People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-10-18

zach year as the principal was being
,aid and within twenty years the en-
ire debt will have been discharged
md not a dollar of paper money
ssued for the purpose, and not cent
n taxes collected from the people,
other than that which they now pay
md which sgoes into the pockets
If rich railroad magnates. The
question is not whether the people
will assume the burden of debit is
llready on them-but whether they
will make provisions to get from I'M
Ter it, and in the future lower the
'ates of transportation to less than
half what they are now.
AS MEANS OF CORRUPTION.
1t is claimed that if the government
was to assume the ownership and
operation of the railroads that it
would constitute such an army OF men
dependent on political patronage and
the caprices of whatever party that
might be in power, that it
would constitute menacing danger
10 our liberties and a fruitful
source Of political corruption Under
our present defective system of civil
service, where the principle laid down
is ito the victor belongs the spoils, "
and it is a wild rush for the hog
trough to see who will get the most
swill, admit the weight of this OBJ
lection. But the Peoples party has
provided for this 1t recommends in
its platform an amendment to the
constitution by which all persons en-
gagged in the public service shall be
placed under civil service regulations
Of the most rigid character 1t might
be we'll to adopt the regulations en-
ployed in the regular army, permit
ting no one to vote or to be a dele
gate in a political convention while
thus in the employ of the govern
ment So far as corruption is con-
cerned no sane man believes there
would be one-fourth as much as now.
1t is an open secret that railroad cor
porations control courts conventions
and national and state legislatures
Well might Senator Pfeffer make use
of the following language:
THE railroad interest is powerful
one. 1t extends throughout the en-.
tire country. There is hardly county
in the Union that has not one or more
railway lines running through it, and
there is not mile of that vast sys-
TEN that is not represented locally by
at least one of the best lawyers to be
found in the region.
IF all the lawyers who are in the
employ or retained in the interest OF
the one great railway system in the
country were marshaled together they
would form an army as large as Gen.
Jackson had at New Orleans, larger
than Gen. Scott had at Lundy's Lane.
If you put together the different
armies made up of lawyers represent
ing the different great railway sys-
TENS of the country you will find that
the influence of the railway system
reaches out into every county in the
United States"
In recent investigation Of the af'
fairs of the Santa Fe railroad, it was
found that $1,000, 900 was charged as
having been paid back in rebates to
shippers but 81, OOO 900 of it was SC
unsatisfactory accounted for that il
was no doubt stolen by the officers Of
the road. 1t seems to have become a
well-settled fact that the railroad
companies violate the laws with i'm
punity, and their influence has be.
come so powerful that they are be.
yond control through the ordinary
course of law. That they have been
the most fruitful source of political
corruption let the history of the land
grants, subsidies of bonds, control Of
courts and legislatures testify. In
deed this is one of the very best rea'
sons why the government should OWL
and operate the roads as it does the
postal system.