The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-03-16

you, OF course BY scizing hold upon the great
instruments and agents Of modern civilization
that are necessary to ths comfort and prosper
ity Of all.
Allow me for moment to illustrate how You
might be oppressed under certain circunl-
stances. II Ii estimated that MI ordinary-sizsd
man will breathe fifty-seven hogsheads OF 1t.
mosphere in twenty -four hours. Now, II /
could by any possibility get corner on at
mosphere. and sell 1t TO you by the hogshead,
could make you pay dearly for the breath OF
life. Again, il conld get control Of tho public
highways. and BIO permitted to charge the pub
lie just such toll Is pleased, l could rival vau-
derDilt in wealth. Thus you see how you might
be oppressed quite easily.
Now, how do they, in fact, Cypress you and
absorb the profits Of your labor2
In the year 1877 the KING OF the Sandwich
Islands visited the United Statcs-king Kali
akaua by name. While In this country he me-
gotiated whereby the sugar produced on the
Sandwich Islands IL permitted to be shipped
into this country FREQ OF duty. Sugars manu-
featured III every other part Of tho world and
landed OH our shores have TO pay very heavy
duty to the General Government. Al soon az
this treaty was secured this KING sold to one
Claus Spreckles, OF San Francisco, q monopoly
OF the sugar produced on the islands. Mean
while Spreckles was knghted by King Kalakaua.
As soon as Claus Sprcckles got control Of
OF this sugar trade, he entered into combina-
ton with the Pacific railroads, wherein the
railroads agreed to put up the tariff on sugars
shipped from the East. TO such figure that
nobody could afford to ship il over the roads.
This gave Spreckles tho exclusive control Of the
sugar trade in the States OF California and Ore
gon, and the Territories adjacent. Now, here
roads to rob oil the people residing IN Califor-
mia and Oregon, and the Government Of the
United States stands by to protect the robbers
while they are doing their dreadful work. But
mark the extent and criminallty Of this trans
action. The duty alone on the sugar
that Spreckles imported into San Francisco last
year would have amounted to &2,z4 1000. This
he saved, aud then sold the sugar ut 2s< and
cents per pound higher than the same grade OF
sugar can be- bought for in the Eastern mar
kets that pays Q nts per pound duty Thus
Spreckles Is making from s. 900 to $l0,-
600, 900 annually by his amazing rascalty, and
he boasts that he will be ~ wealthy as Wander
bit within five years. There are three parties
to this conspiracy and robbery-Claus Spreck-
les. the Pacific railroads and you, my fellow
ci.lzens. Yea, you are in part responsible for
this corruption in yonr Government. You have
been b.indly worshiping your parties when You
knew that they were fostering every species of
corruption.
You see, now, how the few Cypress the many
in this one instance. The will Of the people 10
no longer either feared or respected. It has
been surrendered to the party, and the party
has surrendered to thu boss. For instance,
the country is districted OF into 293 Congress-
ionai districts. This district system was in
augnrated for the purpose OF giving every shade
Of public opinion an opportunity for expression
in the halls OF Congress-, % that no section OF
the country could possibly DO deprived Of its
voice in public Affairs. But Massachusetts,
gave us a very bad example . few years ago,
called the trick OF "Gcrrymandering,' whereby
they silence the voice Of the people IN trouble
some districts. This whole practice is utterly
subvcrsive Of the popular will, AMI intended
a. such. Hire is another illustration that
will show YOU how completely the individual
the man-has lost his significance in our Gov
eminent. Here sits farmer right before me-
He owns poor mans farm OF eighty acres i.
your county. Almost before he il aware Of it
q railroad Is permanently located dlAgonally
comes the shovel brigade" and propose to
commence the work. The road is located SO
as to rum between the house and the barn.
The farmer protests, and insists that he il the
owner VI that farm-they shall not enter upon
it. The Superintendent Of the road then en-
deavors to purchase the right OF way. The
| farmer refuses to sell, but finally concludes
that he will compromise with the corporation
upon condition that his damages shall be paid.
