Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-30
IN TT

IL 1T PREJUDICE?
The st. Louis Railway Register, In
noting the spread of anti. monopoly
sentiment, says: "There has been
this winter an unmistakable wav Of
popular prejudice and jealousy Of cor
porations, which has rolled over the
land and Influenced nearly every one
Of tho United States to attempt, at
least, the enactment of anti. railroad
legislation. In some instances the
proposed measures have been defeated,
but more often they have succeeded,
either In whole or in part"
This view of the anti.monopolY
issue Ia the orc most generally taken
by the monopoly managers and their
organs. The rising of tho people
against the abuses of corporate power
end tho attempts of their representa-
tives to enact legislation for the cup.
preston of tho tyTaury OF railroad
management, Is attributed to o senEe-
less prejudice ag.innt the railroads
and q Jealousy of their increasing
wealth and widening power. With a
contemptuous disregard for public In.
terests the railroad managers have
closed their cara to the complaints Of
the people and obrtlnately refused to
remedy the evils which have grown up
with the aggrandizimsnt tf corporate
monopolles throughout the United
States. The opposition to the corpo.
rations arises from the abuse Of char
tered privileges, not through preju.
dice sgalgst the system. The people
have everywhere welcomed the advent
of sthe railroads. They have
contributed lavishly In subsidies to
their construction, and taxed them
selves heavily to insure the exclusion
Of trunk lines and their branches.
Many of the roads have been construc
ed entirely from the proceeds of ma
tlonal and private bounty. II any
prejudice %exists, 1t is the result of the
operations Of the roads and the extor.
ton, discrimination and corruption
which has attended tho management
of nearly every line Of railways built
and operated in the United Slater.
The universally of the rising against
corporate abuaea Is tho stroneent.
proof OF Its necessity. 1t Is confined
to no one section Of tho country, and
the wrongs complained Of are in near.
iy every instauc, tho sarie. This In
shown that tho sbusea ag inst
which the people are co~ntending havo
q common cause. And this cause 1t is
claimed is the excessive and unre
ntric.ed power which the corporations
now hold to subject every public inter-
est to the unchecked greed of the job
bers and gamblers who jrggle with
their stock to roll up immense fortunes
at the expense of the people of this
country. With their grasp on the
trade and commerce of the land, with
their agents picking our courts and
legislatures and defylng public senti'
ment from the press, the capital and
the bench, these highwaymen of the
nineteenth century extort their exor.
bitant tolls ard break down one class
patrons while they build up and
enrich another class. There is
no jealousy Of the corporations
but there is q growing fear of
the corporate depotlsm. The peo.
pie are Justly alarmed that a power
has grown up within the state which
bids fair to overshadow the state itself.
It Is selling the emblems of popular
sovereignty and making vassale out of
freemen. Its influence is felt In
every election, ct caucus, primary and
conventions, In our legislative halls
and In our judicial benches. 1t makes
or unmakes laws ut the dictate of the
irresponsible railway monarchs who
laugh at popular interference, with
what they arrogantly call "vested
rights" What wonder Is 1t that the
people Of the country In every section
are jealous of this corporate power,
which EFFORTS untold millions every
year from productive Industry and er.
trenching itself behind corrupt n and