The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-09-25
A GRAND OPPORTUNITY.
SCRAPE OFF THE BARNACLES.
Where the People Are Interested
in the Hill and Anti Hill Fight.

Attorney General Childs is arrang-
ing to take a hand ia the question OF
the consolidation Of the Great North
ern and Northern Pacific railways.
He was interesting himself in the
matter before Judge Sanborn's decis-
ion in the United States court;
he decided then that would
bring an action himself on be-
half of the state to prevent the pro-
posed consolidation. Whether Attor-
ney General Guilds got the idea that a
good many other people did, that the
present suit was purely friendly one,
sort of precautionary step to test
the legality Of the move before con-
sum mating it, is not known but ne
made up his mind that such move
as contemplated by the roads would
not be in the interest of the people,
and that.as their legal representative,
he would fight it.-St. Paul Globe.
Let A ttorney General Childs, and
we regard him as an honest, though
some times mistaken one, give up
trying to prevent railroad consolida-
tion or cooperation, when every rail-
road in the United States is in uni
versal pool and combine; and COM
mence proceedings.in the name Of the
people Of the state of Minnesota, to
squeeze the water out OF the Northern
Pacific railroad stock. That is the
nub OF the whole matter. That road
is bonded and stocked for $751; 900 a
mile when $25, 600 would amply cover
its cost, terminals and all. The COM
pany is bankrupt, but instead Of be-
ing sold out for what it actually cost,
or is worth, the courts are invoked to
perpetuate the gigantic swindles
which enter into tina SIS, 900 mile.
On the first hundred miles, west of
Duluth, Bill King and lot Of politi-
clans, thirty years ago, fastened a
fraud of $l,2o0,Oo0, and each of the
gang drew 500. OOO-for nothing! And
that villainy is still bleeding the peo-
pie living along the line Of the road,
from Duluth to the Pacific, and will
continue to bleed them for a GhouS-
and years to come, bearing interest
every year, wrung from the toll Of the
people. But now that the road has
into the hands of the courts, there is
a chance to get clear of all this coagu-
lated and crystallized of ras-
cality and fraud. Let it be wiped out
forever.
We call upon General Childs to do
his duty. The rival roads are not the
only parties to this contest, although
one would think from the uproar that
they were. There is greater inter-
est-the interest Of the people,-the
producers, and their children and
their children's children, who live, or
will live, in this region of country;
and who constitute and will consti-
.tute the country, and will be indeed
the basis of all wealth and future de-
velopement. Why should they be
robbed forever, of the annual interest
upon $4,000 mile, of bogus capital,
that never had any real existence?
Why should that watered stock be
coddled and protected, for ages to
come, against it's own inherent rot
tenness? Who has authorized the
powers to keep alive this unsavory in
heritance from the past? What would
be thought of a speculator who, hav-
ing a farm worth $25 an acre, had
given first mortgage upon it for $25
an acre; and then second, third and
fourth mortgages equal to $50 an acre
more: and when the holder of the irst
mortgage sought to foreclose his
mortgage and take the land, the specu-
lator would go into court and ask that
the whole power Of the governm ent
should be used to keep alive those
second, third and fourth mortgages
forever; and that the tenant and his
posterity should be compelled to pay
interest on the whole $75 an acre?
The individual who would prefer such
request would be kicked out of the
court. And what is a corpora tion but
an artificial parsonage, having no more
inherent rights than private party?
But the com parison we have suggest
ed does not do full justice to the case
under conside ration, because the ten
ant could refuse to pay the interest
on the $75 an acre and move off; but
the whole people living along the line
OF the Northern Pacific cannot move
off: they cannot abandon their homes:
no corporation has the right to drive
them to the alternative of emigration
or starvation. This is their country;
they have come here to stay; the land,
under the designs of Providence, is a
mere incident to the people: the happi-
ness Of the people is the end of Gods
creation and mans government.
Let public opinion manifest itself.
This is our golden opportunity. Let
it be clearly unders TODD that when a
railroad company loads itself down
with bogus de BITS. and thereby comes
to the courts for relief, the first duty
of the court is to scrape off the
barnacles from the hull Of the ship,
and put it back in the water. cleaned
and purified. No corporation has the
right to ask the people, through the
peoples government. to perpetuate
robbery and injustice inflicted upon
the people by former generation.
For rememb Der that the roads aCiU pool;
that is inevitable; competition means
DIES tructive war to them; and they
will pool on The basis of the most heartily
encunbered road, because that has to
be protected equally with the least
NJ: L.