The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-10-16
o the Editors of the Dispatch

Mean temper sture: 81. -.
To the Editors Of the Dispatch ..
The enclosed communication was ad-
dressed to the Wh'g in reply to an editorial
in that paper. The editor having courte-
ously declined its publication. / respectfully
request its insertion in your Journal.
Yours truly, PACIFIC.
RICHMOND, October 10, 1875.
To The Wing:
Dir. Editor,-In your issue Of the 7th, in
an editorial upon the "Southern Pacific
railroad" you have, unintentionally no
doubt, fallen into error upon points which do
manifest injustice both to this proposed en-
terpriSe and the gentleman whose name is
connected with il as its chief promoter.
The question as TO whether we shall have
3 Southern Pacific railroad is scarcely an is
sue now before the southern public. AU.
it would seem, are agreed that the southern
States are entitled 10 and should have a
trans us-contiuental railroad line to the Pacific,
and there is scarcely doubt, if the repre-.
seuta,iyes of the South are united in making
the demand, a sufficient number of northern
members will aequiesce in it to effect the
passage of bill for this purpose. 1t is the
character Of the bill that was before the last
Congress. and will probably be submitted to
the coming one, that is now giving rise to
discussion.
DO not propose to discuss it in its general
provisions in this communication. That bill
was before the last Congress, and has chal-
lepged the emphatic and persistent opposi-
tion of the Wing. While have, therefore,
no hope that anything could say here
would dlslodge or shake your convictions,
the friends OF this 6iN may comfortably rest
upon the endorsement it received, as SOUTH
ern measure, in the last Congress by four
fffhS Of the southern members, and the Op.
position it met with of about the same
proportion of the northern members Of
the same body. But it is simply to draw
your attention to statement contained in
your editorial, which would seem to lodi
cate that you bad overlooked one of the
guarding stipulations Of that bill. You say:
:. He (Mr. Scott) has constructed five hun,
dred miles of the main road in Texas, at
cost Of eleven millions of dollars, and for the
great objects to be Subseryed we may not
feel disposed to resist this scheme Of obtain
Ing forty thousand dollars per mile from the
patton, or twenty millions OF dollars on the
five hundred miles which he has completed"
That is, you intimate that Mr.. Scott wants
twenty millions of dollars for five hundred
miles of road, which only cost eleven mil
lions.
Now. let us see if you have any justifable
ground for saying that. If YOU have, you
have made most damaging point against
Mr.. Scott. II you will look at the last six
and IL balt lines OF the bill. copy Of which,
OF course, you have, (it not. will provide
you with one,) you will find the following
stringent provision:
..Pforided, That it shall Ge the duty Of the
commissioner or commissioners appointed Gy
the President to certify 10 The actual erpen-
ditare Of the moneys required for The pur.
pose Of constructing and eQu'pping the lines
up to the Government standard. as required
6y ld,r; and all bonds Of The company Sc
cured uader the mortgage. ocer and a0ore
the amount ACTUALLY required as d6oCe,
shall remain IN the control Of the Secretary
Of the Treasury, and not he issued except TO
Droriae additional facilities, Gtte" the com.
pletton Of the road, to meet the requirements
Of the public, as set forth IN his act"
This. then, is the clear aud specific proyi-
sion OF the blll-the rigid guard and im.
p.sSahle bafrier-that Of these bonds. the in.
tereSt on which only the Government is asked
TO guarantee during the construction of the
road. none CAN be issued except to repre-.
sent actual expenditure absolutely required
10 t,lid the line. albeit this may be only half
the forty thousand dollars (S40,00O) mile,
but cau ia no event erceed il; and these
bonds are secured upon iii st mortgage upon
the compieted road and all its equiI Iments
and possessions, real aud personsl. Now
candidly, then, has this charge anything to
rest on? And does not the implied one Of
the Wing that Colonel Scott has ever asked
or eXpectcd one dollar OF g profit" from the
Government On the construction Of the line
fall with il?
Aeain, you say =" Fer she Qhe Soutb) has
not, nor has Virginia, anyperSonal objection
to make against Mr.. Scott or any other indi-
yidual person." / would fan close this
communication with this handsome dis
claiDer towards gentleman whose mo-
tives and purposes have too of'en,
I think. been uljects of much unfriendly
animadversiop. But you follow this
passaye by saying, "The profit Of
nine millions $4,000, 0,00W which he Mr.. ScotO
is scheming for may be necessary 10 the re-.
pairing OF his broEen personal fortunes"
We'll. the "proft" idea think We haYe ex.
plodee By reciting the provision of the Dill;
and have only to remind the Wing that
within the last fortnight there appeared in
the Phisdelpbia Inquirera notice, which was
copied approvipgIy in other papers North snd
south, signed by Matthew Baird and Thomas
A. Scott, addressed to all parties holding the
notes of the California and Texas Railway
Construction Company bearing the joint en-
,dorsement of those gentlemen. IT was no,
LITIGATION 10 all such persons that the amount
of money that would be respectively due
them, including interest upon the maturity
of said notes, will be paid from aud AFTER
that date by K D. Barclay, E.q., at his once.
Eo.:e33 south Fourth street, PhIladelphia,
upon presentation, less rebate OF interest.
These notes mature ct various dates, some
not prior to April 13, 1876.
Thus this financial load, personally and
individually assumed by tbe.e two gentle
snen for the entire Indebtedness OF the Csl.
aforpia and Texas Railway Construction
amounting to Sle or eight mai
ssoas of ,eolldrS, has beea noDorably aud
iu!ly discharged since the frighttui panic OF
1879. far in advance of The time Tor
W hieh their obligations were given sure.
" it was scarcely an byperbole, with the
lisbrts of The hundreds OF broken banks,
and. bankers. and merchants, that went
do W n before that storm yet in view, to cha.
raeteriZs this achievement, as commercial
and other Journals have done. as great
= financial tdumpb." And this exhibit OF
.oIyency makes it sclrcely probable that Mr.
Scott was resting his hopes upon so srau
.ced as the funcied "nine.million prott !"
,pon the five hundred miles OF coosti ucled
DAD, or tha, bis )" broken personal fortune"
,eeded any repairing by the Government or
ny oEe else. Very respectfully,
PACIFIC.