The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-11
rhe War Of tho Giants-The Republic
Ruled by RAILWAY Kings-Government
Control Of the Railways.

ton in the Union Pacific Railway, at the
meeting of the stockholders In Boston the
other day, will attract attention at q time when
the public mind Is directed to the shameful
condition Of that enterprise, and especially to
the circumstance that the government, having
paid many millions of dollars to the origi-
nal corporation to secure railway across the
Continent, we have simply an imperfect line
that can only be depended upon in summer
weather. With this circumstance neither the
present directors, nor the directors who inn
to do. When they entered upon the manage
ment Of their franchise it was really a skele-
ton road. The evil effects of the old Pacific
Railway legislation had thrown an imperfect,
crippled, unsatisfactory enterprise upon the
country, and as all the money and bonds had
been taken and divided up among the men,
bers of Ring called the Credit Mobiler,
there was no surplus capital remaining to
develop the road, pay its early running
expenses and provide for the int rest on the
bonds.
| The main event in the election of this new
board Of directors is the triumph of W hat Is
known as the Vanderbilt interest over tho
Pennsylvania interest as controlled by Thomas
A. Scott. Mr.. Scott is succeeded in the presi-
dency by Horace F. Clark, the son-in-law of
Commodore Vanderbilt, and the victory by
which the change was accomplished Is
an evidence of the Commodore's tact
and decision. For the last year or
two we have been called upon to admire
the prodigious energy and courage shown
by Mr.. Scott in developing his railway enter
prises. Not satisfied to own Pennsylvania,
and by the aid of Don Cameron TO largely own
Maryland, the Pennsylvania Napoleon has
been ambitious to take possession of the re-
public under nine hundred and ninety mine
years lease. We have heard of Mr..
days we were won't to hear of Napoleons vic
| tories. Yesterday he captured the Camden and
Amboy, obtaining proprietary rights over
the State of New Jersey. To-day no
seized the Union Pacific, and held
dominion over the Pacific. Tomorrow
he would be heard of in New Orleans,
about to occupy the whole Southwest.
u
captivated the multitude. He travelled in
palace cars and had the fatal facility of being
constantly reported, and in time was seriously
mentioned in connection with the Presidency"
Grave, conservative men shook their heads,
and said that, in their days, oak tr ees grew a
little more slowly than mushrooms, and til
this taking possession of the whole railway
system of the country was rather more of an
undertaking than they had been accustomed
to sea succeed, and that it could be scarcely
accomplished by bands of music and corps of
newspaper reporters flying over the country,
and that 1t was particularly. more of an
achievement than could be prudently handled
by candidate for the Presidency" in the
height Of his canvass.
| Nevertheless it was felt that the Railway
Napoleon Of Pennsylvania was on the path of
victory, and the day was dreary and eventless
which did not bring us a record of new
triumph. The other Napoleons looked on and
made the best possible fight. There was Napo-
leon Fisk, monarch Of Erie, good deal of Sar-
danapalus in his way, with tastes for horses and
canary birds and fair women, and theatres and
opera houses and coryphees an all-embracing
genius, with as much fondness for display as
Scott, as he was colonel of real volunteers,
an admiral of real steamboats,, leader of a
real band, the driver of six horses, the propri-
etor of innumerable courts of justice, as we'll
as "a candidate for the Presidency" But Napo-
leon Fisk went out in fash one day, and his
Erie has fallen into sad perpIexities, and has
taken to bribery and lobbying and all manner
of disgraceful stratagems. Napoleon Gould
succeeds him as kind of Robert Macaire Ma
poleon, and, like his Robert, is probably more
anxious about keeping away from the
gendarmes and continuing unmolested than
in making any further demonstrations in the
way Of extending his road. Napoleon Gould
wants simply what Macaire did, Immunity"
and this seems to be the one thing which the
Legislature seems disposed to deny him. Few
men have had the advantage for fame and
public service that came to Gould and his
departed companion. But he used his splen-
did franchise as personal possession, and
evil days are at hand. In the South there is
another Napoleon seeking victorious career
J. w. Garrett, with his road running from Balt-
more to the Ohio and thence to the Misss-
sippi. Napoleon CARROTS ambition is to build
up rival to New York on Chesapeake Bay.
Baltimore is to have all the commerce of the
sea, to drain the trade of the West and domi-
nate the Southern States. Already be has a
small feet of steamers running from Baltimore
to Europe, and If reconstruction is accom-
plished and the Southern States ever again
assume their destroyed supremacy Napoleon
Garrett may have right to be a Railway
king.
All the time our New York Nanolenna haua