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

to the enterprise of Tom, Dick and
Harry for the business of Independent
transportation would cause a crash in
freight and fare rates and utterly destroy
the present incubus of railroad monopo-
ly, for Mr.. Jones proposes one track or
six, or as many as may be necessary for
this beneficent purpose.
In view of this comparative anuihila-
ton of their business, would the power
full railroad corporations affected thereby
allow the legislation necessary to CON-
plete the scheme?
Mr.. Jones will himself be allowed to
answer.
He says, in effect, that the efforts of
the people to fight the railroads and put
an end to discrimination in freights and
fares have been Intellectual hitherto and
will always be abortive in the future.
With the backing of their aggregated
wealth the railroads cause a Carnival of
| corruption" and clash the people into a
fury" to prevent legislation cutting down
freights and fares and prohibiting dis
elimination.
They put millions into the fight read
lily. Legislatures and Congress are rem
dered powerless and the Reagan bill
slumbers in a pigeon hole as the conse-
quence. With corruption money the
| railroads control legislation and the peo-
Pile are without ecourse So, in effect,
Nh. Jones declares himself with regard to
legislation against discrimination in
freights and fares.
But consider. Ii Mr.. Jones argument
be logical, what hope can the people
have that his proposed road will ever
be legislated into existence? VIII not
the great railroad ~monopolies that inter
fere and kill off adverse legislation of an
infnitesimally harmless sort to them,
such as that aimed at i'll the Reagan bill,
develop infinitely more power to thwart
the passage of a law to construct the
road outlined by Mr.. Jones, which
would do them 50 much more harm, and,
in fact, utterly demolish the business
which they now ~monopolize with the
emoluments and tyranny of despots
Undoubtedly.
Presume that Mr.. Jones argument is
true in the first case, then it is ~inevita-
ably true in the second. The unavoida-
BILE conclusion from his argument is that
the railroad kings make the laws of the
land; that they are the government of
the Republic, and that the people, the
presumed sovereigns Of the common
wealth, are but slaves to do the bidding
of moneyed masters.
Great God. Have we come to this
point Of degradation as argued for by the
Republican Senator from Nevada If
we are already slaves and are threatened
with the galley besides, is it not impera.
tive upon our manhood, to say nothing OF
the demands of mere interest, to cast
about us and see if something may not
be done for freedom before. we are ire.
~trievably incarcerated in soul as well as
in body?
The startling suggestions of the emf
nent Republican Senator, who, it il
stated, is likely to become Treasurer o.
the United States by appointment from
the present Administration. if they be
credited with the force with which he
expressed them, must make the lovers o.
free institutions tremble for the impend'
ing ruin to our morals and finance that
is therein portrayed. The truth of the
Senator's u%tterances cannot be tested toe
quickly by a people the price Of whose
liberty is eternal vigilance. The people
should rally and bind their public ser
wants who represent them, or pretend tc
represent them, in Congress to make 6
crucial test of the accuracy Of what Mr.
Jones tells of "maohine" work at Wash.
ington, by a grand effort to pass the
Reagan or some similar bill.
The result will, at any rate, show
what the situation is and will be ar
opening wedge into the mysteries of the
sophistry and corruption by which Mr.,
Jones thinks the public have been hith'
erto blinded. Let us find out where we
stand. The longer the scrutiny into the
affairs of our slavery is put off the more
slayish we will become.