The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-02-22

slroy, limit, modify and change.
1t bus always been the argument OF
the demagOgue against any law that he
does not like TO call il ''on-c0Dstituiion-
al" and TO which argument there is no
reply; it might be termed the ultima r"tfO
pcgHm The peoples paper" further
as u constitutional argument, talks about
cold snaps out west and the coal supply
being cut of, aud great human suffering
rs the result Of this act preventing rail-
roads and railroad officers from buying
up and putting a corner ON all the coal
in the country. and what little coal there
is in private hands, to use their power as
controllers of the road TO prevent ii
from being shipped TO the people and
compel the people to buy coal Of rail-
road managers at whatever price the
managers see fit Ia demand.
Anything tue Legislature docs that
tends to destroy monopoly is "on-con-
stitutional" English history informs
us that it was decided by the highest
court OF England IN the days of King
james 1, by Lord Coke and his asso-
ciates that the king who then created all
corporations could not create monopoly
because it was unconstitutional" And
now we, the heirs of the good laws of
England, cannot pass law 10 prevent a
monopoly because such law is "uncon-
stituti0nal" according II the peoples
press"
Behold, these railroads magnates!
They toll not, neither do they spin, yet
the king with all his glory has not the
power of them because ITS "unconsiitu-
tional The peoples paper" further
urges that the law is unconstitutional"
because it prohibits citizens from engag-
ing In the coal business, the stockyard
business, the milling and elevator busI-
ness, etc. This is the same personal
freedom" argument of the saloon keep
ers against the prohi6itory Jaw. Only
the saloon keeper hAs twice the strong
er side. The constitutional amendment
broke up the business of saloon keepers,
dIstitllers and brewers, and mark
it, this business was strictly private.
Yet it is very ''Gn,cOnstilutional" for
railroad manager who is IN a public SER
vice to be prevented while holding
such Office from engaging IN the
said monopolies. This does not in
terfere with personal rights. 1t just
provides that person is disqualified TO
be railroad manager while he is en-
gagged in these moEGp0lies. He can
in these monopolies then the public ser
vice demands other men for managers.
When the term manager is used it is
used in its general sense and applies to
all classes of railroad officers who have
anything to do with the management of
the road.
1t was said in the outset THAI railroad
companies are trying 10 become and
have succeeded in becoming the masters
instead of the sercdats of the people.
The way this has been accomplished is
by leVyiDg at their pleasure an immense
tribute upon every channel ofco:nmcrce
- the merchandise of the.trader, the grain
of the farmer, the stock of the granger,
the fuel of all classes They are not
satisfied with fleeing men in eXOrbitant
prices for carriage. bat they must also
own the elevators and clip him second
time on his grain aud the stock yards,
and clip him a SECOND time on his |
stock and The GOA! fields and shave him |
ON the price ct coal once again; sO with !
rock quarrics and iron works. A double |
clip each time, which oftcn ends in tax |
ing the hide instead uf the wool. 1t |
may he asked why have railroad mana |
gers IA monopoly: The question is cast
ly answered. Because they control the |
building ct .sidc-iracks To coal shafts. elc-
vators, mills, stockyards, mines and |
QuarTics; because they control the hand |
ling of cars and can discriminate |
in furnishing cars Ia their own estab-
lishmcnts when needed and not Ia furn-
ish them 10 others. Ii may be said that
the law should punish Determinations,
but the trouble is you can't always get
the proof, so the lcgisl tlure has done IA
wise thing in passing this "unconstitu-
tiOnaI' section. II strikes al the root of
the evil. To argue that Determinations
should be punished instead of abolished
by abol,shing the motive is the
same old argument OF the saloon keep
ers in favor of u well-rcguiated license
system and punishment of any inirac-
ton of tae law. We all know this
proved failure and we struck at the
root of the evil The only fault To be
found with this section is that it does
not disqualify any railroad manager or
from owning any interest in a
public hotel or newspaper, their
control of which has become
an intolerable nuisance. A passenger
can't get q decent meal on railroad
unless he pays from one
third TO one-half more than he would
have to pay for the same meal it the
trains would stop where there is CON-
petition. Monopoly is the bans of our
and the death of our trade,
while free competition is the lite blood
Of trade and deadly poison to mil
lionaires.
Railroad newspapers ought To have
been included in the section in question
because all decent legislation is sought
10 be blocked by them, and sure sign
Of railroad newspaper is that it Is
strictly peoples press" .'uf the
people, tor the people, and by the
people" Yet all its glitter
IS meretricious. 1.-THE company OF which
tits an organ has any official in its
II knows more OF such
official and parades him TO the public
more than any other person. slthough
it Is often the case that such railroad
official has no other merit on earth
except that he may have succeeded To a
certain modified extent, aud no IN lit r
how, OF what the means. still railroad
paper always holds him up us public
and dubs him with the hon
Orable title Of men who have won honor
and glory at the lannon's mouth-Colc-
mel this, and commodore that.
SUBSCRIBER. !