The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-08-22
The Texas Pacific Railway.

i ne most iNllOit<htS 9hSSNoh ~ "'' "'@N'
ut present before the people OF the United
States is the matter OF the Tcxas-Pacifie
railroad. and the attempt OF the Ccntra'
Pacific railway to interfere with the char
tered rights OF that road.
Congress, Ivy its act incorporating 'he
Tcxas-Pacifc railway, declared that the S'l'o
road "should be constructed ana mann
..taincd as II continuous Inc from mar
"shoH. 7eras. TO Ships channel, 'ntoe bay
..of San Diego, California; IL fequ'reo,
further that the road should be constructed
alamo the .,most direct and eligible route.
.as near as might be TO the th'rtF-Seeono
..naral,cl of north latitude >: and tnr-
tbcr declared "Mat no CONSTIPATION or
..roubiaution Should fccr Dc maze bef'ccen
..s1id Ycras-Pdcinc Company ana any
"competing line Of ro'''ody TO me racine.
The purpose OF Congress was to estab-
lish competing line OF railway TO the Cen
traI line from the Atlantic TO the IacliF.
This was clearly Il great national object, and
!, cannot be perverted without trcachery to
the people OF the United States. That the
transportation and travel between the
Pacific and Atlantic shall be projected
from An oppressive monopoly is indiSpcn-
sable TO public liberty, and should Congress
combine with powerful corporation that
has drawn its millions from the public trca-
surv To confer upon it the power TO hoid
this monopoly over the transconilnental
trade and travel it would be guilty OF
, .I,n hCv 10
The Central Pacific Railway Company,
through itS Credit Mobilier and other
schemes. worked with con>i.mnatc inSc-
nuitv and unscrupulousneSs, mas acquired
IN amount OF power that Is alarming. Ii
ovcrshadowS the State OF California and the
whole Pacific coast, and confront> the At
lantic States. and stands before the halls OF
Congress with 4 strength that may well
arouse the national indignation that must
soon be absorbed lv the national anxiety.
This great corporation. knowing the eli
matte and Typographical disadvantages OF
its Central line across the Rocky Mountains
and the Sierra to the Pacific. behcld in the
chartered Texas Pacific Il dangerous COM
petitor. With its perennial temperature
and salutsry grades it would maintain
uninterrupted transportation with lnv,-
riablc facility. while the Central route.
with lis hundred and fifty miles OF snow
sheds and sharp grades. would not he able
70 compete with ii successfully. Ihcy pro-
ccctled ut ono" to Use their best >a|acity IN
measures to protect themselves against this
antagonist. They projected their road from
San Francisco up the st. Joachim valley to
intcrScct tnc TeXa>-Pacitic at Yuma, and
proposed 10 raise fight with the Texas
Pacific upon proposition 10 continue their
road eastward from that point: and this is
the fight pending before Congress which
raised so much excitement last winter and
was then adjourned to tie next session.
The question is simply whether this Cen
trail Pacific line shall steal away the rights
and advantages OF the TeNaS-Pacitic route
and deprive the people of the United States
OF that competition in the transcontinental
Sportation which Congress deemed so
important in 1871 that all combination and
consolidation between the TeXas-Pacifc
and any competing line was solemnly pro-
hibiied by law. The question is indeed one
OF liberty. 1t is vital to the South, and OF
inestimable importance to the whole Union.
If the Southern Pacific, which is really
the Central Pacific monopoly, is granted
privileges detrimental to the TeXas-Pacitic,
the nation parts with its great advantage OF
competition in the worlds commerce, and
also with part Of its liberty. That We may
understand how Unsuitable is this Central
monopoly, it is only necessary to learn some
thing Of its administration Of its present
monopolc>. \ correspondent OF the Chi
cago Times gives the following hurried view
OF it:
"'rhe Central Pacific established itself as
an absolute despotic monopoly upon the Pa
cifc coast by absorbing all minor modes OF
transportation. 1t owns every medium OF
transportation in California and the sur
rounding country, from wheelbarrOw up.
1t owns or controls every mile Of subsidiary
railroad track from Ogden to San Francisco,
and southeast into Arizona, with the cXcep-
ton Of two small roads, which will be COM
PEELED, sooner or later, to sell 1t their dozen
miles each, as all the others have had to do.
Thus it not only has a monopoly OF carriage
between the main respective tefInlnl, easI
and west upon the trunk, but it has mo-
nopoly Of carrying every pound OF freight
and every passenger from all points, more
or less remote, to the trunk and to each
other. Wherever it built little branch the
towns thus grudgingly accommodated were
compelled to give land enough TO pay the
entire cost. Instead Of becoming proprle-
tors Of the branches, the title passed to the
Central Pacific, and nothing remained for
thetowns except thankfully to pay whatever
outrageous prices the Central Pacific chose
to charge them for the use OF their own
gift.
"Here in San Francisco they own all the
ferries; they own the steamship line to
China they own the steamers away down
on the Colorado river; and the way they
got these steamers is an admirable illustra-
ton of the manner in which the monopoly
throws out its tentacIes and snatches. The
steamers were run by private enterprise
from the mouth of the Colorado river up,
until the Central Pacific calling itself the
Southern Pacitc) pushed on until 1t nearly
reached Fort Yuma. Then the manage
ment informed the owners OF the Colorado
river boats that if they did not sell out to
the railroad the railroad would put a line
of boats OF its own on the river, and fix
rates ut such figure rs would quickly
hit; ,,,}r