The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-02

works of the modern school of realistic
writer's on the tables of the thinkers and
students of the day.
And there would be an essential differ
ence between the imaginative hero of
the dime novel and the true character OF
the desperate who exists now so COM
monty in the West. The latter is not an
unnatural growth. He exists as part
Of that society and social and political
organism which recognizes and cherish
es populism. When the populists of the
wild eyed, flowing beard and
Sockless JERRY SIMPSON stamp just be-
gan TO advocate the enactment Of special
laws for the benefit of the farmers, it is
probable that they did not see the wide
Interpretation that would be put
of the BoIEs-ALTGELD-W WAITE class
might be led TO declare that
capitalists and corporations are the en-
bodiment Of all the evils of the body
polite, the creatures of vicious system
of national legislation, and therefore the
fit subjects for att sorts of represstv5
State legislation. 1t is even doubtful
today if the gentle JERRY could be per-
suaded that train robberies by outlaws
are acts which can be directly traceable
TO the idea that the moneyed classes.
corporations and express companies as
their agents are fit subjects for legal
strangulation. Oppressive taxation and
restrictive laws such as have
been adopted in the States Of
Kansas and Nebraska differ only
from the acts of the outlaw Cook in that
one is legal and the other is illegal. Aud
although theoretically the latter is
illegal, practically it is followed by no
penalty because the populist states have
no machinery of local government SUI
ficiently strong to cope with the lawless-
ness which its own teachings have given
birth to.
The demands made by some of the
Western papers, and re-enfoyced by some
Eistern comments, that the express COM
panies ought to furnish their own pro-
lection by means of an armed guard aud
a bullet proof car is a theory as radically
wrong as can be conceived of under
free government. 1t could as well
be claimed that each aud every one of us
who walk the streets of Providence
should provide ourselves with a score Of
armed attendants for fear that we shall
be waylaid or robbed, as to ask the ex-
press companies TO do more
than take proper precaution and
care due TO the handling OF
valuable packages. We pay taxes
for protection Of our body aud property.
The express company does the same and
il has the right 10 demand that protec-
tion aud secure it even if it requires the
whole State militia and United States
Army to doso. The advocacy OF just such
laws as would demand OF tie express
companies tho maintenance of armed
guards adds to the already existing law
the burden of keeping the peace aud
protecting property from the shoulders
of the community, where il belongs, to the
express company, which is in no way re-
sponsible.
The express companies themselves
have taken this matter in hand, how
ever. and have done the only thing in
their power TO bring the Western states
to a sense of their responsibility. In
some instances they have refused 10
carry valuable parcels in certain states,
but at least one OF them, the
United States -E<rres- -Gan4i,aH =, tri.4t.ii- tri.4t.ii-.
w contract. carries all Government
money!, Jas just issued a new schedule
Of prices which ook effect November 1.
Between all points east of the Mississippi
and Washington the rate is 20 cents a
Thousand dollars. Then the rate rises
until between Washington aud points in
Texas, Arkansas, Montana, North and