment The suggestion of
the proposition argues its absurdity.
Therefore I say, If you want such bills
passed, let us have subsidy straight. but
for Gods sake do not add additional taxa
ton by forcing railroad stock on the
comfy. J. NJ.