The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-31
THE UfNTER'S LOBBYING.

WASHINGTON, Dee 29.-The two greatest
Hobbies ut Washington this winter will be- those
of the steamship companies and the Texas
Pacific Railroad Company. Judging by the re-
suits Of previous Congressional Investigations.
they will be well paid and fight big fight for
the plumber in view
livery one Of tho bills for the construction Of
the Tom Scott Texas Pacific Railroad has an
enormous fraud in its belly. however the fraud
may be covered up and disguised. Col SCOTS
engineers long since reported to him that this
road could be- built for an average OF $4,000 per
milo. and II could be done for lesa now. Yet
last year and the year before Col. Scott appeared
at Washington with his usual rctinue of lobby
lists asking the United States to give him It's
credit to the extent Of 10000 and $4,000 per
mile to do this identical work. And this de-
mani be- 1t remembered WIS in addition to n
generous land grant from the Federal Govern
ment and a still larger one from the state Of
Tcxaa. which up TO the time Of Col. SCOTS per
sonal embarrassment, were OF themselves con-
sidCred n sufficient basis Of credit to build the
road. II he asks little less now II ia only be-
cause he has learned II little. very little meas
urc Of wisdom from repeated defeats in his fool
ish efforts to grasp the greater spoil.
What IL TO be- done with the difference be-
which Col. Scott demands in Government crcd-
it2 1t is said that it cannot be stolen because
tho expenditure Is tn be supervised by Govern
mcnt commissioners. and the patriotic and dis
Interested lobbcrs have themselves drawn their
measures against the public treasury with an
eye single to the public interests. But. having
tried tho expcdient OF official participation in
the affairs Of tho Union Pacific and the Central
Pacific. the country cannot commend Il as hearth
ly as Col Scott does. II requires the plumber TO
be cut into greater number Of slices in order to
70 around. and tends to increase rather than to
diminish the amount Besides. It cannot be
forgotten that the California and Texan Con
structon Company was formed for the express
purpose Of playing Credit Mobilier TO the
Texas Pacific. and the present appeal to Con-
grcss for nearly twice "a much az the road can
honestly be made to cost bctrays q huge and
craving nav.
An outsider. unfamiliar with tho methods
which have made the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad
omnipotent at Harrisburg and Trenton. would
doubtless look upon n proposal TO pass any sub
sdy bill through the present House OF Repre-
scntativcs as mere midsummer madness. and
would think that measure Of this kind, for the
special benefit OF the great Republican railway
monopolist Of the country. could scarcely obtain
a respectful hearing. The Democratic majority
is bound by every conceivable pledge against all
such legislation, and il cannot NEEDLE with this
Texas Pacific scheme in the most distant man
ncr without the grossest dcillement and instant
loss Of public confidence.
Upon what Influences, then does Col Scott
rely for the consummation Of his Job? He has
the Fraudulent Administration; he has Stanley
Matthew'S: he has Joe Bradley who voted for
him on the Electoral Commission; and he has
81. "A. 81,