Year: 1873

With the constitution of the I'm


ion Pacific railroad, was inaugera-


n system Of land grabbing by those


who are suddenly taken with rail
road enterprises, that is calcu lated


to concentrate tho wealth and in.


fuence Of the whole country in the


hands of railroad mon, unless tho


powers of tho government prose-
cute the steps they have begun in
the annihilation of all claims which
these pioneer spirits profess to hold


upon the coffers of the public treas


ury. We are not opposed to mo-


nopolies when tho term is properly
applied to great and necessary en-


terprises whereby the people may


be benefited and capital at the


same time reap its reward from in


vestment therein; but we do op-


pose stealing, frauds and corrup-
ton in all the varied forms and
shapes under which they severally
disguise themselves when bent


upon public ruin IN erecting
personal fortunes for those who
prosecute them and apply
them to the accomplishment
of their own base purposes. We
would be glad to have u railroad
running through every county in
the Union and to know that the
dividends declared from each were
simply magnificent, but we would
rather have the wagon system to
continue than that the cities, towns,
counties and States, through which
they run, should build them for the
benefit of individuals, and tax
themselves and succeeding genera


tions forever, with untold burdens to
consummate the financial glory OF a
few men. Nearly all the roads whic b
have been constructed since the
war throughout this whole country,
has been built by what is known as
subsidy. Their projectors first log
roll Congress and getall the grants
they can procure-and sometimes
Congressman take a little stock IN
consideration Of their vote, as was
the case in the Mobilier frauds
then they repair to the State Lcgls-
latures and get all the subsidies
they can from this source, and then
for ready cash to begin with, they
infamo the people with ardent
hopes, and set the little towns and
villages to bidding against each
other for the purpose of becoming
station points along these stupen-
dous lines of iniquity which should
all be continued into some bottom
less ocean, and their owners started
to the terminal point. Monopoly,
properly applied to enterprises in
volving public convenience, is the
delegation of the right to do a
thing, but not to first accomplish
the object and then grant both right
and it to the monopolists. When
States give rights to build railroads,
that is all they should give, and then
those who reap the exclusive privi-
loge of enjoying the profits of such
rights should be content to invest
their own money in the construc-
ton of the works which would thus
be theirs in an honest and legitimate
way. We are glad to say to our
readers, that in this State, land
subsidies have "played out Our
legislature is willing to grant a
railroad charter to any company OF
solvent men who may apply for one,
but it will go no farther in the en-
couragement of these great inter-
ests about which railroad owners
harp so constantly and loudly. We
have heard them proclaim them
selves public benefactors, and
point, with the most complacent
satisfaction, to the roads they had
built with the peoples money, to
prove their declarations. We don't
like this sort of philanthropy, and
we rejoice that our legislature has
decided to build no more railroads
tor a few men to feast and fatten
upon the earnings of, and becon Q
indignant if shipper. who aided
with his money in building It
should complain of bad manage


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