He says II will be damaged to the extent
OF I'll ,OOO." The railway company tells him that
he ia very unreasonable, AMI that there ID .
way Of getting around such obstinacy that the
company il building public highway for the
benefit Of the people. Straightway jury il
summoned, and, without even consulting the
| farmer, they decide that his farm must be
| ruined for the public good. and that the dam
| age i but $500. The road il butt. and the
| poor man finally submits, takes his $500, and
| goes to work On his diagonal piece OF land. The
| year after the road il finished this farmer pro
duces l,O0O bushels Of corn which be desires to
market. He reads the quotations Of the Chica.
4 90 market, and learns that corn il selling al
handsome figures thcra. lie goes right over to
| the depot situated upon his own farm. and
wishes to be informed what the managers or the
road will charge him to carry his corn to the
city. He il told to call the next dA,
and he shall then be informed. Mean.
/ time tho authorities calculate what thu
\ traffic viii bear" and the farmer il told tina
thre0-fourths OF tho profits must 60 to thu
railway, and that he will be permitted to retain
l the balance.
/ The farmer says: Nonsense !; am not 60
ing to pay you any such price," "Au right,
| says the agent wagon your corn to Chicago
then" 20, WE'LL" says the farmer, I'VE have
. way OF getting around you unreasonable rail
road men. This il public highway; you tolt
me 20 when you took my land. Now, am 20
ing to the same LAWYER whom you employed
and will have jury summoned and they
shall say low much you shall charge for taking
4 my corn to market" The agent smiles anC
| informs the farmer that no il a little OF.
| He repairs to the lawyer, aud IL informed thai
| there Ii no remedy.
Now, my fellow-ctizons, do you not see tina,
our laws arc made for the benefit Of the cor
poration instead Of tho citizen? In the cass
given the corporation has remedy-the indi
| vidual has none. The law points out clearly
every step necessary to enable tho railway tc
get possess on Of tho farmers land, but wher
| the farmer calls upon tho law to protect him
he is Knocked and spurned from the temple oil
justice.
The corporation, like highwayman, says
"Stand and deliver" and the people have M
redress. They appeal to the law, and the Law
mocks them. This thing il taking place daily
and there is not a lady or gentleman in Thu
audience but knows that every word ! an
speaking liz true. And this glaring evil stand
out here, knocking justice in every court, i,
every community, in every city, and we hav,
Legislatures in every State, and not one O
them 10 doing anything to correct the evI-no
one effort il being made to remedy this ruinou
state VI affairs. Your own Legislature seem
to be void OF even disposition to correct tn
evil. The corporation has been enthrone,
above the individual AMI the citizen il forgot
ten.
Even the telegraph, by which thought i
transmitted and commercial transactions car
ried on, has been converted into an engine o
l
the British Government assumed control of tn
telegraph hnes throughout the kingdom. Their
were but 100000 messages transmitted il
1869. But in 1879. under Government control
the number increased to "a, 0O0,O 900. Why wa
there such an increase Because, you can sen,
message Of twenty words to aay part O
Great Britain for IS CENTS l stepped into th
telegraph Office to-day aud inquired tho pro
OF n day dispatch from Des Moines to Ne,
York; dispatch Of twenty words-and tn,
charge was 81. just four times "a much az tn
Government OF England permits to be charged
Aud the rates charged in England during ID
ten years the system has been In operation
have cleared to the treasury royal treasuE
-si ,00O, 900 annually. The transmission q
inteiligence-the right OF governing its trans
MISSIONS Governmental function; but here
like every great function, like every great fore.
II has been turned ever into the hands Of MI
nopolies.
hold in my hand book, from which sha
take few facts and figures. II IL the repol
OF the Auditor OF Railroad Accounts OF q
United States. On page 3l8 I find list
forty-three railroads that have received Ian
grants from the General Government II
| a. "a - II.