Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-17
THE BIGGEST GRAB YET.
The Mammoth Railroad Job of
the Period.
Tom SCOTS Tri.Partite Alliance Or
ganizing II Hundred Million Lob
blythe King of Lobby sTanipuIatOrs
i'm Charge OF the Operation
From the 50. I40uis NepnbIlcan.


From the st. Louis Republican.
WASHINGTON, Dec. l3.-As inaus-
picious time for jobs as the present
might seem to the uninitiated, the most
enormous Job ever sprung upon Con-
gress will be developed pretty soon af-
ter the holidays 1t is nothing less
than a guarantee subsidy to the Texas
Pacific, Atlantic Pacific, and Northern
Pacific railroads, which have effected a
combination for the purpose of lobby
ing the measure through. The easy
escape of the Credit Mobil:er victims
of last winter has emboldened both
Congressman and lobbyists to believe
that repetition of the Credit Mobilier
Job, and, too, on a doubly enlarged
scale, can be carried through. The
consequence is that, within the last two
weeks. the heads of these various rail
road enterprises have been shooting
about Washington. holding furtive
caucuses in secluded quarters, and lay
ing all their plans for bringing forth
their big job. The lobby will embrace
some Of the most eminent railroad men
in the country, and all the power of the
great Tom Scott system, both monetary
and political, Will be brought to bear.
The arrangement VIII be TO pool a
large sum of money, which is to be
placed in installments where it will do
the most good. The Credit Mobilier
experience of last winter having taught
the lobby some useful lessons as to the
danger arising from the drawing of
checks, payable to IS. c., or bearer"
and having admonished Congressman
that il Is not safe to invest notes in
stock certificates that are worth two
hundred cents on the dollar, these
means Of detection and exposure will
be carefully avoided, and the buying
and selling viii be done strictly for
cash, 10 bills of sale nor receipts being
given.
WASHINGTON, Dee 1.-THE Pacific
Railroad subsidy is nice arrangement.
1t seems that the Atlantic and Pacific
and the Texas Pacific some time ago
entered into an arrangement to Join
their lines somewhere about Albuquer-
que and pursue their course thence to
the Pacific on a common line, adhering
generally to the thirty-fourth parallel.
They proposed to surrender their sepa-
rateland- grants beyond the point of the
union, and tOreoeive in lieu thereof land
for only one line of road for the rest
of the way to the Pacific. In consid-
Grafton of giving up so much of their |
land grant, they proposed that the
Government should extend a subsidy in |
bonds similar to that granted to the |
other Pacific railroads, at the rate Of |
$4,000 per mile, the bonds to bear coin
interest 3 6j-i00 per cent, guaranteed |
by the Government with the usual first |
mortgage security.
This arrangement was not altogether |
ont of place, inasmuch as the Southern
line to the Pacific was the one which |
should have received government aid if |
any line was entitled to it, and there
was a valuable consideration vouch-
safed to the government in the prOpos-
ed REIMBURSEMENT of a portion of the
land grant; but at this jun0ture the
Northern Pacific was promptly on hand
with a proposition to join the other
two in an omnibus bill in the hope that,
by sandwiching fraud between two
comparatively mentorious projects, the
fraud might be palmed off on the coun-
try. AS far as Mr.. Pierceis concerned,
there is no authority for stating that he
has consented to any such arrange
ment; but it is pretty certain that Gen
G. M. Dodge has fixed up treaty with
the strikers for the Northern Pacific,
which will compel the Atlantic and Pa
cifc people to acquiesce whether they
want to on not,
The subsidy asked for under this tri-
partlte arrangement will be at least a
hundred and fifty millions, not quite
bwo-thirds Of which viii go to the two
southern lines. The balance from fifty
i've to sixty millions will be claimed by
5he "Isothermal' route to the North
pole. And in this case, unlike the case
If the other two, there will be no vain.
lble considerations Of any kind, Neither
n the REIMBURSEMENT of land GRANT nor
n the value Of the road after it is con-
'tructed for that matter. The lobby
viii be marshaled by Dodge. and
simon Cameron will look out for the
scheme in the Senate. So you see the
hing will be in congenial hands all
'ound. 1t is useless to speculate upon
he prospects Of the Job, inasmuch as
here is lao means of learning the SEN
lment OF the present Congress upon
obs of any kind. The chances are
hat the deplorable situation of the
treasury, and the Increasing poverty
+ the Government by reason of the
eyenue deficiency; may have some
'eight in lettering Congress from en-
cting such monstrous Job But all
he pressure known TO modern lobbying
i'll be brought to bear by the inter
stpd parties.