TUB FARMER'S WAR AGAINST MONOPOLIES. 113 



designs against the people, in spite of decency or com- 

 mon sense." * 



During the progress of the trials of this case, one 

 of the officials of the road, in a conversation with Mr. 

 Coleman, arrogantly announced the policy of his cor- 

 poration in such matters, and in doing so revealed the 

 policy of the entire system of which his road forms 

 a part. " The Road" he said, " has no personal ani- 

 mosity against you, Mr. Coleman, but you represent the 

 public ; and the Road is determined to make it so ter- 

 rible to the public to fight it, right or wrong, that they 

 will stop it. We are not going to be attacked in this 

 way" 



Let it be remembered. This is the policy of the 

 numerous roads that traverse our country. Each cor- 

 poration represents a large amount of wealth and 

 power. It claims the right to do as it pleases, to vio- 

 late the rights of the public whenever they come in 

 conflict with its own selfish ends, and when the public 

 undertakes to assert its rights in the courts, the road, 

 using its wealth and power for this purpose, "will 

 make it so terrible for the public to fight it, right or 

 wrong, that they will stop it." In plain English, the 

 road assumes to be the master instead of the servant 

 of the public, and it is rapidly making good this 

 assumption. 



" Every year the power of the railroad corporations 

 to trample upon the rights of the public is becoming 

 greater, notwithstanding its proportions are already 

 frightful. The corporations are centralizing power, 

 making themselves a unit against the public. They 



* The reader will find the whole of Mr. Coleman's able and interest- 

 ing article in The Atlantic Monthly for December, 1872. 

 8 



