The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1883-04-06
A VITAL ISSUE.
(New YorL tlolnInereIaI IIulIelLa.l

(Sew York Commercial nulIe,la)
lie must be very careless or oLtuse
observer Of passing events who cannot
discern al ominoA but apparently ire
sistiIle tendency on The part Of power
fnl corporations, deriving their privi-
leges primarily from the State, and on
che part Of the people, irrespective Of
ordinary patty organizations, TO take
position toward each other AZ hostile
forces. Ominous, We ray, becuse it is
impossible to maintain that attitude
without intimately entailing upon all
the interests Af involved conflicts and
disasters which no man a. all solititoua
for the common welfare can contemplate
with complacency, IL IL but little to
the purpose 10 say that there ought 10
be, in tho nature Of things, no conflict
OF interests and no antagonism Of feel.
Ing between the forces that one Is de +.
pendent upon the other, aud tha.:
nothing, hence, is 70 be gained on either
side by one tskiog advantage Of the
other. All this has to bo conceded, as
q matter of course /; but after the con-
cession Is made we are still confronted
with the portentious fact that, much as
We would have il otherwise, there IL
mutual antsgonism, and that il Is ac.
quiring swift momentum Ia many forms
and in many places every day.
II Is not difficult in the light OF What
Is passing before eur eyes, TO mark with
more or less distfnctness the manner in
which these opposing forces are, 80 to
speak, now systematically mAneuver-
ing Tor position. On the side Of the
people, for example, look at the impal-
sivs way In which they are invoking
nPon the railroad corporations in the
neighboring State Of New jersey the
restraints Of legislation, without, it
must be admitted, any particular regard
for Judicial limitations or constitutional
restrictions. Desparing, as il we're, of
a reeti6catioh Of their grievances by
Other processes, they finalI, yield TO the
impulses of passion. aud in that mood
timid politicians that hsi previously
been the
oBEDIEST SERVANT oF TBg CORPORATIONS
are frightened into an Aeq,.iesccncu in
measures which tread pariiousy near, If
they do not positively override, the
principle Ct the inyialability of contracts
to which the corporations aud tho States
are supposed TO be parties. The tone
and spirit Of the debates at Trenton,
preceding the vote against the position
Of the great corporations. on the qnes-
ton OF rsmauding TO the municipalities
the right Of subjecting railroad property
within city limits to taxation, are n
fair illustration Of this. They were
not the tone and spirit which ordinarily
characterize statesmen discussing ques-
tions pertaining to municipal rights
and municipal economies, bn. of men
who were speaking for people that
have been enduring acme great wrong
to which they were determined no long
er 10 submit. Il WIS tone Of anger
and the spirit of deiiance. A stranger,
ignorant Of the question at Issue, might
have supposed that it was some kind OF
life and death struggle between mortal
enemies. On behalf Of the railroad cor
porAtions, he would have. heard denun-
Citations Of what were characterized as
communistic principles and communis-
tic organizations also. OF demagogie
anti-mouopoly conspiracies which had
regard neither for the rights of property
nor the inviolAbility of contracts, with
accompanying prophesies Of the multi.
tudinous evils which will be precipitat-
ed upon the country "if the State did
not put its foot upon this serpent's egg
before its venomous brood was hatched.
On the other hand, Senators, speaking
for the citizens and the municipalities
dwelt with not less fervor upon the con
tinual aggregation of wealth and es.
pecially the landed wealth of the rail
road companies. I'VE have nourishee
these powers in their childhood" said I
leading Senator, ''but these corporation
have turned upon and are
DEPRESSING THE PEG PIE
who fostered them to manhood. The,
have attempted to enrich themselves
yea, have enriched themselves, by 90
tanning. through questionable means
exemptions which eniich them and i'm
poverish the people, and if these exemr
tions remain on the statute books the
4 will continue to be menace to l;bert
and destroy the fortunesof the individr
ais, who must pay all the tsyes. Thi
State enjoys the public reputation Q
being owned body and soul by corpora
tions and of being run by them. 1t
a buy.word in tho mouths of all mer
For forty years il has been so. Thes
grasping companies have corrupted tn