represent and
malign executive officers who have refused to acknowledge any higher
authority than the law, the expressed public will and their own
conception of duty. This abuse has even been carried so far that the
editorial columns of leading dailies have been prostituted by the
insertion of malicious tirades written by railroad managers and railroad
attorneys; and the fact that public opinion has not been more seriously
influenced by these venal sheets must be solely attributed to the good
judgment and safe instinct of the masses of the people.

However persistently railway organs deny it, it is a matter of general
notoriety that railway officials take an active part in political
campaigns. Hundreds of communications might be produced to show their
work in Iowa, but the following two letters, written by a prominent
railroad manager to an associate, will suffice for the purpose. It will
be noticed that one was written before and the other after election.
Comments upon their contents are unnecessary:

"----, Iowa, Nov. 2nd, 1888.

"DEAR SIR: I have just discovered this P. M. that the
Central Committee have sent electrotypes to all the
printing offices in the State of the State ticket, with
the names of the Railway Commissioners and Supreme Judge
in so small a space as to make it very difficult, if not
impossible, to write in the names. I am having slips made
with Commissioners' names and Judge written on them, and
they will be sent to all agents, not later than to-morrow,
to paste over the printed names on the ticket, and thus
beat this scheme. Have you seen any tickets yet? And what
do you think of this plan?

"Yours truly, "----"

"----, Iowa, Nov. 11, 1888.

"DEAR SIR: Repeating the old and time-honored saying:
'We have met the enemy and we are theirs.' The Democratic
Granger and the largely increased Republican vote was too
much for us. Many friends voted with the railway men, but
to no purpose. The comparison between Granger and Smyth
will tell more than anything else the strength of the
railway vote. But we are badly used up, and may as well
take our dose.

"Yours truly, "----"

While the result of this election was indeed a bad dose for speculating
railway managers, it is the opinion of the masses and of railway
stockholders, who are more interested in the general