National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-02-16
Protection Needed.

From the Nevada Territorial Enterprise
We were yesterday shown by we'll known
merchant q freight bill for goods received from
the East over the Pacific railroads. The bill
called for Freight from Chicago to Sacramento,
50 per hundred In currency; from Sacramento to
Reno, sL55 in gold" Greenbacks at s. cents
would amount for 81 to $l.7O. Thus It costs five
cents more to carry goods one hundred and fifty
four miles than It does two thousand, and over
this one hundred and fifty-four miles the goods
were carried neither way. In the face Of Mr..
Huntipgton's assertion that Scott's railroad would
be q severe blow to this coast, how do the above
charges look? To those who insist that the Gov.
ernment's only province is to protect the Citizen
how does such protection appear? Well may Mr..
Huntington say that Scott Is poor and cannot
carry out his obligations, while the Southern Pa
cihc-wbich is the Central Pacific In fact-can
spend millions on another road and only ask land
richer than earldom to obllge the people with
such a road. Mr. Huntington, In his letter, de-
clared that his company had never sought to eI-
tend their roads beyond the country west of the
Rocky mountains. Let us congratulate the peo-
is the case. The Central Pacific people Justify
their course toward this state from the fact that
when Territory the little community here,
making its first struggle against the wilderness,
is true. The people Of this State have contrib.
Of that road as any other people under the
sun. That company has ever Disseminated
against them In every way. Their agents delibe-
rately lied In the location every town site IN this
State in order to sell lots. One of the chief
Of the road In q public speech at Reno the day
the first lots were sold there gave the people to
understand there that the town would very soon
be made the end Of n station, and pointed out the
spot where the round house and machine shops
would probably be located. After EIko was laid
out and the rst lots were sold at fancy prices for
those near where the depot was to be built, the
plan was changed, and the depot removed block
or two away. II has been all through, and from
the town sites TO the boarding. houses the COM
psny has sought to control everything to Its own
proft. Is there any reason why o merchant here
should not trade in the East II he prefers to?
Has San Francisco ever done aught to compel
men to buy goods there whether they would or
not? Arizona is q country Of wonderful resources.
With better communications there perhaps mines
as valuable asthose Of Nevada may be developed,
and the aaricultural resources Of either Arizona
or New Mexico are infinitely superior to those Of
this State. Is there any reason why, ct the out
set, those Territories should have placed upon
them such an incubus as the Central Pacific Is on
Nevada? Is not this one Of the cases where pro-
lection from the Government 10 In order? II 10
useless to appeal TO Congress. Too many Con-
Rressmen owe their election 20 railroad compa-
MES We will have to bear with tho Central Pa
cihc until some company gives MS an opposition
road, but there is no reason why the Territories
south should not be spared from like inflctior.