Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-05-23
Senator Morrill, OH Railroad
Power.

the Capitol, and their refusal to follow
the fourishing of the railway lash over
the Congress of the United States. We
often hear the cry that railroads are a
great public benefit, and so they are
when used for legitimate purposes in the
interests of the people, but when a great
corporation purchases hundreds of miles
of leading lines, and consolidates them
into one vast corporation, and then goes
before the National Congress, or State
Legislature with a great display of
power and demands that a certain por-
ton Of the public domain in the very
heart of the Capitol Of the nation, which
has been held for the purposes Of public
Improvement shall be set apart for the
building of a magnificent depot for
private railway corporation, and Scna-
tors and Congressman yield to the de-
mand like whipped spaniels, it is high
time that the people awake to the en-
croachments and willy influences of
these monster monopolies who if not
checked viii ere long crack a party
whip over the heads Of the people Yer
mont has reason TO congratulate herself
that her Senators and Congressman did
not heed the cracking of the whip of
Tom Scott the Railway King.
Senator Morrill, had the manliness to
boldly resist the setting apart of the pub
lie grounds to the sacrilegious purpose
of allowing the Pennsylvania railroad to
build depot thereon, marring the beau
ty and making a babel of railway trains
under the very caves of the Capitol
building. This project, after fierce
conflict passed the House and went
over to the Senate. While one of the
most important questions of the hour
the General Amnesty bill was before
the Senate Mr.. Cameron of Pennsyl-
vania, moved to lay it aside and take
up the Baltimore and Potomac Site
Depot BILL" allowing the location of a
depot for the accommodation OF Tom
SCOTS lines of railways on the public
grounds in the most beautiful part Of
the city of Washington, near the Capt.
tol.
Senator Edmunds made an appeal that
the Amnesty bill should not be laid
aside for mere railroad bill, but the
Senate decided to take up the bill by a
vote Of 80 to 10. Mr. Cole of California,
asked that the bill might be laid aside,
informally in order to proceed with the
conference report on the deficiency APP
preparation bill, another important mea-
sure. At this Senator Morrill, expressed
his surprise that Mr. Cole sdoalyd presume
to ask to proceed NTH the business Of tie
nation ao1en bill IN the interest Of a
railroad corporation a0dS pendjng. This
facetious hit brought laughter from the
grave Senators, but there was much
meaning in the sentence although said
in Jest, for the Senate had just voted to
Law aside the business of the nation be-
cause a private railway corporation had
asked it. Mr.. Morrill, chopped no bill of
merely national importance would be
allowed to interfere with a measure for
the benefit of the Great Mr.. Scott of
Pennsylvania, who came near receiving
the unanimous nomination for the Pre-
sidency at Cincinnati. When Senator
demanded the ayes and noes saying he
wanted to see if Senators intended to
push aside business in which the whole
nation was interested for the purpose of
proceeding with q private railroad bill,
it had the effect of taking up the
appropriation bill,
When the railway bill was proceeded
with, Senator Morrill, said: He regretted
that he felt impelled to give his views
against this bill when he knew that a
large majority Of the Senate was already
committed to its support. He alluded
TO the Pennsylvania Central Railroad as
a corporation, possessing more capital
than the old United States Bank, which
some people though threatened the lib
critics of the country This Baltimore
and Potomac road was a branch of the
PENNSYLVANIA Central He read from
the charter of the Baltimore and PotO-
mac road, as passed the Maryland
Legislature in 1858, and said that it con-
ferred the most extraordinary privileges,
all of which Congress was asked to con-
firm. The ground which was to be
given away to this company could not
streets were to be blocked up, the pub
lie grounds to be marred and the very
doorway of the Capitol to be invaded.
Congress was going to do also what it
never yet had done, vote to incorporate
a railroad in a State. In conclusion Mr..
Morrill, offered the following amendment:
To strike out all afterth enacting clause
of the bill and insert a provision that the
chief of engineers of the army, the engi-
neer in charge Of the public buildings, and
the Quartermaster General of the army
shall be constituted n commission to ex-
anime as to the laying of steam railway
tracks in the city of Washington, both by
existing roads and those in process of con-
struction also, as to the location and con-
struction of depots rs bearing on the OBJ
struction of streets, avenues or public
marks. and to report as soon as possible a
fun and comprehensive plan, embracing
the above particulars.
After discussion of the bill, Senator
Morrill, said this was the sixth time this
Pennsylvania Central railroad had come
to Congress for fayors. 1t never gave
anything for what it had received, and
never offered to give anything back.
Every visitor to Washington for the
next half century would go away de-
nouncing the Congress which had given
mp to such indecent Dissertation the
ground which had been destined for a
public park from the very foundation of
the government Congress years ago
forced the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
to remove its depot from one side of the
avenue, and now it is giving permission
to another railroad corporation to come
in on the other side. Even if the gov
eminent did not want this land, it was
very valuable and should not be given
away for nothing to an oyergrown and
overbearing corporation-a corporation
which did not build railroads, but bought
them, and for the selfish purpose of
making money, not for the purpose of