Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-09-07

ton Of the people and would be can.
ing upon the rocks and hills TO iall
upon them and protect them from the
righteous wrath OF a once coniidlnE,
but now thoroughly undeceiyed and
aroused and deeply wronged people
Such q scheme means financial suicide
to the people 1t Is the perfection OF
] political insanity.
But after the government got the ]
roads. what then2 1t Is a self-evident
fact TINT such enterprises can be more
! cheaply. more expeditiously. and more
conveniently run by private individuals
] than by public officers. This ~ SHOWN
/ concluslvely by the great difference
/ that exists between the railroad SER
Vice OF this country and that OF Eu-
| ropean countries, where the roads are
/ run by the governments am told by
| friends who have Travelled abroad that
\ ours Is comparatively superior to that
/ OF other countries in every respect II
| the government owned the railroads
| all Inducements 20 individual enter
| prise and invention In this department
| would be taken away, and no iurther
improvements In railroad service would
be made. Our country has not yet at
| tanned It's growth. Many sections are
vet undeveloped New railroads VIII
have to be built, Who viii decide when
a new railroad Is needed, ana where
IL shall be built, II the government is
and would be equally entitled 70 SER
vice Each community would be de-
mnnding a railroad, no matter how
remote IL might be, or whether II was
conducted at n great loss TO the gov
ernment Popullsts say the EoVerhIntht
establishes and maintains post oinGes'
,vhy can't the government esthpllAh
AMI maintain railroads? The constltu-
lion makes II the duty OF the govern
rnent 10 establish and maintain post
onicea but no such power with refer
ence 10 railroads is given. The power
not being granted Is by the Expressed
terms Of the constitution denied 70 the
government But waiylng l'S 80
lion. accepting their question as Tree
from legal difficulties. where would
logical answer 20 It land usY
The duty OF the government 10 es-
tabligh aud maintain postotiiees exists
regardless OF the expense or lnconNeh-
leuce OF doing 30 No dlscriHlnutlon
enn be made All must be treated
alike The frontier settlement, the
mountain hamlet, the village IN the
valley. must all have postoHees' II
their illustration iB worth ahytn
ID their analogy rs good. all OF these
places would also be equally entitled
10 u railroad. II the government own
"a the roads, don't YOU know tla'
every luud.mtuthtd cross road pohtlc-
ian would po working and schemlng
to get Il railroad 10 his villuge2 such
"a thing would Involve US In perfect
sea OF trouble. our difficulties would
be lneXtricable As bad as THIS Is, II
would only be the beginning of the
troubip II 10 a settled principle OF
law that a suit cannot be maintained
against the government The govern
mcnt can sue the citizen, but the cltAeh
cannot sue the government. IT the
government owns the roads ana you
should suffec loss OF property or dam
Dge 10 person, you could not mhlhtiln
suit to recover for your losses, nut
your claim, II allowed at all, would
have TO take the tedious. expensive and
uncertain course OF going before some
e commission similar 10 the commission
for the settlement OF Indian depredu-
tons Possibly your grandchildren
, might collect something, but you
would never get "a cent, unless you
started Your proceedings in your
youth. supported a lawyer during your
lifetime and outlivCd Gods statute OF
limitations. THIS idea OF Government
b ownership %! railroads being o. nd-
vantage to Tie people Is the rnulteet
, nonsense that was eve, hntohed In a
luuutlc asyMm But lot all OF this 70;
say that none OF these difficulties pre-
scntod themselves; what eject would II
have upon the government to own the
, ralitondH?
We an know the exciting and cor
, ruptlng power OF public patronage, We
know what great influence the Inn
tied patronage which the federal gov
urnmont now dlsI enscs has upon our
p elections, and how men unite and work
+ 90 control H. We know. limited as IL
ls lt now constitutes one OF the great
\ cst dNugcra to the purity and fairness
4 OF our elections. Then, my friends
y II talJcs no prophet to see that " the
, government " given the immense pa
. trounEe which w'll necessarily follow
+, government ownership Of railroads, II
VIII be mp ,Asible to ever defeat the
p party In power such Il measure woulc
consolidate this government into "a cen
q trall2cd dcapuuam, from which the
Il spirit and substance OF liberty woulC
< depart. although Its outward form
d might be maintained. But our Populis
t. friends would obviate the force OF thii
X difficulty by DISTINGUISHING railroad en-
Il ploycs and placing them upon tn,
s same footing as soldiers IN the army
The American people VIII never inhc
l. such degradation upon railroad men
70 They have as much right 10 their opin
q ions nnd to voice In this governmen
l. oa any Other rl1cs Of men have
q Such q law would not be eifectiyc un
v less Il also disfranchisud an OF thei
y relatives and friends. The Populis
4, panty complains bitterly az the use o
y federal troops in Chicago IN quclllnl
20 the riots which grew out OF the recen
strike. AZ the same time the populst
a would intiist Ug reater wrong upu
y them by denying to them the rights u
- citizenship and practically conyertin
- them Into poems. What do the mani
any liberty loving rnilrasd omploye
II think OF thisf it's the logical result O
? the Populist doctrine. II vs. what tn
- HopuliHt speakers tell the country pee
r. pie VIII be done when the Eoyernmen
n owns the railroads But our Populis
~ friends get themselves Into a worse Il
N than this ~ advocating government
Ia ownership OF railroads, IL the govern
M ncnt owned the railroads then whe
the employees went out upon n stris
a. they would I've guilty of mutiny an
40 rebellion, Any man who attempted
b. Interfere wtth this running OF train
ut would be q public enemy. Any ma
X who ENCOURAGED by words or aided b
acts those - engaged would be lab
ot to arrest. trial and conviction and ex,
n cutlon upon the charge of treason
r. his government so you see that u
or remedy which the Populists propo,
1g L. tenfold worse than the disease whic
Eli they would cure.
~ 40 t,ns .In.aa