The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-06-05

an argument over in the capitol where
these grand patriots are incubating
about your welfare now, and advo-
Gated then as now that the nation
should build and own its public high
ways; these highways over which our
armies go in time of war; these high
ways over which our commerce goes
in time of peace. advocated it then
and my views were combated by the
Hon. Patrick Calhoun with great force
and great ingenuity. The two argu-
ments were presented. Mine had no
effect; his had great deal, and the re-
suit of it was that he and his CO part
ners when they turned the Central
Railroad loose, left one case where the
millionaire sat down and wept with
the widow and children.
The Wall street crowd cleaned out
the whole gang. Without the slightest
respect to persons, the rich man lost
his thousands, in Central Railroad
stock; the poor widow and orphans
lost their hundreds; and the great Cen
tral Railroad pride of Georgia
built with Georgia courage, with Geor-
gia labor, with Georgia capital,
strengthened by exemptions which
Georgias legislature had given her,
was. left hopeless wreck, in the hope
less sea of commerce and still remains
there. You tell me that with the rail
roads once in politics you would never
get them out. Where are they now7
daughter and applause) Tell me the
railroads are not in politics. Where
is the man that does not know they
bribe legislatures9 Where is the man
that does not know they bribe Con-
gress9 Where is the man that does
not know they bribe judges9 Jay
Gould gave the whole thing away
when he said before New York legis-
lative committee, that he did take any
interest in politics, that in a Republi
can district he was Republican, in a
Democratic district he was always
Democrat, and in doubtful districts he
was doubtful, but always and every
where he was for the Erie Railroad.
Talk to me about the railroads not be-
ing in politics. How was it the.Pacific
Railroads got one huE dred and twenty
| Eve million acres of your land9 O. g
railroad, 1875, 900, 900 acres. Enough to
make two States like Georgia and to
cram in around the edges two more
like Rhode Island and Delaware. Yes,
more than that. They gave them sixty
million dollars in government bonds.
They have paid for the railroads as in
terest or these bonds sixty-nine million
dollars. Now the debt is something
like one hundred and thirty million
dollars, and the question of settlement
comes before this administration.
Mr.. Richard Olney, railroad attor-
ney and a member of the Cabinet of
this lovely Democratic administration
applause and cries of ''That's it, v
proposes to lend that money again to
those railroads at 2 per cent interest
for one hundred years. Would to God
that we were all railroads and could
settle our debts that way. daughter
and applause)
You say the government can't run
the railways; yet the government is
running about three fifths of them to-
night. The government is running
some of the Georgia railways. The
government is running the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe; the government
is running the Pacific railways. But
you say the government is not doing
it well. grant it, but the government
could run them better if the Federal
Judges and receivers who are running
these railroads were not actually the
paid agents Of the corporations. ZAP
plause and cries of "Give it to them. y
Who ever heard of a strike among
postof1ce employees. daughter and
applause) Who ever heard of the
postof1ce in Atlanta being run with a
view to discriminate against the post
office in Macon? Who ever heard of
the postoffce being run in such a way
as to destroy Mr.. p Fl Shook, in order
that E. Van Winkle & Co. might
scoop Mr.. Shook. daughter and ap-
plause) Who is it that does not see
that if you put the railroad service
right where the postofice service is you
will get exactly the same results.
No mans buriness will be destroyed
in the interest Of another because the
motive to do so will be gone.
You take out the motive for the
strike and the strika ceases. Take out
the motive for discrimination and dis
elimination ceases. Who ever heard