The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-03-25
AKTI-MoNopoIY LEAGUE.

ANTl.M0N0P0lY LEAGUE,
In the eastern, middle and older
portions Of the Western States, where
new and competing lines have for
years compelled reasonable rates for
this leagne is making
rapid progress, gathering strength
and influence, and bids fair to become
an important factor in regulating the
no longer local, but na.ie@aa question
of tariff imposed by railroad monop
olies. For long time national, state
and towB subsidies were
given with lavish hand to establish
competition, and thus the dark day
was put off, until one line after an
other has fallen under the control of
a few companies. Thus .he entire
carrying trade of the country is at
the mercy of few, and That few are
uot known to be over generous. Can
a league of any kind deal justly with
this question without attempting any
answer? / ask, is it safe to wait
longer before trying to remedy by
law, that. which competition would
accomplish without it Every day,
aye, every hour, the danger OF delay
increases. Money wrung from the
people will be used to corrupt the e
lections, and if unsuccessful there. the
legislative halls have no terrors fol
the servant ofa corporation that pays
we'll for faithful service. But how
does this effect Oregon? Owing to
her peculiar situation, having but one
available outlet, and that in the hands
of company determined there shall
be none other, she may Il hope not
he the only State in the Union to
grow from childhood to old age and
,seyer feel the qnickening influence Of
healthy competition. Such then is
the possible future Of Oregon, wher
all her present liues Of railroad shall
be consolidated under one manage
ment. The same cond tions with ref
erence to transportation will exist
here that rouses the people to action
elsewhere. The two great powers
contending for supremacy, may ig
more the stubborn facts in the pream
BILE and lidicule the platform of the
sntimonopoly league. If SO there
will be great body of clear-headed
voters, lovers ofjustice, and the friend
of legitimate enterprise, governed by
the instructive law of self preserva
tion, who will present solid front to
all sophistry and twaddle about par
ty fealty, anb stand stubborn OBJ.
stacle in way of party triumph.
When our Senators and Represents
tives shall sit in Congress, the owners.
managers, or agents of the railroads
in this State, as they do now from
other and older States, the bitter re-
Election that the fault was our own
will not bring much if any consola
tion. On this subject the Oregonian
gives some characteristic advice to
the league, saying, 1t seems to us
that the best and most effective work
Of the anti-me n ,poly league will be
in creating and organizing public
opinion, which shall exercise whole
some moral restraint, showing them
that the people have a power which
theg mean to assert, should it be
needful to do So" In other words tc
prevent theft you have simply tc
paste Eotice on yonr stable dool
that any person stealing the valuable
horse with in will be dealt with Sc
verelY. Again. "one drawback te
every movement of this eind is, tha,
before it goes far it is liable to fall in
to the hands of bloated political dem
agogues, shis may be true, and is te
acertain extent, at least as much SO
as. the otner setious drawback tha,
all efforts to . organize public opin
ion, with moral force to restrain cor
poaation greed" finds hesitatidg
subseryient pulIe press, pleading de
lay, and dealing out corporation "taf
fy" with prodigal liberality, while The
chains of bondage are being surely
fastened
RIAEro,
Newport. Mar. 2atfl
PACIFIC COAST NEWS.