Year: 1878

IN gers in proportion to the distance carriet,
oil it has nov become the common law OF th
IS land, ii fa.Iaer loses his COW by IN engin
lie running over her, the treasurer Of the roa,
70, oilers him one hall the u. raised value
= But you say, he is not obiIssd to take 3,
VI cents on the dollar. lie can sue the com
a pany. Let Us see how this suein the com
d, pany works. The COW is valued at $50
IT they offer him SIS; he declines and bring
ID Suit. ut the first term OF the court the at
+ torrey for the company comes in Will
D. an affidavit setting forth that the engi
Y neer who ran the COW down is an
:, important witness-that he has left theil
ie road and is now on the NJ, h. & T. Thai
.e they have used due diligence to procure
er his attendance but failed, and ask the court
lie 70 postpone the case until the next term
? The court after looking wise and honest 10,
Is a few minutes and feeling the weight OF
r, his pass in his pocket, gravely decides tha,
e the case will 60 over to the next term.
u When the honorable court meets again the
l. railroad attorney comes in with an affidavit
Il setting forth that there has bsen 4 good
e many cattle killed in this county and that
n there is much prejudice against the
e road and that he fears thev will not get
|. Justice, and asks 4 change of venue. The
5 Judge now looks more honest and more
: wise than ever, and finally remarks that the
affidavit seems to he in form and covers
, the statute in such cases made and pro-


vided, and that he will grant the change


and send the case out to Wallace county.


Wallace county Is out on the road about


400 miles. The poor farmer now begins TO


figure what it will cost him to go out to


Wallace county, and soon arrives at the


conclusion that he will give the COW to the


company. This also illustrates how the
legislation and the courts OF the country


are in the interests Of great corporations


against not only the laborer but the great


middle class. Now i hope there is not n


man in Kansas weak enough to believe for


a moment that the Legislature OF Kansas


cannot pass law by which farmer can


get pay for his stock within ten DAYS after


il is killed, and at its full value. tellyou


that it is the simplest thing in the world to


regulate all these things. All you want is


a Legislature and Governor who are work


ing in the interest OF the people instead of


these railroad companies. Ii is Of no use
| to pass laws unless you have Governor


and Attorney General who will see that the
laws are executed. For more than two


years we have had law providing that all
the railroad corporations shall have their
headquarters in the State. The most Of the


roads have not paid the slightest attention


to it. Let Governor Anthony explain why


this law has not been executed II he can;


and in this connection i call upon the Gov


ernor and the Attorney General 10 explain


their action in the late suit against the re-


Ceiver of the l., l.. Il q. road. The orig


inal complaint against this company asked


the court for an order compelling the COM


pany to run a continuous road and train


from Leavenworth 10 the south line of the


State, as provided in their charter. After


supposed consultation between the receiver


and the Governor, we find the Attorney


General Joining with the attorney for the


company in asking the court for an order


directing the receiver TO Immediately repair


the Lawrence bridge and connect with the h.


T. road rs before. BY this arrangement, you


see, Judge Foster is relieved from making


decision upon the real question. The receiv-
er can repair the bridge for few hundred
dollars, when it would cost him SIX or eight


hundred dollars had the reak question been


adjudicated against him. The manage


ment of this case shows how ingeniously
these corporations manage TO- get around


the courts when they find il inconvenient 10
corrupt them. As soon as this order for re-
pairing the bridge is granted We find dis
patch sent by the Associated Press, headed
Great Victory for the People over the
Railroads-the l.. l.. 4 q. Road ordered to
repair the Lawrence Bridge and run their
Trains into LeavenwOrth /" BY this little
arrangement there has been a great victory
won by all parties: the railroad company
has gotten rid Of the main question for the
present, and are delighted the Governor
has of course won a great victory for the
10 he ,Yel- al rar
hurrah-ing for the Governor.


Within the last few years. there has
sprung up 4 new feature in railroading.
Nearly one-half the roads in the West are
now in the hands OF the courts and run by
receivers, and the rest are working their
way in as fast as possible. This running
Of railroads by the courts in the hands OF
receivers is fast becoming the most gigan-
tic robbery ever known: and all done under
cover OF law. Did you ever examine this
NATTER Who puts these roads into the
hands OF receiver? In nine cases out of
ten they are put there by the company
themselves and for what purpose? Mere
ly for the purpose Of destroying all the
stock and all the Indebtedness of the road
except a few first mortgage bonds which
are in the hands Of few men who also
hold one share more than majority OF the
stock. Finally when they get all
-eadyl they sell the road and bid it in
themselves for one quarter OF its value.
But look at the righteousness OF this busi-
ness. Judge Dillon must have nearly one
lali of the roads in his district in his hands
not less than i've thousand miles oil road
He has never had any experience IN raIl-
-oadlng, and still he Is supposed to run
hese roads and see that the roads are kept
N repair and the money properly paid
'ver. You see how impossible 1t Is for him
II any other Judge, no matter how honest
he may be to do justice ny the Parties IN
crested IN these roads. III II he true that
III the roads IN the country are going INTO
he hands oi receivers, 1 suggest that ton-
'ress should remCdcl the present law,
md that the PRESIDENT should
hange his manner oil appointing


Judges Men should be appointed 10
he bench on account oil Their railroad ex-
'erience and qualifications. Such men as
Iouid, Scott and anderbl.t should by all
means be put upon the bench. but you
ay this would be lncon5istent-th w09id
un the road IN Their own interest. "Aat
would he the dliierence, the court appoint
ns one ot these men or appointing some
nan recommended by these parues Wheh
ave you ever known one Oh thtse roads 10
70 INTO the hands OF court ana the court
eiuse 10 appoint the man recomnehdnd py
he company Tor receiver: Who was ap-
'oInted receiver oil the kansas racine:
)ne OF their own men Who was appoint
d receiver OF the L. l.. @''. oie Oh thelr
'wn men! And who was apPointtd re-
eiyer OF the Fort Scott d OuIt but lew