Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-01-30
The Two Companies.

knowing as we do that the Euenfug
Express has long cherished grudge
against the Grange and the Granger,
and that 1t has become SO prejudiced
against the railroad company that it
cannot bring itself to see any good in
that corporation, we can readily ex-
cuse its opposition to the action of the
State Grange in recommending our
delegation in Congress to favor suhsi-
dizing the Southern Pacific Company
in like ratio that aid was offered the
Texas Pacific, as well as overlook its
broad and unsustained charges of mo-
nopoly and extortion preferred against
the Southern Pacific Railroad Com
pany. But we cannot permit 1t to
make an argument against our posi-
ton relative to the course pursued by
the State Grange and in support of the
Pacific company, and yet leave the
main feature of that position untouch-
ed, without saying a word in response.
The gist of our argument was that no
matter how or by whom the Southern
overland railroad was built, 1t would
not give us a competing line; that if
the road was built by two companies,
there would be no competition; that
the Texas Pacific would not build fur
ther West than it met a road going
East; that the Southern Pacific will
only go East until it meets the one
stretching West; that only the one
track would be built, no matter how
many companies were engaged in its
construction. If our cotemporary can
show us that this position is not cor
rect, it will be able to upset all the
rules and regulations that govern
business. The Southern Pacific al
ready have the right of way to the
Colorado river and they will build the
road to that point, subsidy or no sub
sidy. Tom SCOTT will not build his
Texas Pacific road a mile beyond that
point on the subsidy he will receive
from towns, counties, States and the
nation. If anyone flatters himself
that these two companies will build
parallel roads and run a competition
that will impoverish both, he is mis-
taken and is ignorant of the first prin-
ciples of railroading. If the Govern
ment should subsidize both the South
ern Pacific and the Texas Pacific to
the full cost of building and equiping,
and stipulate that each should build a
railroad from ocean to ocean, within
| twelve months from the date of COM
pletion, one company would control
both roads. That there would not be
competition, is the point we sought to
establish, and this point the Express
writes all around, but does not touch
nor attempt to refute. If it can be
shown that ScoTT will refuse all offers
of combination or sale from the South
ern Pacific and will push his own road
ON to San Diego and San Francisco re-
gardless of where he meets the South
ern Pacific or how far the two roads
will run side by side, and
if he will bind himself, his heirs
or assigns, not to buy, sell
or in any way collude or combine
to or with the Southern Pacific, we
shall be in favor of subsidizing his
road from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
and shall advocate the measure as
earnestly and persistently as could be
desired by the most uncompromising
opponent of the Southern Pacific Com
pany. We will heed and carefully
weigh all arguments the Express may
advance to this end, and when it has
convinced us that SCOTT will do this
thing we will join with it heart and
hand and do all in our power to assist
him in the accomplishment of the
great aud glorious undertaking. We
know that the company controlled
by Messrs. STANFORD, CRoCKER,
HOPKINS, HUNTINGTON and COTTON
is seeking to control the railroad sys-
tenn of the Pacific; we know that
these managers have received vast
sums from the people in the shape of
subsidy, and we know that it is only
where we can make our interest theirs
that we may look for concessions
at their hands, but shall we improve
our condition or change the aspect of
affairs by giving subsidy aid to the
Texas Pacific and Withholding it from
the Southern Pacific? By so doing
we will prolong the time when we will
have Southern overland railroad
and defy the proverb which says it is
better to trust the devil we know than
the devil we don't know.
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