Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-01-05

Now in order to set his claim before
Congress with the prospect of success
Mr.. SCOTT will find it necessary to
prove that the road he proposes tc
build will be worth 1924, 100000 more
to the nation than the one the South
ern Pacific is now building. This il
will be difficult to do in the face of the
fact that the Southern Pacific is build
ing first class steel rail track, and
have already completed about six hun.
dred miles of road. Between the of
fer of the Southern Pacific, made
through Mr.. HUNTINGTON, and the
conditions stipulated by the Texas Pa
cific, through Mr.. SCOTT, there is a
difference very great indeed, and
the amount saved by the accept
ance of the first named company's
proposition is so enormous that Con.
gress can only pass the Texas Pacific
subsidy bill at the expense of its repu-
tation for honesty. The people are so
strongly opposed to subsidy, that the
reckless, not to say venal throwing
away of nearly three hundred and fif-
ty million dollars of the public funds
would raise such q storm of indigna-
tion that no member who voted in fa-
vor of the job, would ever be re-elect-
ed, and every supporter of the outrage
would, whether guilty or not, go forth
with the brand of public denunciation
and years of protestation of innocence
would not free them from the suspi-
cion of having robbed the people for
the bribe of a corporation. COMPETE
ton which seems to be the trump
card of Mr.. SCoTT and his associates,
would not, were it something more
tangible than mere name, justify the
reckless extravaganza and wIllful
waste of the peoples money which the
rejection of the Southern Pacific's Of
fer, and compliance with the Texas
Pacific's demand would involve. But
in truth this competition bludgeon is
in reality only stuffed club. The
people are beginning to understand
that railroad competition is all sound
and bombast signifying nothing. Rail-
road combinations are the long years
of calm that follow the few days of
competitive storm. The history of
railroad operations in the United
States offers abundant evidence to
prove that for every dollar saved
through short lived competition the
people have been done out of one hun
dred dollars in the shape of subsidy
and subscription to competition rail-
roads, People familiar with the rail-
road operations of Colonel SCOTT do
not need to be told that competition is
not, nor never has been his forte. He
is ingenious in effecting combinations
with rival roads-combinations which
always enhance the profits of the cor
porations and increase the cost of
transportation. What reason have
thepeople forsupposing that Mr.. SCOTT
would depart from this lifelong policy
in the management of the Texas Pa
cific, and even though Congress should
guarantee him the vast sum he de-
lnands? None whatever. We all
know how futile have been all at
tempt to prevent these combinations
by legislative enactment. So far the
power which caused the passage of the
law has found means to evade the law.
And thus it will continue. No mat
ter whether built with public funds or
individual subscription, railroads are
private property and as such are be-
.yond the reach of State or national
control. We all grow eloquent in
support of the right of States and ma
tion to regulate the affairs ofrailroads
built, or partly built with public mon
ey, but we are beginning to fail in
our appreciation of right we cannot
exercise or enforce. Nothing is more
absurd than the idea that SCOTT will
operate a competitive railroad. He
does not do that kind of business and
the wisdom ofCongress is not equal to
the task of compelling him to enter
into it. We advise all who have the
interest of Southern California at
heart, to read and digest Mr.. Hun
TINGToN's letter.