New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-12-09
POHK IND POIATOEN

"Landlord,D said transient guest at q
roads tavern. he drew near the end
of his dinner, won't you give me little
more pork TO eat with this potato ?" A mo-
ment later he said There was more pork
" than wanted; let me trouble you for a
:" little more potato to eat with the pork"
And shortly aiteryard well, declare, I've
" got some more potato left, and ii seems u
"pity to leave it--just "a small piece more of
"pori, IL you please" 1t ran on so for some
time. At length the landlord stopped short in
front of his guest and remarked: "LOok
"here, stranger, 'taint no use. Pm willing to
edo anything in reason to make that pork
"and potato come out even, but I've made
cup my mind, the way YOU eat, it can't
abe did You're bound to lap over on one or
" the other every time Now jest make up
" your mind which you'd ruther leave, and
"leave it and quit. I've got enough pork
/" and potatoes, but if you keep on you'll
"bust"
The United States Congress has just such
guest as that sitting in the lobby session after
session, and sending up his plate for subsi-
dies and land grants, and railroad charters.
and other such dalnties, with which the
Treasury board has been so temptingly fur
nshed for a dozen years past. All they want
to do is to make the railroads and the sub
sides come out even, 80 that nothing will DO
wasted. They are helped TO a subsidy and go
ahead to build road. They use up the sub
sidy and exhaust,al their resources, and there's
tho road hanging between two towns or
half across desert, or in some Improbable
and ridiculous position like the hero of q "to
abe continued" romance in weekly "story
"paper.o And the projectors of the road say
to Congress, ooh, yes, Of course, there's a
good deal Of feeling against subsidies and
"land grants-theres been too much of it,
"and it ought to be stopped but really this
dis an exception. Consider the amount of
"money Government has already invested in
ait, and there's the end of the road as it now
Islands in.the middle of an arid desert, with
"out even a turn-table to turn round on.
"You wouldn't leave it so. All we ask ia that
Government guarantee our bonds-not build
&" the road-why no, of course not; simply
guarantee the bonds to save itself from loss
"and insure the completion of the road"
Nothing could be more plausible, nothing
more satisfactory and conclusive to the mind
Of the average Congress. Here are two Pacific
roads unfinished. One swings off from the
zenith city of the unsalted seas" and through
a country where the climate is described as
"nine months Winter and three months late
in tho FALL" develops agriculture, sells
bonds, and seeks to connect the two oceans
and bring the trade of China to Duluth. "A
great many really good people have the bonds,
the faith of the Government is said to be
pledged in some way we know not how, the
money has given out, and the last rail
reaches out into nowhere without any
switch. Pork and potato do not come out
even, and the pork that is wanted from Con-
gress to prevent the potato from being wasted
il "a mere matter Of guarantee of bonds. An
other road to the Pacific running through the
land Of the pomegranate and fig, and putting
the alligator 10 flight in its progress. turns
from the southern extremity of the evcrast-
ing nowhere where its last rail is laid, and
calls for aid tn get out of it and across it.
The potato tina. is wanted to save this pork
from spelling is q subsidy or land grant, or
something not yet definitely announced. And
the Northern road says to the Southern,
"Help Va To pork and well help you to po-
tain"
Ia NJ this costly kind Of taye-p- keeping