Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-05-10

| cases controlled by the Attorney General and
left The cases open for The supreme Cour. of the
| United States 70 determine whether ,l,. com
pany was liable toranythiug further, st.oaisting
with she Attorney y-General 30 unite with .ae
Governor and himself in a request 10 the SR.
P.eme Conr. OF the United states 70 hea- ne ,ix
eases already tried. and a ease .nyoiviag the
liability OF the company for interest and counsel
fees Subsequently, tender without prejudice.
was made to the COUNTIES represented ly 'Me>srs
Rhoades and Delnas
The State Board o: Equalization. in IsS3. with
out making any proportionatc raise II vaiue OF
other property in the State and while concet
! ing that other property was assessed At nearly
thirty-three per cent les than is actual value
raised the assessment OF railroad property sim
higher, and impose a tax which. takel, in con
| nectioa with the local tax levied upon The
| steamers, workshops, station houses. crc winch
are rs much par. of the railroad as the rail,
themselves. on the Central Pacific main trunk
line amounts 70 S572 pev mile--a tax beyond the
power Of any single tr,,, railroad 70 Dav. Not
withstandlng this. long before that tax became
delinquent The companies rendered to tile con
trolier, who had been made the gaz Collector.
sixty per cent. of the amount with "a Stipulation,
in writing tha. the receipt b. the Controlle- Of
that sum should not affect any legal rights of
the STATE Or counties 10 proceed for the balance
The Controller under a sense Of what he be
lieyed TO be hi, legal llJsy. refused 7o receive
the money, and has commenced ~uits against
the company Tor the tull ,nouut
The company he's rendered the 81 ;,-r c,ns. of
the amount claimed in open Court wi,hou.
prejudice 70 any right - recover the buiance
When this payment shall have been made we
VIII have The spectacle Ioc he first time -l.ar
know OF, of Il corporation which has success
fully resisted the payment OF a tax ,olrnta-ily
by reason of the moral obligations resting upon
it, paying into the state aad county treasure,
nearly two million dollars in money Such q
record is one to be proud of aud no amount OF
wild yituperation or ib,;-e viii ever dim tn,
Iuster Of that record.
Il has been said and often repeated that the
railroad company should keep OF. Of politics
that the railroad companies we're corrupting the
Courts and Legislatures. Humanity does not
often cXtenuate or pardon a girl OF 10 who falls
before the tempter. It requires the boundless
charity Ola God 20 that thing yet we hear Of
men occupying high judicial and legislative
positions of full age ana in the full possession
rations deny the fact. deny thar any man
in Shc full possession of III, facultie, with one
spark OF honor in his breast, or with ans repu.
tation for honesty. occupying either judicial
or legislative position. mas ever been corrupted
or approached.
If there be an{Fsuch man let MIN speak. On |
the contrary as long as special laws may be |
passed, as long as unlimited powers are CON
ferred upon Boards or Commissions. 20 long is it
probable that organizations will exist in the |
Legislature and in those Boards for 5Iacuqs, and
ps,I,dcr
# the fourteenth amendment 70 the Constitu |
ton of the United states can he carried out in |
its spirit and intent and il this corporation, |
which has been 50 Unjustly assailed shall be |
the instrument of establishing the fact that no !
legislative body in America shall give 70 any |
one man anything which it does not upon the |
same terms give to all others similarly situated
and shall not take from any man anything |
which it does take from all men similarly stu |
2tedi then Will it have brought purity to the !
Courts and to legislative councils and done more
for the prosperity and welfare of its coun-
try than it did when during civil war it
locked the East 70 the West in it iron en-
brace
In the three years that I have been with thi, |
company, know that it has been the earnest
desire of its directors to attend 70 transportation
olOne. That in regard to the practice of expend
ing money TO control elections or to influence
legislation, they have not the least desire to do
il. When laws are under consideration nyoiv
ing the Interest of any class of people, whether
they be merchants, lawyers doctors. mGuufact
urers. farmers or what not, the persons interest
ed will generally use the best means in their
power to have their views laid before the Legis |
Iature This the railroad interest might proper
Iy do; but to eXpend money to control elections.
orto influence legislation in any case that can
be considered in any way tainted with bribery |
or corruption, speaking from my experience |
with this corporation know they as utterly |
opposed to it rs the most ScrupulouS individual |
could be They have gone further within the
last three years, and have resolved that under |
no circumstances would they submit TO black.
mail
Says q very distinguished man '' Il : the /
theory Of this republican government that
every class interested in legislation should also
have a voice in the legislation What injustice. |
for instance might De done to the merchants.
the farmers, the distillers the tobacco or sugar
growers. or manufacturers or importers Il their
mouths should be shut and their hands tied |
from equal participation with all other men in
the legislation of the countryf
So far the railroad companies may properly
go; they may appear before committees III the
persons of their Directors, or BY recognized at
torneys, present their arguments and be heard
as Others are heard in legislation. Beyond this
they Will not 90, no difference What schemes
may be inaugurated, what projects may be set
on foot 70 eXtort money from their Golfers. IN
this resolution they deSerye-they may not to
day receive It but viii in the end-the support
of nll good men
submit, as a fact. that within the last ten
years fewer laws can be pointed out as enacted |
for the special benefit of railroad companies,
ana more enacted with hostile intent towards
them, than towards any other large interest in
the country.
Adopting as my own the words of the dis |
tinguished authority from which I before |
quoted would briefly say that railroad com
panies have as much right to take an honest |
part in political affairs as any other institutions
or individuals and ps little right to take a dis |
honest one, and as human nature goes, think |
they are rs little guilty of the latter as any of |
their neighbors.
One of the aphorisms ofthe day is " The State
must control the railroads or the railroads viii
control the State There would be As much |
wisdom in saying People must drive asses, or
asses will drive the people
When railroad companies were seeking |
subsidies to extend roads into counties that
would not support them, grave question
of public policy did arise, upon which |
honest men well might and did differ. |
Men at that time might well be a-rayed on one |
side or the other of that question, and might |
claim that railroad companies By taking sub
sides were taking from the people things which
no Government had the right to take Under
such circumstances man might well say that
the question was between the people and the |