The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-07-17
withdrawing the Pacific Railroad.

Some idea of the manner in which this i'm
portant and expensive work is done, may be
gathered from the following facts:
! In the last days of President Johnson's ad-
ministration charge was brought to his
attention, that the Pacific roads, (he Union
and CENTRALLY by overreaching or corrupting
the Secretary of the Interior, had fraudulently
obtained some millions of government bonds
| to which they were not entitled. The point
of the alleged fraud was that they obtained
| the bonds by representing that they had fin
ished certain sections of the road according
to law, when in fact they had not done so,
but had fallen some millions short of it. And
| 1t was not considered case where the roads
were entitled to any indulgence whatever, be-
cause it was well known then as now. that
the roads were wholly built with the bonds.
! lands and franchises granted to them by the
government, costing the proprietors not
cent, and was equivalent, in fact, to giving
the proprietors sixty or seventy millions of
dollars as a gracious gift, besides the lands,
which in time probably will be worth as much
more. Certainly it is good thing to be a
Pacific railroad proprietor and one can begin
to understand now why some thousands of
dollars OF Pacific railroad bonds were found in
Thaddeus Stevens strong box after his death,
that could not be honestly accounted for.
They could well afford to pay in that way for
their franchises, and can now we'll afford to
pay for having themselves whtewashed. But
President Johnson was not, and is not. that
sort Of man. He promptly appointed three
of the most distinguished engineers in the
United Statesmen whose characters and
intelligence in their profession command con-
fidence and repect everywhere-to make
personal and thorough examination of the
particular facts upon which the charge rested,
and to report thereon. Those gentlemen dis
charged their trust with care, fidelity and
distinguished ability. They reported the par
ticular facts so clearly and infinitely that any
man whatever Of ordinary intelligence could
perfectly understand them, and the couclu-
siOns which they stated that examination
established were
l. That there were faults in the alignment
of the roads, which it was necessary TO
remedy
2. That there were faults in the grades,
which it was necessary to remedy;
8. That there were faults and insufficiencies
in the road beds, which it was necessary to
remedy;
4. That there were faults in the superstruc-
turc, being insufficient cross ties, and def
cient weight of iron in the rails, which it was
necessary to remedy;
s. That the rolling stool, and auxiliary
structures were insufficient, and which also it
was necessary to remedy.
1t was necessary that these deficiencies
should be remedied, in order that the condi-
ton in the law emitting the roads to govern
ment bonds should be complied with, and as
the proprietors had already received many
millions on sections Of the roads where these
deficiencies existed, and consequently the law
authorising their delivery had not been come
piled with, they stood subject TO the charg-
of having detIauded the government out of
those millions. 1t was the business, therefore.
OF the engineers appointed by the President
to estimate and compute how much it would
cost to make good the deficiencies they had
pointed out, and this they did with the same
care and minuteness they had bestowed upon
the ascertainment OF the deficiencies them
selves. And the result was, that they ascer
tanned that it would cost something over six
millions of dollars to make those deficiencies
good Oh the Union Pacific and something
over four millions on the Central Pacific. max |
ing altogether between ten and eleven millions
ofdollars The roads were caomring for their |
bonds! President Johnson promptly shut
down upon them. He did NOT, indeed, take |
any steps for forfeiting their charters, as he |
properly might perhaps, on account of these
frauds which the proprietors had practiced on
the government, but he put stop to the fur
tlier practice Of like frauds, at least while he
remained in Office. When Mr.. Grant came
into office he appointed Hon. Isaac N. Morris, |
OF Quincy, in this state to make the same ex- |
animation, and report thereon, that had Just |
before been made by Messrs. Barnes, Blickers-
derfer and Warren, the distinguished en-
glneers before referred to. What Mr.. Grants
motives were in making this appointment is
nothing to the present purpose it is sufficient