The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1874-12-24
THE TEXAS PACIFIC.

The completion Of the Texas Pacific Rail-
way, according to the plans already submit
ted to the Legislature, and under which the
company obtained their charter and fran
chises from the State, would be q eousum-
nation strictly in accordance With the set
tied opinions Of the STATESMAN. We have
lately published what is termed by some
structures upon the Texas Pacific. The tel
egrams indicated that the provisions of the
bill, now beng submitted to Congress by
Tom Scott and his friends, provided for q
considerable detection in the course Of the
road; that TO make junction with the At
lantic aud Pacific, coming from Vinita, the
Texas Pacific would travel some distance
north Of It's proposed line to gain this inter
mediate point OF connection; and If this
should be done, Of course it might
be properly inferred that the line Of
the two combined roads would be as
direct as possible from there to the
initial point on the Pacific coast. It would
only take superficial observation to show
that such detection and change of route
would tend toward throwing the very great
advantages of a trans-continental road
almost entirely into the hands Of cities,
States and corporations north Of Texas,
and, In fact, north Of all the Southern States.
The great line of travel, and the channels
for through frsights, would lie north of
Texas, ria st. Louis, and, hence, north of
the Ohio river toward the powerful lines of
railway through Ohio and into Pennsyl-
vania. Surely this is not the desire Of any
one in Texas, nor did the Legislature Of the
State, in magnificent donation to the
Texas Pacific, anticipate anything else but
that il should be tributary to Texas, and to
the other Southern States east of the Mis-
sissippi These were the motives at the
bottom of what may be termed our stric-
lures. We have in the past advocated the
plan Of government aid to this important
line of road, and claimed that Southern
route, since government treasure had been
layished upon others further north, was
Justly entitled to such aid. Again, we say,
by all means lot the aid proposed be ex-
tended the road, but in the bill authorizing
this aid let all Southern Congressman, and
every friend to justice now in Congress, re-
qure the Texas Pacific to follow the line
named in its charter. Justice to Texas
demands such a condition. The State has
granted, and reserved along its line,
twenty sections of land per mile for
every mile of the road built in Texas.
This was given, of course, to
secure not only the building of the road
through Texas. but to its people ma
j6rity of the advantages to be derived from
its successful operation. 1t is only desired,
as we have always maintained, that the
strict letter of the contract between the
State and the company be carried out. Let
the company do what it proposed, and let
the State fulfill its promises in full.
The Texas Pacific Railway Company have
promised to build their line of road from
Dallas, by Fort Worth, and west, as near as
possible along the line of the thirty-second
degree of latitude; to cross the Rio Grande
at Ell Paso, and then prosecute its course
toward the Pacific coast. This is the
pledge of the company, and the State of
Texas promises to make it magnificent do
nation of public lands, all of which is to
be reserved to the company along its
line And must it be said of us,
that we are inimical to the road, because we
desire the compact to be strictly carried out
inits plain provisions2 Must the STATESMAN
be regarded as an enemy to the road be-
cause it asks that the company shall fulfill
its contract9 Ought not the STATESMAN to
be more properly regarded as an enemy to
the State and It's people, if it did not take
this very positions If, according to the bill
now in Congress, the company bind them
selves to bear to the north to make juno
ton with the Atlantic and Pacific, then
Texas will lose the main advantages to be
derived from its being built. Again let US
repeat that the STATESMAN lays no objec-
tons to government aid being extended the
road. 1t is right. But instead of the road
leaving its course to go towards the Atlantic
and Pacific, let the latter seek the former on
its settled Texas bound course. There
should be no changes in the route. Instead
of the Atlantic and Pacific connecting with
the Texas Pacific far above the thirty-sec-
ond degree of latitude, and about the one
hundred and fourth of longitude, it would
he far better to secure the point of juno
ton about the one hundredth degree of
longitude, thus giving Co Texas railways
and Texas capital some chance to com
pete with the wealthy railways having their
interests lying north of Texas. A line of
road could then be extended from Austin to
meet the Texas Pacific at the same point as
the Atlantic and Pacific, and thus healthy
competition between Northern and South
ern interests could be secured. Make the
point Of junction too far west, and all this
influence would be swallowed up by the
great railroad lines north of the Ohio and
Potomac rivers. 1t is to be hoped that the
Texas Pacific win get the aid it asks of
government, but this hope Is coupled with
the desire that Texas will be protected
when the aid is extended.