The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-03-02

or their combined influence, rs hope il
may be, there need be no question about a
through hRe being completed at an early
day.
/ even venture to say that If TIE many as
I sociates uf Col. Scott in his 5000 miles of
roads east of st. Louis were convinced that
/ his application for unfair Congressional Ri1
must fsil, they, AS we'll as the capitalists
| who hOlu large amounts of his compara-
lively worthless bonds, would then rally TO
his aid in way very different from their
present attitude, and his road would be re-
! lieved OF its difficulties. They might then
/ con rlbute small percentage upon ltheir
| investments to enable him tn build a 500
| mile connection with a line 10 the Pacific
! which must pour more or less business on
the roads which form the basis of their
| present securities instead of ounrributing n
/ fund to enable him to besiege the halls of
! legislatures and Congress t. grant him aid,
! TO which he has no more claim than hun
dreds of others, and which could not be
granted without opening the ilrodgatss TO
! greater evils than those he proposes to
remedy.
None are so responsible for this stagna-
tlon of energy as oil. Scott himself and
the Southern representatives who encourage
him. If Congress would plainly and def
! nitely give him, and those who abet him, to
| understand that such applications are uu-
necessary and improper and will not be en-
| tertained, by au horlzing the main line to
be built by the Southern Pacific Company,
as proposed, then the whole road and its
appropriate branches would be built inside
of SIX, and probably inside of FIVE years,
which is quite as soon rs he could do it il
he was granted all he asks
The lines would be located where they
are wanted, with an eye to the demands of
trade and travel, and not for the purpose of
. debating terms to weaker companies nor
for making determinations against South
ern roads east of the Mississippi 1t is for
the interest of the South to see this side of
the question, and not bIindly to help fasten
monopoly on the country from which the
benefits they derive are insignificant com.
pared with those derived 10y Col. Scott and
| his Northerri roads.
If the majority in Congress, in the face
of constitutional restrictions, is determined
to set precedent which will plague our
country for generations. then by all means
let IL give the sanction to a new company,
comprised of prominent Southern men, and
so located as to minister To the network of
roads lying between the Ohio river and the
Gulf, and which shall have as little as pos
sible to do with the trunk lines between
the Ohio river and the lakes. California
will enter no protest against such plan.
l fancy from your expressions that you
have fallen into the iRdustriously circulated
error that the interest of the Southern Pa
citic Company in an overland connection is
rather hostile than favorable to it because
few of us are also interested in the Cen
tral Pacific. This is On entire mistake. Be-
fnrn IVA tnnl- hnl nf hn ID o.k
enterprise we carefully weighed the proba-
bilitics of its future importance and influ-
ence, and became satisfied that il would be
a. grand thing for California. The points
where it would affect the Central by COM
petition We found 20 be SO few, and their
| results SO trltlng, as to he more than an
offset by the benefits to follow from a sec
Ond line. Long after we old men are dead
and gone the Southern road will be Touring
its rich volume of commerce into California
ana the Gulf States, and it will become
| matter OF wonder that in 1876 it was de-
hated seriously whether the road could be
built without government assistance. 1t is
| another mistake that we desire to control
all the roads entering California.
If the government wants to invest in a
| railroad it can have ours. We offered
to sell it TO Col. Scott himself in
1873, and the bargain was struck,
| and nothlag but his failure to comply
| with the agreement prevented a transfer of
our whole road, in California, right into
| San Francisco, to the Texas Pacific Com
| pany. Does this look as if those of us who
are III the Central were bent on controlling
the Southern line, or feared its conse
quences!
The latest preposterous statement of the
| kind circulated here is to the effect that if
| Congress should give US the right of way
and tke lands, the Southern Pacific would
not build the road and the inference left
to be drawn is that a subsidy is, therefore,
| Indispensable. In my remarks before the
Senate committee distinctly stated that the
| company would, if necessary, oblige itself
to build fifty miles a year and the whole
| road to the Texas line within SIX years, and
deposit in the United States Treasury good
and sufficient security as forfeit in case
we fail in either particular.
Col. Scott, who was present., knew better
than to question either the intention or the
ability of my associates ON this point
| on the contrary, he said distinctly
that this was the least of his appre-
hensions; he declared 1--WE would build
the road" as proposed, but complained
that we would afterwards own and control
ID. nc NiAeTcuCe OetWeen US Delng tnat
We should own a road built by our own
money and credit, while he wants to own
and control road built with the money and
| credit of the people.
On this point your friends may rest satis-
fed. Col. Scott would not make this ad-
mission if ne thought our offer was not
made in good faith, and with power to
make it good.
The Southern Pacific Company has always
paid its debts according to agreement, and
is able to do so now, notwithstanding The
fact that II has done more work, and built
more new road at greater aggregate outlay
during the past two years and q half of
panic and prostration than any other corpo-
ration in America.
Very respectfully yours,
G. p. HUNTINGTON.