The record-union., 1896-11-01
FROM MINERS STANDPOINT,
Grove l. johnson Their Best Friend in
Congress.
An Able Representative Who Stands
for the Interests OF the Whole
District.


Herald says:
| Have the people Of Nevada County
| any interest in the election of our next
| Congressman? And if they have, in
| the support of which candidate does
their interest lie? Those are questions
which confront our people and which
they must answer November 3D.
| There are but two candidates in this
Marion De Vries of Stockton, Populist
| Sacramento, Republican. Of Mr. De
| Vries We know nothing and therefore
can say nothing. He is, no doubt, fair
representative of the forces back of him.
! If there is any particular point on which
/ he is more conspicuous than others, it is
/ his opposition to the Pacific Railroads
! funding measure, and his IDEAS and
opinions ON that question would have
/ but small weight if it was not that his
opponent is said to favor it.
| There is no question in our politics at
! present where 50 many people think
! they know all about it, without really
/ knowing anything, as the funding
| measure. Oceans of ink have been
wasted, orators and politicians have
| worked themselves into frenzies of bad
/ temper over the alleged iniquities and
corruption which they say has charac-
| terized the dealings of the railroad with
| the Government. There is hardly a
| public man in the country who dares
! suggest that there is something more
| important to the people in this question
! than a constant discussion and agita-
/ ton of matters which time has settled
! by limitation. Admitting all is true that
| is charged regarding past transactions,
! the question we have to deal with now
! is not what has been stolen from the
| Government, if any, by the railroads,
! but how much do the railroads owe now.
what are their legal liabilities and what
| is the best way to make them pay them.
] That is all there is to the question, and
all the roaring and frothing of politi-
| clans cannot make the matter a shade
| more or shade less different Certain
measures have been introduced in Con-
/ gress to effect the desired end A dis
cussion of the merits will take too much
! time and space here, and we will not dis
cuss them.
| The Republican nominee has been un-
! fortunate enough 1--WE hardly know if
| that is the correct expression) to advo-
cate a course regarding the settlement
| of the railroad debt which does not
meet with the approval of a certain
class of newspapers, who hate every
man who has a mind of his own and will
not submit to their dictation.
| And we may as we'll remark here that
all those politicians and newspapers
have been on both sides of the railroad
question some time or other.
1t cannot be said of Mr.. Johnson as
can be truthfuly said Of those politicians
and papers, that he has been In the
slightest degree particeps criminis to
the outrages and iniquities which they
are SO fond of bowling about.
| What has happened Is past history
and cannot now be remedied All the
rest is matter of business, and If it
! had been a private matter would have
Keen settled long ago. But the news
| papers and politicians do not want IL
settled For IL what they say of each
| other is true, 1t has been their most
prolific source of revenue, and the
| heaviest weapon in their arsenals Of
political and personal warfara. No
| wonder that Mr.. Johnson's course
| does not meet their approval. Mr..
Johnson believes in disposing of a
| business question according to sound
| judgment and the correct principles
which control men in business. He
| is opposed in his ideas by certain
politicians and newspapers. And
| why? Because the majority OF poll
ticians in the State are either knayes
or cowards-the towards predominant
ing. And why? Because they stand
| in abject fear Of certain newspapers,
who relentlessly pursue every man
who has the slightest desire to think
for himself Without it's anti-railroad
clamor these newspapers would be
forced to mind their own business and
compelled to conduct it on in the lines
they pretend to hold others to.
| Mr.. Johnson is not an anti-railroad
agiattor like the De Youngs and the
Eearsts, and whatever money he has
ever earned he can with learer con-
science lay claim to-
One has but to read the newspapers
opinion Of each other to see what a
spectacle of "the devil rebuking sim
they present to the public.
| Papers of that class do not. want the
Reilly bill. the Powers bill or any
other bill for the settlement Of the
railroad debt passed. The passage of
any bill, however just and equitable.
would interfere with their business
and their business is to make money.
and of the ways they adopt they take
good care that no knowledge reaches
their readers.
! There is only one way to kill dis
cussion on the railroad debt AMI that
| is to settle it as it ought to be settled,
az business men would settle it. Mr..
Johnson wants to have it settled and
! Lis offense is not that he wants to
settle it in favor of the railroad. but
| that he wants to settle it at all That
IS the secret of the opposition to him,
Mr.. Johnson's enemies have never ac-
eused him of lacking brains or cour-
age. He is the abest man in Congress
from the Pacific Coast to-day. That
his position on the railroad indebted
ness is not seemingly the popular one
| demonstrates his courage. That he is
/ actuated by the motives his enemies
! charge him with is disproven by the
| fact that he is candidate for re-elec-
| ton. knowing the forces which are ar
rayed against him.
If through Mr.. Johnson's efforts the
| matter of the railroad should be adj
justed on business basis, he will earn
the eternal gratitude of the people of
| this State. He would wreak poetic ret
| r'bution on the whole pack of poll
! clans and papers who are yelping at
! his heels. They are less afraid that he
! is working in the interest of the rail-
| road than that they are that he will
/ destroy their principal stock In trade
+, for political sensationalism and agita-
{ ton. Mr. Hearst will no longer have
! q chance 10 exhibit himself as mill
! ioaaire giving an imitation of a polit-