The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-01-21
Thos Magnificent Railroad schemes.


mouse in Senator Shsrnan's lat
speech upon the bill proposing thre,
railroads, one from Washington tc
New York, one from Washington tc
Pittsbhrg, and one from Washington
to Cincinnati, by Congressional char.
ter. The speech win not add much tc
to his reputation as logician or states,
man. His mere assertions of the nm.
doubted right of Congress to buil6
railroads from any point to any -point
are in fiat contradiction to the sound.
est expositions of the constitution, a,
set forth in presidential vetoes of in.
ternal improvement projects by tht
Federal Government, to which We
have before made reference. Ever
the little that was attempted to bs
done by Congress in this direction
before the constitutional question had
been thoroughly settled, was at a pe-
Rod when modern facilities of trans.
portation and the capacity of private
enterprise to meet all the public de-
mands in this regard had not been
demonstrated as they since have been.
The parentage of the numerous rail.
road schemes which have been broach-
ed OF late, looking to Congress for
life and sustenanee, the mother OF
these railroad broods is not so very
old that we cannot recognize the fam
lily likeness between her and the hone.
ful set which is now in the process of
senatorial incubation. 1t is nothing
more nor less than the vast Pacific
railroad venture, in which a great and
legitimate enterprise has been sought
to be accomplished by questionable
lnstrumentalities, and private CORPORA
tions endowed at the hands of Com
gress-which means taken directly
from the people-by the issue of goy-
ernment bonds and grants of land
which will enable them, after they
nave built their roads, to have a large
surplus of money, besides land enough
them the most powerful corr
porations on this continent, controll-
ing, perhaps, hereafter millions of
and all their interests
with constantly augmenting fortunes
to the millionaire corporators. The
question naturally suggests itself
whether such a scheme as that could
ever be got through Congress, except
In addition to the ground swell of the
great idea of across the continent ~
a proper idea. enough, but which could
have been accomplished, as the exllibz
its oftthe Pacific Railroad companies
have since shown, by private enter
pf1se-h 1T had not enlisted support
oy some more substantial appealslthan
The logic or eloquence of its advocates.
That great horse-leech, the Pacific
raliroad, having fastened its suckers
upon the government, and distendine
To- mammoth proportions as it gorees
Itseif, has been followed by an inna-
nerable brood of smaller fry, but of
he same voracious appetites, whopro-
pose to drain the government of what
eYer resources may be left. The New
York Times refers to the immense
pressure which is being brought to
eear, at Washington, to secure. be-
.ween now and the 4th of March. en-.
'etmerts that will give millions of
lcres of public lands to railway, pro-
ecfs, and says it is we'll understood
hat members of Congress are the
most active, if not the most interested.
agents in carrying through these
schemes. The Times adds;f a. le4p
"The public lands have not all been
given away to Western States and to
Western improvements, but one-half
IF them, as they have become accessi-
Die and marketable, have. 81 It has been
computed that lands belonging to the
people of all the States, and as much
he property of the Eastern az of the
Western States, to the amount of two
hundred millions of dollars in value.
laVe been given away ito Western in
erests. And'now we see new brood
'f"sehemes pressed upon Congress.
which will leave nothing Of these
ands to the people except the right
o1survey them at the public expense!
+ the 18th Of March can be reached
'efore the title Of the people to the
'ubiic lands is lost, we need not have
much anxiety for their future safety.
Che veto of General Grant viii effect
lally stop these plunderingi schemes,
md hence lit is that the hungry in and
'utside of Congress are making their
asst and desperate attack ON the ma.
IONS resources, in the hope of carry
ng off the spoils before the fourth of
March," sao vi .9H5ad sfu GasI
a Washington correspondent of the
View Y ork Herald undertakes to show
hat analleged spurious railroad COM
'any has obtained S6,OOo,OOO and an
enormous amount of land grants from
and two distinct corpora
ions are claiming the subsidies grant
ID to the Eastern division ofithe Union
'acific railroad. 1t appears that one
hundred and fifty-nine railroad bills
nd resolutions have been introduced
n the Fortieth Congress, and twice as
many more are said to be in pfepara-
ion in the lobby. Senator Shermanss
PROJECTS, like the above, are the legitiI
nate children of the Pacific railroad
'ormerant. The same prominent fea-
ure is discernible in each of a4ailine
# government aid, and, in the end, of
government. money, for schemes de-
igned purely to promote private or |
peeulatiEe interests Baltimore Sum. |
FHE' ALASKA SwINDLE.-It Is stated |
hat Mr. Martin, the Individual who |
'rofesses to be able to give fun infor-
nation relative to the Alaska briberies. |
Il -