Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-01-28
The Two Companies.

A number of journals in this State
among them the Express, of this
city-are finding fault with the State
Grange for urging Congress to place
the Southern Pacific Railroad Com
pany on equal terms with the Texas
Pacific Railroad in the Government
subsidy bill. The argument is that if
the Southern Pacific is given the aid
which is asked for by the Texas Pa
cific, the road of the latter company
will never reach this coast, and We
shall, in consequence, lose a compet-
ing line. Assuming the correctness
of tile premises, we do not believe the
predicted result could be attained,
even though the Texas Pacificreceived
a liberal subsidy and the Southern
Pacific nothing. IF the Government
aids SCOTT and refuses to aid COTTON
and HUNTINGTON, the Southern Pa
cific will dispose of their road and
route to the Texas Pacific, which is
guaranteed assistance, and we shall
have lost the competing road and pro-
longed the completion of the much
desired Southern overland railroad.
That such will be the effect of refusing
aid to the Southern Pacific and award
ing it to the Texas Pacific, must be
apparent to every practical mind.
This result is precisely what the peo-
pie of Southern California wish to
avoid. The people of Arizona and of
Southern California want Southern
overland railroad, and they want it at
the earliest possible moment. There
is another very important feature in
the case which is worthy of consider
alton. Let us suppose that SCOTT
builds the entire road, what may be
the result, so far as trade is concerned?
BY little judicious discrimination,
he can throw the entire trade of Ari-
zona Eastward. 1t would be to his
interest to do it, and interest is the
lever that moves railroad corporations
as well as individuals. Suppose the
Southern Pacific Company build one
half Of the road-the Western half
1t will be their interest to discriminate
in favor of the Arizona trade, in order
to throw it over their road, and this
will be SO much gained to the mer-
chants and farmers of California
These are practical views-the only
views that are worth anything in bus
mess and they should be looked at
carefully and considerably. The
question of a competing line cannot
enter into the agreement, because
there will be no competing line. IT
may be.set down as fact that SCOTT
will build no farther West than he
meets road advacing East. He will
either purchase that road or join his
with it. The time in which we shall
have Southern overland road will be
greatly shortened by inducing SCOTT
to commence building West and the
Southern Pacific to commence build
ing East. The considerations we have
named are the arguments which in
duced the State Grange to ask Con-
gress to give the Southern Pacific an
equal share with the Texas Pacific
Of whatever subsidy may be granted.
The fact that all Southern California
regards the early completion of a
Southern overland road as an all-im-
portant auxiliary to the rapid devel-
opment and permanent prosperity of
this portion of the State, is all that
need be said in the way of explaining
why we are all willing that two OF
twenty railroad companies may ell
gage in building it, and why we are
willing that Congress should aid one
and all Of them in pushing ahead the
work.
The case of Fares. who was Indicted