Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-06-01
Union Pacific Railroad, Easter. D.,i.io.

The economy in the public expendl,ure
which would be effected by the construction of
this cad is very fully set forth in tue report
submitted to the House Of Representatives last
Monday by Mr.. Garfield, from the Commit,ee
on Military Affairs, to whom was retsrred a
letter from the Secretary of War, inctsdtAg a
letter of Lieut. General Sherman, dated March
:, 1885,, recommending Government aid 20 extend
the SAID road as "a military necessity'' and a
measure of economy. ---- EtsE .
The report shows that the cost to the ovpra.
ment for transportation on the Uniot 4 sclfic
Halfway, eastern division, IN 15bs, was
s5l1,ae e.24. If the military supplies had beer
wagoned. and the mails carried by stage, and
the troops marched, taking the average rates at
which the 9overnme mt ynade its transportation
contracts for that year, as shown by certificate,
OF the Departments of the Quartermaster Gen
eral and Postmaster Generally the cost would
have been 81 ,35e,291!06. Saving to the Govern
ment in 1867, ssi6,3s2 So. At this rate of sa wing
all the United States bonds ssued in aid of thus
road, principal and interest, would be extin-
the results of the use b the Government of the
last year. :
In regard to the extension of the road D.. va,d
the point in Kansas at which its subsidy ends
the committee find that there are three regi-
ments OF troops in New Mexico, 1.-TWO of Infan-
try and one of cavalry,) nearly all of the sup
phes for which are wagoned from the end of
the Kansas Pacific railway, at a cost of Sl2S
per 100 pounds per 100 miles. AT the present
freight rates of the railway, as shown by their
piiHlec schtuuie, inc saving IN transportation
on these supplies 10 Albuquerque, on the Rio
Grande, central distributing point i'm New
Mexico would be, per annum, Se5l.SS, The
additional saving to the government in the
transportation to Albuquerque Of the mails
troops, and Indian supplies, would be ~a3I ,o.2
Toiai annual saving, S1,e3.S12.
But there is another consideration of econ
omy IN the public expenditure as the result of
constructing the road. Lieut. Gen Sherman
has ties tfifd that one-half OF che military force
in New Mexico could be dispensed with if the
ROAD was constructed. owing to the greater mo
biiity OF the remainder, and the growth of self
protecting settlements on the line OF the road
As his estimate of the cost of maintaining the
TWO regiments OF infantry aud one of cavalry
was about four millions Of dollars a year the
committee find that an additional saving 10 the
Government of two millions annually would
thus be effected by the road. This saving, ad :
ded 10 the SAVING in the transportation OF the
diminished military force that won Id be left in
New Mexico and of the supplies to maintain
them, including the carriage of the mails and
Indian goods and supplies, would. in less than
sir years. reimburse the entire loan necess ary TO
extend the road from its present terminus TO
the Rio Grande.
The committee have also had before them the
written recommendation of Major Philip H
Snerldau That the government at once continue
Its ard TO the Kansas Pacific railway i'm the
course OF which he says:
"lt almost substantially ends our lndian
troubles. by the moral effect which i'm gives TO
the military in controlling them. \ n
NO one, unless be has pers0nAAly visited this
country, can appreciate the great assistanc,.
which this road gives to economy, security
and effectiveness In the ADMINISTRATION OF m .
rary affairs in this department." ~