The record-union., 1896-10-08

thera is a vast amount of silver In
sight; if, as claimed by Mr. Caminetti,
who followed Mr.. De Vries with
Demopop speech last Saturday night,
there are many rich silver mines in
this country and many veins already
opened and countless veins of the white
metal of fabulous wealth awaiting de-
velopment under the prospective free
coinage system, than the warning in re-
gard to a deluge of cheap money re-
mains in full force and virtue and is
timely and should be needed.
THE FUNDING BILL.
The young logician from Stockton
having fired off his wad on the silver
side of his argument and made. as
you see, a mess of it, turned his at
tention to the funding bill side of his
absurd harangue, and actually corked
himself and the entire Demopop party.
Mr.. De Vries started out by agree
ing with Mr.. Johnson, and If he had
continued agreeing with him we
would not now be obliged to write
him down as the most egregiouS ass
in argument making that ever at
tempted to make a stump speech in
AmadOr County. He said: Il agree
with Mr.. Johnson, which is somewhat
strange, but nevertheless a fact, that
the funding bill is simply a business
proposition and not a political ISSUE"
But he endeavored to show that while
on the part of the railroad company it
would be good business to settle the OBJ
legation in that way, the Government
and the people, especially the people OF
hQ hU
But this young statesman CD from
the Tules, where Sheriff Gregory an
nounced that he went to look up his
record before assuming the respon-
sibility of introducing him to the
people of Amador County, has settled
Gin his mind the great funding bill
matter beyond quibble or question.
Listen. The course he proposed is this:
That the Government shall take pos
session Immediately of both Of the sub
SldlZed rOadS-the Central Pacific and
the Union Pacific-and make terms
with the sixteen competing lines enter
ing the city of Omaha, wherein each
and all are allowed to run their re-
spective trains over the Government
track from Omaha, Neb., to San Jose,
Cal, which arrangement, he claims,
would answer the same purpose as six
teen Independent lines to the Pacific
Coast and relieve this great State OF
the incubus or octopus or whatever
other horrible or awful thing the in
genuity and imagination of the Popo-
Gratis have represented the railroad
company to be.
Now, here is monumental piece of
schOOlboy brilliancy. 1t is sixteen to
one With vengeance. 1t is simply in
comprehensive that man aspiring to
the important and high office of Con-
gressman could be forced, by any stress
OF circumstances, except softening of
the brain, to publicly give utterance to
such a silly and prepOSterouS PROPOSE
ton. This novice in plain business af-
fairs comes to Jackson to ask the people
to make him their representative in
Congress, and while doing so publicly
stultifies himself and his whole party
1t is a sad spectacle even to a Repub-
llcan, for we all dislike to see a man
cut his own throat, even metaphorically.
But he did it-did this aspiring youth,
and with mighty dull knife at that.
The man who can imagine sixteen in
dependent, competing, rival railroad
companies operating on single track
for nearly 1000 miles, running their
trains in both directions harmoniously
and profitably to themselves and their
patrons, is either SO far in advance of
the age in which he lives as not to be
appreciated or else his reason and judg
ment have utterly failed to cope with
the problem too large for his compre-
hension. No more ridiculous, unbusi-
ness-like, absurd scheme ever entered
the head of the variest tyro in inter-
state traffic. 1t would require a stand
ing army to keep the peace among the
inevitably hostile employees and repre-
sentatives of the different companies,
and the unavoidable collisions would
be something appalling to contemplate,
SO that probably any but the boldest
traveller would prefer the old Forty
nine trail," the ox-team and prairie
schooner" But this proposition is too
preposterous for further consideration.
Suppose, however, the Government
might by some legislative legerdemain
make one single line of railroad do the
work of sixteen, what would be the eff
feet upon the future Industrial and
commercial development of our Western
territory? Think of it a moment There
being no necessity and no motive for the
building of any more transcontinental
lines, no more would be built. But un-
der present conditions and under the
funding bill, if passed, each of those
competing lines who wish to reach the
Pacific Coast may be and doubtless will
be induced to build in the near future
their own Independent road. These
roads will not follow the beaten track
chosen by the Union Pacific and Cen
trail Pacific Companies, but each one
will find it's own route through differ
ent parts of the country, thus contri-
buting greatly to the development,
wealth and prosperity of the sections
through which they pass, employing
thousands of men in their construction
and thousands more permanently in
their operations.
We are opposed to monopoly, either
governmental or private. 1t is fatal to
the welfare of this country If either one
man can absorb and carry on the busi
ness of sixteen, or one line carry the
freight and traffic which should be dis
tributed along sixteen different routes.
Railroads have been proposed and
some of them surveyed from Stockton
eastward over the mountains. The pro-
ject is feasible; they are practicable
routes. Such lines are needed, and the
possibility of their early construction
should not be headed off by any Gov
ernment interference with the natural
conditions of enterprise and competi-
ton. Capitalists are only waiting for
the return Of better times, under a Re-
publican President and Congress, to
take hold Of new enterprises such as
these and inagurate an era of activity,
development and prosperity which has