The advocate., 1891-06-24
THE AMERICAN RAILROADS.

conference, some OF the 1e2u1nB uoAeShSoS
crossed the river and called on Senator Car
Isle, of Kentucky. They met with cordial
reception, which the correspondent OF the
Boston Herald describes in an interesting
letter to that paper. Senator Carlise gave
the delegates few suggestions to ponder
ON their way home, and they are probably
pondering yet The Herald says:
Some of the western delegates have rather
kindly feeling for Carlisle. They believe
he is an honest man, and they wanted his
opinion of the revolt they are leading. They
talked with the Senator about some of their
pet projects, and asked what he thought of
them. Government ownership of railroads
and telegraphs was brought up, and Mr..
Carlisle turned questioner.
"Do you propose to get possession of
those properties by ConfsCatiOn ?" he asked
them.
"No; that wouldn't be fair" they ad-
mitted.
"Then you must buy them, " was the re-
ply. "And to buy them you must pay for
them, and to pay for them you must tax
yourselves. Have you any idea how much
itwould cost Our government debt at the
close Of the war was more than $1,000 OOO,-
600, and we have been almost thirty years in
paying half of it. The railroads, telegraphs,
telephone lines and steamboats, in the COun-
try represent about 10000, ,OOO 600 invested
capital. Four thousand million is bonded
indebtedness which must be paid. Are you
ready to tax yourselves to raise the money ?
Then after you have got the property, are
you ready to tax yourselves to operate it, for
the government never yet succeeded in do
ing business at a profit ? Consider another
effect Such plan would add perhaps 12,-
100000 men and women to the roll Of gov
ernment employees. How would you ever
succeed in turning out of power an admin
istration with such resources at it's COM
mand 2 The more corrupt it was, the more
difficult it would be to displaCe it"
The delegation looked dubiously pur-
picked, the questions and suggestions were
evidently all new to their sanguine and en-
thusiastic minds.
"Anyhow," broke in one of them, chang
ing the subject, "don't you think that the
money power is getting into too few
hands?"
''Yes, admit it is a bad sign," replied
Mr.. Carlisle, "but how are you going to
remedy it2 By resolution or by an act of
legislation? Do you propose to say by your
Legislature that whom man has earned
500 or 1000 or $4,000, no shall not earn
any more?"
Again there was no response. The visitors
presented two or three more Of the griev-
ances which form the basis of their revolt,
and Mr.. Carlisle tested them one after the
other with the question: "How can they be
remedied by legislation?" and no practical
answer was suggested.
The fathers of the new party went away
with the idea that, after all, the political
millennium might not now be as near at
hand as they imagined it to be.
We commend Senator Carlisle's questions
to the members of the Alliance in Kansas.
clip the above from the Topeka Capt.
tai, leading Republican paper Of Kan
sas. 1t is interesting on account of the
absurd sentiments ascribed to Senator
Carlisle, Democrat, and for the cordial
approval of them by the Republican
journal, showing how Cheerfully and
cordially both the old parties are uniting
against the people.
Mr.. Carlisle Is made to say that to get
r,onannn;or, of kha railrnnda tha manila