Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-19
THOUGHTS FOR CITIZENS.
WHY RAILROAD CORPORATIONS ARE
FORCED INTO POLITICS.
The Reason for some False Professions
Fitch and Doyle-An Ungloved Crit
iclsm Of Men and Things.
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no SuNA SSu shos VIC raiiroau corporations
of this State have been and are now
powerful political factors; that their
agents seek to control conventions, and
often decide who shall and who shall not
be the nominees. and that their influence
reaches, when occasion requires, to the
executive, legislative and judicial branches
of government. This is merely the asser.
ton of politician, yet it is not difficult
to imagine condition of things thst
would compel corporations to enter poll.
tics as a measure of self-defense. A rail.
road corporation is an association of men
and their capital for business purpose.
1t has
Ne SPECIAL PRIVILEGES
Over the individual and the law pre-.
sumes it to have equal rights with him. If
the individual goes into the Legislature
and seeks the enactment of a law discrim.
mating against the corporation, the cor.
poration must defend itself. If there is no
attack there will be no defense. Upon it's
equality before the law depends the exist
ence OF the corporation. When its exist.
ence Is threatened it must assume the de.
fensive or go into liquidation. A railroad
company may become unpopular with the
people through q combination Of circum.
stances over which 1t has 20 control and for
the existence OF which it is in no way re.
sponsible. Blackmailing is SO extensively
practiced nowadays, that of wealthy cor.
porations there are few or none that escape
the attention of the scoundrels. who make
this species Of robbery profession. A bill
Is prepared that, If passed, will assail the
rights OF railroad company, and it is en-.
gineered into the Legislature. Its intent
Is known to but few persons, and those few
are professional blackmaile rs, who expect
TO BE BOUGHT OFF.
Ii the company goes into the Legislature
and successfully defends itself, the de.
feated biackmailers proclaim it to the
world that the corporations influence is
felt In the legislative branch of the govern.
ment, and the prejudice of the people is
thus unJustly excited against the corpora.
ton. This would not follow if the public
could be informed OF the real character and
purpose OF the MEN defeated. There is
kind OF political blackmailing that some.
times compels corporation to assume the
defensive. Upon unpopularity created by
the unsuccessful blsckmailer the political
demagogue attempts to ride into official posi-.
ton, and to prevent the nomination of those
who avow themselves its enemies and pledg
themselves to create laws discriminating
against 1t, the company has no alternative
but to use an influence in the Conven.
tion. its unwilling presence there is
heralded throughout the length and
breadth OF the State as another ATTEMPT
on the part OF corporations to defeat the
Will OF the people. Again the company is
placed In false light before the public
The ,company's equality before the law
may be denied by an enactment or con.
stitutlonal clause which discriminates be.
tween 1t and the individual in the taxation
OF Its property. 1t appeal to the Courts
for an enforcement of the principles of
eGuIf" lHranteed to every citizen in
=. >>usIuh of the Federal Constitution.
which says "Nor shall any State de.
prIve any person within its Jurisdiction OF
the equal protection of the laws" is ex.
planned to the people as an attempt on the
part OF railroad corporations to corrupt the
Judiciary. Thus it will be seen that
WITHOUT EVIL INTENT
On its part, and for the single purpose of
maintaining ita right to equality before the
law, railroad company or any corporation
may be forced into the position indicated
by the Republican nominee for Governor,
and it would have been more to his credit
had he gone on and shown how it might be
SO placed without Intentionally committing
a single aggressive act toward the people.
he might have read to the Convention the
law guaranteeing to all citizens equal rights
and equal privileges. He might have
shown that it was because of the threats of
the biackmailer and the demagogue to i'm.
pose burdens on corporations not borne by
individuals, that the influence is felt in the
political Convention and the legislative
chamber. He might have pronounced the
great truth chat no railroad company will
touch politics so long as tie politician
leaves its equality before the law un.
touched. He might have uttered the pro-
phetic warning that if State SO far d!sre.
CARDS the grand principle of equal rights
embodied IN the Federal Constitution as to
discriminate against corporations and the
property OF corporations, thereby violating
the law OF equality to all, it may antici.
pate the coming of time when, in obedi-
ence to the instinct OF self. preservation,
her corporations may be forced into, poll
tics, there to struggle for that equality be-
fore the law that is denied them.
FALSE PROFESSIONS.
Ii human hearts were transparent what
difference we should discover between
mems real motives and their outward pre-.
tensions. We should find only self.interest
where principle was proclaimed. Where.
II words mean anything, there flows river
of the milk of human kindness. there
would be found a wallow of envy and NAL.
ice, deeper and blacker than the Slough of
Despond, and in place of an inherent sense
of justice and right, there would be nm.
covered feeling of disreg gard for the dues
OF others 30 adam1ntinely fiinty that
thousand years of christianizing influence
would not soften it.
A WINDOW IN THE BREAST
That showed all within, would leave many
people with only the occupation of study. |
ing their own depravity. No one would
believe or trust them. The miscarriage OF
mans scheme for appropriating the prop
erty OF another to his own use NAV make !
OF him shining light in the army of moral !
lecturers. He is just as much of thief at
heart as when ho tried to steal, but until |
his real character becomes known, peo. |
pie will give him credit for what be
seems to be. Then again the fruit of
really good mems labor is often blighted
by the frost OF untoward circumstances
that comes IN the shape of shadows of past
incidents. Behold how the proneness of
the world to read between the lines NAV
dilute the teachings of a high. pressure |
retormer and tirst-watsr patriot to the |
thinness OF parry platform. Mr. John
L. Doyle hates that particular railroad com.
pany OF which Governor Stanford is Presi.
dent as his Satanic Majesty hates holy
water, and he fills newspapers with parai-
lels between what he knows and what the
Central Pacific people do not know about
railroading There can be no doubt about
Mr.. Doyle's honesty, yet the fact that he
did not begin
TO HATE THE COMPANY
Until it declined to build road over
route that would have greatly enhanced
the value of come land he owned, in great
measure destroys his argument by creating
in the minds Of the thinking masses the
impression that, had the company acceded
to his demands, the list of gentlemen who
are houndering knee. deep in the food Of
their own anti.railroad eloqueace would
contain one name less than it does. Thomas
Fitch, of Arizona last. but at come time or
other OF every State or Territory on the
Pacific coast, having presen. or prospec.
tive United States Senatorship to dis. !
pose of, is the latest convert to the doc. |
trine that railroads should pay double tax.
alton and be operated at the expense of |
their owners, who shall charge nothing for |
service. Every body knows Mr.. Fitch to be |
an honest, conscientious gentleman, who |
a. h. h.ik oa - |