The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-01-12

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thority of the State, except for completed or
| executed acts. and then only by appearing
| As the prosecutor I'm the criminal courts, or
| by instituting civil suits in the name OF
officers; charges affecting their character
| and official integrity, that are groundless,
honesty of their conduct before the public.
or having the Chief Executive of the State or
the Executive Council in a position to de-
fend the honest and faithful officer or show
| that moneys have been properly and legally
expended, or contracts legally and fairly
made without collision or fraud. The COM
pete protection of the interests of the state
demand, now more than when we had annual
sessions of the Legislature, that authority
| should be vested somewhere for the protec-
ton of the interests of the State, its funds its
public institutions, its contracts and public
works; and also to cause investigations to be
made that the facts of any alleged fraud or
misconduct may be ascertained, and guilty
parties removed from authority.
To accomplish such investigations or ex-
| amnations. L would respectfully suggest that
the Governor be authorized, by proper law.
in writing. to order Investigation to be made
into the management of any of the State in
situations, contractsor disbursements of pub
lie funds, to the end that the INTERESTS. and
the public funds appropriated for the differ
ent Institutions or other purposes may be
properly guarded, and dishonest or corrupt
officials be removed. and fraudulent or cor
rupt contracts annulled. Such power or au-
thorty should be carefully guarded, so that
no honest man should suffer, or any guilty
one escape. The honest and faithful official
Is always ready for an investigation, while
the dishonest one may shrink from an exam
nation into his conduct. There is no harm
done, but great good has resulted, by our laws
providing tor the examination OF our county
and State Treasurers without notice to incum-
bents. No official objects, or can with any
pretense of honesty, to a fair and impartial in
vestigation, and there certainly can be no
valid reason Shy other officials, than State
and County Urea surers, who disburse, con
troll or make contracts tor the apprropria-
tons of public funds. should not be subjected
to the same system OF investigation.
RAILROADS.
1t is a recognized fact that railroads have,
in sense, made our State. They have by
means of circulars and pamphlets extensively
advertised the State, and thus brought it to
the attention of thousands of immigrants
who have settled amongst us, and are now an
important class of our population. They have
aided in the general material development OF
our resources, and have proved themselves
an invaluable agency; and all this is thor
oughly appreciated by the public.
While this is true, 1t is equally true that the
State has made the railroads, so that mu-
tualobligation exists between them. To en-
courage, and promote, and aid the building
of railroads throughout the state, our citizens
very wisely procured from the general Gov
eminent large grants of land, supplemented
by a donation from our own State OF 500OO0
acres of our school lands, and Government
and municipal bonds, with first mortgage
guaranteed bonds, amounting to about 81, s05,
on, so that millions of acres ofland and millions
of dollars OF money have been donated to aid
in the construction of the various railroads of
our State.
These generous donations of lands and
bonds were made by the people of Kansas
for the purpose of building the magnificent
railroad system of our State, and for their
generous treatment they expected generous,
or at least fair treatment in return, and for
years this expectation was fully met. These
liberal subsidies at the outset enabled the
projectors of our railroads not only to build
and equip and maintain the roads in question
in a style second to none in the country, but
they also placed the original constructors in n
position to greatly enrich themselves as indi
viduals. The actual cost of building, equip
ping and maintaining these roads did not cN'
coed more than half of the cash value
OF the Lands mortgages and bonds donated to
them, thus leaving about fifty per cent. otwhat
VaS been donated for the construction of rail
roads to go into the pockets of the manage
ment. And yet. profitable as railroad build
ing has been to the construction companies,
the State and the people did not complain, or
interpose any obstacles to the successful con
structiOn of railroads. until after the passage
of the consolidation act" authorizing rail
roads to consolidate and lease railroads.
Up to this period in the history of the state
there was notwithstanding, and the best
of feeling between the public and the rail
roads. Competition existed between the
roads. and fair and generous treatment was
accorded to the public. But soon after tie
passage OF tire '!act' above referred to. the
original railroad companies having sold or
leased their roads to second parties, these
new corporations, taking advantage of this
law, proceeded to consolidate their interests,
tothe detriment and injury of the public.
From that hour the antagonisn between
the people and these corporations has stead
lily increased, until to day we have in our
midst the strange spectacle of a rich, strong,
influential and sokditied monopoly, greedily
encroachiug upon the rights of the very peO'
pie whose creature they are, and to whom
they owe, not only their existence, but the
very patronage which enables them to WELD
a power whose possibilities are simply APP
palling. steadily have these corporations in
vaded the rights of the people. They have
taken advantage of the necessities of business
and commerce.; they have, upon the flimSiest
pretext. presumed to do high handed and
outrageous things; they have ignored the
real interests OF the State, and have simply
used the State and its resources to the detri
ment and injury of its agricultural, CONNER
cal and manufacturing interests, so that by a
systematic and thoroughly organized method
OF pooling their earnings" by unjust
Determinations against localities and in
diyiduals, by excessive and eNorhitant
freight and passenger rates, by draw
backs secretly allowed, thus defrauding other
patrons, as well as by an arrogant and intol
Grant policy, they have made ALPHABETICALLY
impossible for our merchants and manufac-
turers to compete with the same classes in
adjoining States. The result of this has been
to make il improbable to develop the manu-
featuring resources of our State. Manufac
tured articles of all kinds made in the far
eastern states are shipped into our State and
sold here at a less cost than these articles can
be manufactured anywhere in the State, and
for the simple reason that our railroads are
constantly discriminating against our home
manufactures, and exacting excessive local
rates. under the fallacious plea that a long
haul is more profitable than a short one even
when a greater rate is chargedfo for short haul,
and the empty car is again ready for the com
pany's use, and the cost of loading and I'M
loading the car is the same in both instances.
The effect of this has been to paralyZe and
f,-,<
state.
Furthermore railroads are constantly dis
eliminating against our wholesale merchants
in favor of the same class in other States and
not content with this they are discriminating
against the purchasing interests of the retail
dealers, and against the whole agricultural,
mercantile and commercial interests of the
State. The agricultural interests of the State.
by that form of Injustice known as .poOling.n