The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-02-17
Not q Parallel Case.

If a man should come into your
neighbOrhoOd and say, "If you
will raise me $4,000, | will build
and operate grist mill and peck
ct all the earnings" what would
you say to hint And yet these
are the very principles on which
special favors are granted to veal
thy corporations that have the
means of controlling legislation.
Jackson Clarion.
If a man should come into Alb
erdeen and make that proposition
he would be told that he was ask
ing altogether too much for his
grist mill, and that we had an
abundant supply of excellent grist
mills in the city and country; but
if he should say: Raise me ten
thousand dollars and | will build
and operate a cotton or wool fac
tory in your town representing an
investment in building and maehi-
merry of a hundred thousand dol.
lars and pocket all the net earn
ings,' our people would respond,
"come to us, old fellow; you are
the man We have been looking for;
shake IN
ColuIabus is paying a company
100000 to build a railroad to the
coal mines from her depot. sand
pocket all the earnings" and she
thinks she is making a good invest
ment of it, for she needs the road
badly, and can better afford to pay
q bonus of that amount to induce
somebody else to build ii, than to
withdraw nearly million of dol.
lars of her active capital from
other business pursuits and risk
its investment in a single enter.
prise of doubtful profit. Aber.
deem invested q hundred and
twenty-five thousand dollars in
building and equipping branch
railroad upon which her progress
and prosperity depended, and gave
II to the main trunk line with the
privilege of "pocketing oil its ear
nings" on condition that it opera
ted and kept it in repair. Stark.
vile, West Point and Aberdeen
have agreed to purchase right of
way through their limits and land
for depot grounds etc, and give
the same to the Canton, Aberdeen
and Nashville railroad, provided it
will "build and operate" u line
passing through said towns, "and
pocket all the earnings and they
regard this as the best investment
they ever made.
We have no fears Of ever seeing
a Mississippi legislature that can
be purchased by any corporation,
aud believe that If the wealthy
corporations wanted to invest
their money in that way they wonld
stand a better chance in bidding
for o Board of State Railroad
Commissioners appointed to regu'
late freight tariffs. An investment
like this might cost more per cap
ita, but then the corporation would
not have so many to buy, and
might accomplish its ends by pur'
chasing one or two Of them
There is no reason to believe that
legislators will ever be moro pur'
chasable than State Railroad Com
missioners.
Depend upon 1t, that If the time
shall ever come when Mississippi
is so gridironed with railroads that
she can afford to discourage the
extension of such enterprises and
Investments within her borders by
invidious legislation, the roads
will make their defence at the hus.
tings and not at the capital, and
will exert their influence In elect
ing legislators and governors, in
stead of expending their money
in efforts to buy them. But We
never expect to see the day when
the people of Mississippi will bt
at war with their railroads, or the
railroads at war with her people
Aberdeen Examiner.