The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-04-27
The Great Railroad subsidy.

So many topics not admitting Of delay
have pressed upon our limited space that
we have deferred until now the publication
we were requested TO make of Gen.
Vests letter avowing his connection with
the act of the Legislature ceding TO the
New Orleans, Jackson and Great North
ern Railroad certain stocks owned by the
State in other Roads, in consideration Of
the completion of the said Road to Kos
ciusko.
We invite attention to the explanation
of Gen. West Concede all the premises
which he assumes, and give them the
benefit of the quasi endorsement of the
Attorneys of the Road, and still the
conclusion is inevitable that the law is a
gigantic fraud ON the State.
The defence does not even touch the
ground of objection to the measure. 1t
need not have been stated that the funds
Tor stocks) grabbed, as the facts would
indicate by the agencies of corruption,
were produced by the sale of lands dona-
ted to the State for internal improvement
purposes. We will not assert that every
voter in this State under existing laws,
knows the history of the grant, but will
say that every Intelligent voter knows it.
What We assert to be true and undenia-
bic is, that the Legislature has Uoted array
up1cards Of a million Of dollars Of stock,
toorh several hundred thousand dollars IN
cash, to induce a corporation TO DO WHAT
THEY WERE LEGALLY AND MORALLY
BOUND TO PERFORM WITHOUT SUCH
CoNsIDERATIoN-To DO WHAT THE
STATE HAD AMPLE MEANS OF COMPEL
ING 1T TO ACCoMPLIsH-which corpora
ton had already received its proportional
share of the fund.
For valuable consideration, the COM
pany was under contract to complete the
Road to Aberdeen. The State had am
pie power to force compliance. The
McComb management was installed with
the distinct understanding that the con-
tract would be carried out. But the
Legislature representing the State, in
stead of asserting her rights, assumes to
vote away this enormous subsidy to the
corporation; or in other words, brides Il
to erecue contract 1rhich It tcas bound to
pertormi
1t does not enter into the merits of
this question, how the funds owned by
the State were acquired. 1t is sufficient
to know that they were recklessly be-
slowed to secure the performance Of an
obligation into which their appropriation
did not remotely enter. The fact that they
were accepted by the State in trust for
certain specified purposes, only strength
ems the protest against their being
in the manner provided by
this scheme.
We have stated that the company
which thus procured itself to be bought
up to discharge a pre-existing contract,
had already received its proportional
share of the donation. 1t ought to be
added further that there are other pro-
jected enterprises which have received no
benefits from the grant and whose claims
ought to have been considered before the
bounty business was commenced.
Among them may be mentioned the
Canton d Vicksburg-the Natchez &
jacksonville Ship Island & Paducah-
the Mobile&North-W Western, the Grenada,
Houston & Okalona-the Memphis and
Selma-the Meridian and Baton Rouge,
and others.
The very manner Of the passage of this
bill stamps it as preconcerted fraud.
Like other iniquities, it was conceived in
secresy and darkness, and hurried through
the Legislature with indecent haste.
Debate was cut off and its concocters and
engineers exhibited horror of exposure.
The friends of the scheme, if they had
had semblance Of respect for the pro-
prieties of legislation, and particle of
confidence in its merits, would not have
Stunned investigation and ruthlessly
trampled upon the right of its opposers
to be heard. In all our observation, we
have never known a measure to be pressed
through a legislative body attended by
more glaring evidences of dishonesty and
corruption.