Year: 1871

The Political Aspec. of the Erie Question.


A humorous article in Western paper,
accusing the Tribune of making merely
verbose opposition to the management Of the
Erie Railway, and charging it with the insin-
cerity of words" and only swords" is taken
for real earnest by the philosopher of that
paper, who, with his usual innocence of rid-
cule and satire, goes to work with immense
zeal to prove, in a half column of Comments
by the Tribune" the charge undeserved. Just
as if the Tribune had not condemned and
vituperated everything by turns, according as
the temper of its bucolc editor was soured by
the untimely acidity of his peculiar diet
Not that the Erie management is wrong be-
cause of this accusation. 1t merely happens
in this instance to be subject for well
earned censure.


The abuses put upon the stockholders of
Erie make their cause common with the peo-
pie Of the whole country, for the fragrant mis-
management Of the affairs of that corpora
ton has made American securities byeword
of reproach all over Europe. 1t is in spite of





tors in the enterprise of the Erie Railway that
our securites-national, State and corporate
have wen their way to favor abroad. More
especially does this wrong rebound to our dis
credit when il is known that the abuses COM
planned of are perpetuated by legal enactments,
such as the one known as the Erie Directors
bill, which keeps the alleged maladministra-
ton Of Erie in power for several years. Nor
is the case isolated, 80 that it might be deemed
an exception. The Atlantic and Great West
ern Railway, which was essentially an English
undertaking, fell under the control of the same
evil influence, so that the argument against us
is not based upon solitary instance.
Here, now, is presented magnificent oppor-
tunity for the dominant party in the State
Legislature to make political capital. The
ambition of the leaders of that party is not
confined, as is well known, to State interests.


1t contemplates the broader field OF the poll


tics Of the whole country. The repeal Of the


Erie Directors bill is agitating the present
| session of the Legislature, and is supported by
| the petition of the stockholders outside of the
4 ooheA ~ W Ju0tASC IL thS AiolsSl


would be to give the party good start in Sc


curing the estimation of the public.
| THE INDIANA LEGISLATURE evidently does


not give their moneys worth to the people of
| that State. For the last two or three years
| the members Of it, being pretty evenly
divided in politics, have busted themselves


in defeating the partisan legislation of their
opponents rather than in securing any needed
legislation whatever for the people. The
/! tricks and devices of the electioneering
canvass have been carried into the halls of the


Legislature, and the people who elected these
men to serve them have been entirely ignored.
| A democratic minority resigned some years
ago to wipe out quorum, 80 that the repub-
lican majority might not ratify the fifteenth
amendment. Senator Morton declined the
English mission because a small democratic


majority last fall might have elected his sue
cessor in the Senate, and now republican
minority has resigned, so that there will be no
quorum with which to pass law redistrict-
ing the State As the members are supposed
to represent the people it strikes us that the


Indianians are in bad way, indeed, with
their narrow majorities and narrow-minded
legislators.