The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-07-31
A Grafton Philosopher.


reads observes and thinks. 1t Is called OH,
+ by the tariff discussions TINT have appeared
Z In this paper, anil affords gratifying evil
dcnce that the plain people Of tho land arc
taking an interest In such subjects and
making themselves acquainted with theil
data. We have long believed that the pro
Z per way to set the people to thinking on
these subjects was to encourage the discus
sion Of them pro and con in the public
press. The people have no interest In be-
Z ing In error on any economic question,
and hence as intelligence spreads among
them they are less Stable to be held by party
leading strings in tho meshcs OF error. The
questions raised by our correspondent are
large questions, and deeply concern our
future rs a people. We agree with much
TINT he says, especially his observations in
regard to the growing magnitude and
power OF corporations. Corporations have
( developed wealth In this country at very
rapid rate. Without them the country
would have been far back in the wilder.
ness as compared with where It Is to-day.
Individual capital would never have
taken the hazards necessary to carry forward
large enterprises. Without them we would
( have had few railroads, few steamships
Z few improvement companies, and only O
/ limited number Of large manufacturing
CO.. Germs. Our population would hardly
have been half what it is today. We
sh luld have gone on In the old methods OF
our fathers. Doubtless We should have
got along, for they got along, and made
some progress all the time, but we should
certainly not have astonished the world us
Z we have.
Steam has been the motive power, and
corporate. capital the medum-the fuel, il
we might thus express it, that has genera.
ted the steam, by the impulse Of which
we have shot ahead Mt such an unprece.
dented rate. But, rs We all know, great
4 agencies beget great perils. Steam itsel
be, cts terrific perils on land and sea-
Steam rs the ally OF great corporations
HIS also begottcn political and social pc
rtls, the result Of which has yet to be writ.
t,n. Our correspondent considers this in
the aspect Of land grant railroad compan.
los. This is one aspect. Our public do,
main has rapidly disappeared in the shape
Of grants to those mammoth corporations
But he must reflect that the land is still on
: In I'd. 1t has not been blot,el out. /,
h 8 been developed rapidly through the
. a ,ency Of these corporations. The
3crporators have, it is said, made q
: g'eat deal Of money out Of these
Cunts. This, to some extent, was una
Y 'idable. A subsidy Of this character PIE.
snpposes risks and delays on the part OIL
capital. The unfortunate people, for in.
stince, who went into the original Northern
Pacific railroad enterprise under the aus.
pces OF Jay Cook lost millions OF
money. They died in the wilderness
and the company has been reorganizet.
! Tie same has been the case, on n smaller
scale, IN several other land grant enter.
p.ises. The Government was anxious to
sec its unoccupied domain developed. For
one thing, it was the settlement OF the
svexed Indian question to have it thus
developed. Practically, the Indian. troub-
les are at an end. The railroads
now, span the continent in every direction.
Millions have been saved to the Govern
ment in the way OF expensive Indian
wars, involving costly outfits and costly
transportation. The Utah war, under Blu.
fchanan's administration, was costly af-
! fair, muinly for the lack OF n railroad. The
Union Pacific Railroad virtually settled
tue Utah question, and will before long
abolish Morlnonism. 1t also settled the
! agitation on the Pacific coast in favor OF an
independent form Of government. In
o'".' "":o AZ ''' peeh "sfeat aeency
{ VI s're''s.h 10 li'e government. 1t opened
mp our mines, and brought out the re-
4 s Jul necessary 70 underlay our re-
uuhuant piper currency These are some
OF the considerations connected with it that
: 70 iar 70 Offset inc arrangements oil our
.et as we remarked, the
iaau' all We ever possessed, lss still on hand.
jl Wv value mas Deem enhanced TO settlers. If
ithey pay more than the Government
price Isl 70 per acre) it is because it is
actually worth more. a settler tan better
pay sou now tlan 81 % before the build
ing Of the railroad to his vicinity. And 80
IN many cases they can better pay s. than
81 20. lhe value ol land depends on its
outlets to market What would the DO.
i nanza iarlns OF DAkota-those immense
wheat iarnis-be worth without the North
err ern Pacific road and its branches? The
people VINO pay SlO per acre in Iowa and
4 4