The New York herald., 1869-01-21
nEr. Washburne ON Railroad Jobs and
ssPestifereuss Telegraph AIonopoly.


ssPestifereus'' TcIcsrnph AIonopoiy.
There Is some hope for the Treasury, for the
taxpayers Of the country, for the redemption
of the national bonds and for the general re-
lief of the people in the fact that, in the
trenchant Washburnc, Of Illinois, the right
hand man of General Grant, we have in Con-
gress an earnest ard vigilant eco1pmizer. His
speech in the House on Wednesday last in
opposition to certain railroad job--the
Denver Pacific and Telegraph Company-pre-
sents schedule of subsidies and land grants
to different railroads during the last eighteen
years which cannot be too widely circulated.
The constituents Of every member Of Congress
ought to know something of these facts and
figures, end in this view we here reproduce
some Of them
Mr.. Washburne sets down the grand aggre-
gate of railroad land grants from Co. ss
during the period indicated at 1S5, 70
acres, which, at the lowest price of the puslic
lands, is equal to 1921, 100000 But the real
value of these lands when given away was not
less than $500, 600, oOo The area Of the lands
thus squandered is equal to that OF all the
States east of the Alleghanies from Maine to
Virginia, inclusive--a great empire in itself.
The lands granted to the Pacific railroads
alone are nearly equal to the area of
France. Next, in the item ofs government
subsidies in bonds, it appears that the Union
Pacific Railroad, LILO miles, which termi-
mates, going west somewhere in the neighbor-
hood of Great Salt Lake, will be paid the sum
of $56, 600, 900, or $5l, ,o34 per mile, exceeding
by $l6, 200 per mile the cost of construction
and equipment. AS to the subsidies in bonds
Gin addition to the empire Of lands) so far
actually granted, the Secretary of the Treasury
reports them -
Total subsidies in bonds s44, 337 900
TO the Union Pacific Railroad $40 miles . 20, o,2ssoo0
Central Pacific from California, 800 miles, IA. 600
Union Pacific Eastern division 394 miles. 6,303000
Sioux City anc Pacific 90 miles Ill 10000
And so on till the aggregate, exceeding forty
four millions, is reached. But the Union Pa
c,nc iiaiiroa5, il its subsidies Of lands ard
bonds, granted and to come, bangs them all
outfits government sops enlarging to the
splendid figure of $89,6l5 per mile, or nearly
1924, 900, 600 clear profit on the cost of build
ing and equipping the road Mr.. Washbnrne
says, too, that the road is badly located
and poorly built, and he thinks it might be
well to inquire whether the company that is
lobbying the bill through is not in reality
bogus concern.
This startling exhibit ought certainly to
suggest the question, how long can the Trea-
sury survive such drains as these? These sta
us of bankruptcy and repudiation. Hence Mr..
Washburne puts his foot down upon this
Denver Railroad and Telegraph bill, the
pioneer land and bond'job Of this session.
Open the door again, he says, and other jobs
lying in wait, to the extent Of $500, 600, 900,
will walk in-two hundred millions, for the
benefit of SPECTATORS, lobbyists and adventur-
era. Now, granting that the advantages to
the trade Of the country, internal and external,
and to the new States and Territories in their
Development, and to the Treasury eventually,
will amply pay for the lands and bonds granted
for the main Continental Pacific Railroad line,
the facts s.ill appear that the legislation
upon this subject has been exceedingly loose
and manifestly corrupt, and that in conse
quence millions of acres of land have been
squandered, and nearly fifty. millions Of dollars
added to the national debt. Hence we stand
by the retrcncher, Washburne, and insist that
the door shall not be opened TO the additional
two hundred millions in these railway jobs
lying wait in the lobby.
We agree with the vigilant member from
Illinois in another thing TO wit-that the per-
petuation of the Western Union Telegraph
Company, "a pestiferous monopoly" win be
robbng the public Of at least ten millions q
year as beginning What the end will be
with TIE continuance of this monopoly we
cannot tell, but ii is apparent that, with the
power in its hands, this company viii in
another year or two be able to control not
only the merchants and hnanciers within its
grasp, but the farming interests and the prices
of produce in the market from day to day. They
viii be able, moreover, through their purchased
newspapers, East and West, to control, to mis-
chievous extent, the political parties OF the
country, and our political clecti ons-a charge
which was the death 6l-Bddles United States
Bank.
The experience and the examples Of all the
States Of Continental Europe, and especially
the late example Of England, in turning over
the whole teleg raph system Of the kingdom to
the Post Office Department, cannot be safely
dsregarded. The evil to be remedied will
have to be met, and the sooner the better It
will be for the Treasury, for the industrial
interests Of the country, and for free press
as the exponent Of the public interests A
newspaper subsidized by this aforesaid "pes-
tiferous monopoly" Is not and cannot be q
free press. IL is slave, and must do the bid
ding of its master. Nor can any man of busi-
. ness, in the presence of such monopoly, hope
to prosper without paying his tribute 70