Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-25
an Up.CountIy Opinion.

Cousa SUM-
! One of the first recolleCtions of our boy
| hood was horse race. along road on
which a quarter Of Il mile was paced Oft
and each party To the race rode his own
/ horse. One of these men had an impedi-
ment in his speech, which made him re-
peat the sound of the letter ''r" before
many of his words. This one came i'm last
and exclaimed R-r-whoa !" And facing
around to the crowd, continued, apologet-
ically: "R-r-'s horse started on the wrong
r-r-tootr'
When the Assembly, to please office
seeking demagOgues, passed the Wallace
resolutions which we have shown in these
columns were contrary to every principle
of common sense, it was easy to see that
Stonemau's critter had gotten off on the
wrong r-r-foot, and was, to use another
| slang phrase of the track, gone up for
! the race
The next step, still on the wrong r-r-foot,
| which was the idea that transportation
/ companies ought to be cinched and can be
| cinched without hurting other industries of
/ the State, was the Barry bill. Ii starts out,
as we before remarked, by announcing the
! correct doctrine that all railroads, b,tM or
ol0led 6g corporations, organized tmder he
iGiCs Of this State are public highways over
which all persons are entitled to transpor-
3
and impartial terms but, with the excep-
ton of the words we have italicized above
it is the common law doctrine and would
in any event be enforced by the Courts
/ What is the use of the italicized words? 1t
| is true that Section of the bill prohibits
/ all corporations not organized under the
1 laws OF the State, from operating roads in
/ the State. The Chinese now here are much
/ pleased with the Chinese restriction law.
: because it prevents other Cinnamon from
/ coming in competition with them The
/ California corporations are in the same fix.
/ Several outside companies are heading for
/ California The Union Pacific is building
/ the Oregon Short Line. 1t is the intention
/ of that company, SO we learn, to branch a
/ road Off near Boise City, Idaho. and run it
| through Chico and Colusa to the Bay
/ Why not let it do it, and make the road 4
/ public highway? Do we want to protect
the Central from this competition?
But as it has been so plainly pointed out
| that, in trying to cinch the railroads, the
/ small shippers and various enterprises in
/ the State would be cinched, as to bring an
/ admission from the Examiner and the warm
est friends of the bill that it needs amend
ing, it is hardly necessary for us to review
it ut any length. 1t is proposed now TO
amend it, but it has struck us that the best
,cdy to amead Il is to strike Il all out, and let
some one in spirit of candor and justice
to all the interests in the State, write new
one In fact, if the Assembly would wipe
out everything it has done, go back to the
beginning and see that it does not start off
again ON the wrong r-r-foot. it would he
better. Whenever those in the control of
any interest in the State become rich, pow
erlul and unjust to others, it IS the duty of
the State, with firm hand, to check them
and make them do right, but he who starts
out TO Iegislate with spirit of enmity TO
any interest will find that the connections
between all are so intricate SO interwoven,
that if he hurts one he hurts all. We are
a firm believer, for instance in free trade
we believe our tariff system is one of mon
strous robbery-but any radical or sudden
/ change would create too great a revolution
/ and we would not inaugurate it if we had
/ the power We would act with a spirit of
/ fairness to every interest, even to those
1 built upon wrong, until the wrong principle
4 could be eliminated without harm