Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-23
TAKING TIE RAILROAD OUT OF POLL
TICS.

eHectualiY drive the railroad and all
"other corporation Hobbies out of the
capitol and out of existence" This is a
fair specimen of the imbecile chatter with
which the anti,railroad papers habitually
insult the intelligence of their readers.
The truth is that every political influence
that can be brought to bear to prevent the
railroad from going out of politics is at this
moment being employed, and that the men
who make the loudest pretensions to anti.
railroad sentiment are the most active in
this work. Journals such as the one we
have cited, and political demagogues such
as those who are now before the people,
are the most potent obstacles to the accom-.
plishment of the work which they men.
daciously profess to have in view. 1t is
those men and journals that by their con.
slant Misrepresentation and communistie
assaults upon corporations, compel the lat.
ter to choose between quiet submission 10
plumber, and the exercise of those politi.
cal rights which are within their reach.
A whole class of INSCRIPTIONS and shame.
less demagogues has of late years sprung
into existence, and subsists altogether
upon the sham issues made by attacking
great corporations. By appealing to all
the basest tendencies of the masses by
exciting the envy and jealousy of the
"Have-nots" against the "Haves y by
preaching confscation by holding up the
rich as fair objects for plumber and oppres.
sion by steadily ignoring all the benefits
conferred upon the country through these
corporations, and as steadily inventing al
manner of falsehoods concerning them
this class of politicians have succeeded in
getting themselves elected to office repeat
edly, and have then lost no time in show
ing how utterly insincere all their profes.
sions had been.
The journal from which we have quoted
knows perfectly well that it is talking non.
sense when it says that the Legislature can
enact law which will drive the corpora.
tions ont of politics. The kind of legisla.
ton which the journal in question wants
is precisely the kind which is incapable of
doing anything of the sort. 1t is not from
the demagogues who owe their all to the
scapegoat railroad that the people can look
for deliverance from the railroad issue. It
is not from men who profess their readi-
ness to plumber and confscate without
knowledge or inquiry that anything in the
shape of rational legislation can be ex.
pected. This class of men possess very
simple policy. Their first object is to gain
Office by quilting the people. Their main
object is to utilize the offices they have
thus obtained, by selling out to the cor
porations. They are in fact neither more
nor less than professional blackmailers,
and when such men enter the Legislature
their first movement is to threaten the
corporations with adverse legislation, I'M
less they are satisfactorily arranged
with" Questions of justice and right do
not trouble them at all. Their business is
to feather their own nests as speedily as
possible. So they advance upon the cor.
porations highwayman fashion, and demand
a ransom. The best proof that the cor
porations resist and refuse these impudent
and knavish demands is to be found in the
long series of idiotic and futile laws passed
by enraged and baffled blackmailers for
revenge. Not comprehending the subjects
upon which they undertake to legislate,
their measures are invariably Ineffective or
invalid.
The fact is that they do not go to the
Legislature with the intention OF fulfilling
their lavish promises to their constituents,
but for the purpose of making sale of
themselves. While this class of rascals
remains in politics it will be in vain to talk
of driving the corporations out of politics,
for the blackmailers will take care that
nothing of the kind shall be done. 1t is
indeed perfectly ridiculous to suppose for
moment that they would consent to what
must instantly destroy all their own politi-
cal hopes. If the railroad were out of
politics the day of the demagogues would
be over. They would have 10 more chance
of quilting the voters. The one issue upon
which they have so often climbed to
power would have disappeared. What
ever else they may do, these political
maggots will sssuredly not destroy the
cheese which breeds them. Drive the
railroad out of politics, indeed We
should like to see them engaged in such a
task. Ask them to resign their own seats
after they have been elected. Ask them
to vote honestly and upon conviction
alone. Ask them to refrain from taking
brides. Ask them to lead clean lives.
Make any unreasonable and outrageous re-
quest of them, but do not expect that they
will ever consent to drive tine railroad out
of politics.
For it is meat and drink and clothing and
rent and pin.money to them. 1t is their
one reliance, the sole thing which enables
them to lift their dishonest heads above the
crowd, and gives them the leverage by
which they get office There are hundreds
Of these creatures in California who have
not done an honest days work for years,
and who do not know how to do it, who
would be compelled to go to the almshouses
and county hospitals If the railroad issue
were driven out of politics. And the whole
of this class, now SO profusely represented
in both parties, may be relied upon to unite
as one man in resistance to any proposition
for driving the railroad out of politics
Yet i. is true that it would be compare.
lively easy to bring this contamination
about. Do the people of California really
desire that the railroad should be out OF