Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-10-28
MIR. ZONES SCHEME.

MIR. 0<E S1faEu
Hon, John P. Jones Eureka speech
was rich in information with regard to
public affairs. On account Of the greater
portion of 1t that was good, we are not
much inclined to c~riticise the rest, which
was not good. The SENTINEL would
have been better pleased, out Of the high
regard it has for the Senator, had he not
weakened the effect of his powerful re-
view of Congressional action by one or
two purely stump speakers dlgresslons'
As MIR. Jones said, it is not altogether a
laudable ambition to be considered a
stump speaker, whose chief soIlcltude :
to tickle the ear and to make himself the
hero of the occasion. In one or two
instances, happily in only one or two,
Mr.. Jones himself lost the charm OF his
dignity as a calm servant of the whole
people, and broke the pleasing force OF
his address by a resort to those bland
ishments which are gratifying only to
such minds as are already warped into
sympathy with him by prejudice, rather
than by philosophic reasoning upon facts
One notable instance will suffice. Mr..
Jones familiarity with history and men
must make him feel that he was doing
violence to his own intelligence when
he, yielding to the common temptation
OF Republican stump speakers, Haunted
what is left of the bloody shirt, and
asserted that if the Democrats got into
power they would pay off $500, Ooo,ooo'
or some other prodigious amount, to DIS
loyal Southerners for property destroyed
in the war of secession. First and tore
most. this is a misrepresentation OF the
sentiment of the South, which long since
has been q reasonable, if not an un-
~avoidable, acquiescence in the results OF
the war. Secondly, the fundamental
law OF the land makes the payment OF
such claims illegal. And again, such
conditions as would place this payment
of the claims referred to among political
possibilities, to say nothing OF the CON
stitutional provision to the contrary
exist only in the imagination OF the
b~rooding partisan. That the Democracy
of the South and the Democracy OF the
North would unite to saddle upon them
selves the part payment OF these vast
claims for the benefit, not OF the Demoe'
racy. but of a few claimants, is so nearly
absurd that the suggestion OF such a
purpose on the part of the Democrats Oh
the nation, who contribute at least one
half Of all the taxes for the support OF
the Government, does a man OF ME-
Jones' calibre no credit.
That is a depression which the SEN
TINEL could not well avoid, out OF SELL
respect and regard for the eminent states
mar whose address is under partial re-
view. But our objective point is to con-
slider the bold and somewhat startling
idea advanced by Mr.. Jones that a trans
continental railroad be built by the GOV
eminent and given over to the use Of the
people as any other highway, the rules
for the conduct of which are a matter Vi
custom and written law. The idea, apart
from the context of Senator Jones
speech, is a pleasing one. 1t is sug-
g%estive Of progress. 1t is a grand scheme
Had we not heard and been impressed
by Mr.. Jones' speech otherwise, the
project would have seemed practical and
feasible. Undoubtedly the Government
could build the road. Its control and
management would be a great problem,
but the ingenuity and inventive genius
Of the American people would solve it.
OF course the result of the Soaring COM
petition" thus instituted would secure
to the general public profound relief in
the way of cheap transportation, which,
Mr.. Jones justly says, is as important
a factor in human affairs as the produc-
tion of the necessaries Of life. To a
greater or less extent this is illustrated
by the dishes upon every g%entleman's
table,, which represents the pro-
ducts Of the civilized world.
The proposed road would be g God
send. The heart of a trsmpled COM
mercial community could expand nat
urally if it were constructed. The
nation, whose business life ia unwhole.
now, could breathe freely
again in that event. But alas
while in one breath the great
Republican orator paints a glowing pic
ture of the ease with which Uncle Sam
may build the road and the tremendous
advantages to the people of its construc-
ton, in the very next he makes a pow
orful argument against the possibility of
its ever being built. Such a road opened |