The Portland daily press., 1873-02-07
ssThe Assaults of the Government

luC AooauuUo Va viz UOVC1 AunCACs
The President of the Union Pacific Rail-
road has sense OF humor that would give
him notable success as an s'end man. in a
negro minstrel troupe. On his appearance
the gigantic Sharpleys and colossal Benedicts
would retire abashed. If he should enter
the field as humorous writer, in six months
not a copy 6f Esop, Aristophanes, Jerrold,
Don Quixote, Artemus Ward or Bret Harte
would be found in any library. All would
have given place to Clark, the king of laugh
ter, or, better still, 'the laughter-king" As
an incidental exhibition of his power Presi-
dent Clark said the other day that his road
was in fair condition, financially, but he.
did think that the repeated, causeless, ''as-
sauHs of Congress- had somewhat impaired
its credit! Turn we now to the public debt
statement issued ON the first day of Februa-
ry instant: ''Bonds issued to the Pacific
Railroad Compan.es-principal outstanding
$64, ,512; interest paid by the United
States $780, ,2s0; interest repaid by trans
portation of mails, &C., 81, 4,11S,432; balance
of interest paid by the United States $14,-
390,S48." 1t appears further from this state
ment that nearly two millions of dollars of
interest on these Pacific railroad bonds have
been paid by the government during the past
month, aud that in consequence of this and
other extraordinary demands on the treasury
the public debt has been slightly increased.
"Assaults of Congress-, indeed! There
are thousands Of corporations that ache to be
thus abused. First, the Union Pacific had
land enough by Congressional grant to build
the road, then government bonds enough for
the same purpose; then Congress waived its
first mortgage and took second mortgage in
order tina. the Company might raise still
more money, thus substantially adding the
S64, 1923 900 of principal outstanding to the
public'debt; finally Congress agreed to pay
the down-trodden corporation half its charges
for services performed for the government,
instead OF letting such services go as far as
they would toward canceling the immense
arrears of interest. The country is a daily wit
ness to the extraordinary spectacle of rail-
road company's receiving pay for carrying the
mails and doing other services for the power
that created it, endowed it with nearly all it
was ever worth and forgave it the principal of
its debt in taking worthless second mort
gage! And then Mr.. Clark complains of tie
assaults of Congress.
What next? Mr.. Pomeroy saying that he
doesn't see anything inconsistent with church
membership in godly mans buying seat
in the Senate, which might otherwise be oc-
cupied by one Of the sons of Belial? Or Mr..
Tweed, that guileless ''victim of partisan
rage" announcing that it is call right" to
take modest percentage of the municipal
revenues for the political and personal ex-
penses of patriotic citizens? We are evident
ly on the threshold Of a new era. Old prin-
ciples of morals are found to be incorrect, and
new and strange doctrines take their place.
To the new code railroad managers are the
chief contributors. At present Ames must
have credit fo1 the most thorough work as an
innovator in ethics but to Clark belongs the
glory of combining with new and strange alb
stract notions the results of an exquisite fan
cy, purified imagination and surprising hu-
NOR, in such way as to render the new code
doublv attractive --