Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-08-11
THE SOUTHERN RAILROAD TO
THE PACIFIC.
The Law and the Facts.
San Diego (Cal.) Union.

Il The Law and the Facts.
J San Diego (Cal.) Union.
The San Francisco Alta lately
: published the following editoria
paragraph:
The Southern Pacific Railroad was
} completed to the Colorado river on
} the 9th inst, on which day an ex,
cursion train from this city went
: through to Yuma, and to-day regu.
: lar traffic will begin. The road is
built far in advance of the demands
of trade, and if Southern California,
Arizona and Northwestern Mexico
should now rapidly rise in popula-
: ton, trade and wealth, a consider
able part of the credit will be due to
: the Southern Pacific Company,
which has thus pushed its own track
across the Desert to the boundary of
Arizona, which, in 1870, had less
thans 10000 inhabitants. If the
company, after such proofs of its en-
terprise as are furnished by the eX-
penditure of about $20,000,000 upon
such a route, should now solicit from
Congress permission to build east
ward through Arizona we do not see
how that body could, with any pro-
priety, refuse for the sake of granting
the privilege to the Texas and Pa
cific Company, which, after promis-
ing much more, has for years done
nothing.
If Congress should grant permis-
sion. to this "Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company of California" to build
eastward through Arizona, Congress
would commit a gross outrage upon
the people of the United States, as
we shall briefly show beyond the
possibility of contradiction.
In the first place let it be dis
tinctly kept in mind that the "South-
ern Pacific Railroad" here spoken
of is the property of the Central Pa
cific Railroad Company.
When the general government
adopted the principle of aid to trans
continental railways, it was the clear
and never-questiOned understanding
that more than one railroad to the
Pacific should be built. Three lines
were to receive aida northern line,
a southern line, and central line.
! The civil war occurred at the time
! this governmental policy was about
to be put in practice, and as a cOnse-
| quence only the central line was
constructed. A land grant was,
however, made to the 'northern"
line, which land grant was subse-
/ quently increased enormously
About the close of the war the
southern" line was brought forward
for aid. After severai years of effort,
during which the Union and Cen
tral Pacific Railroad Companies put
forth all their power of opposition,
an Act was passed by Congress to
aid the construction of a southern
line to the Pacific, to be built on the
sd parallel-and a grant of lands
was made. That Act provided
'"That the Texas and Pacific Rail-
way should be constructed and main
tanned as a continuous line, from
Marshall, Texas, to ships channel IN
the Bay of San Diego, California,
and that the company empowered
to construct the road should pursue,
in the location thereof the most di-
rect and eligible route as near as
might be tie 32d parallel ofnOrth Gat-
Httde."
1t was not plainly declared in that
Act
"That no consolidation or combi-
nation should ever be made between
said Texas and Pacific Company
and any competing line of railway
to the "Pacific." The purpose of
this provision being, beyond any
controversy, to make the Texas and
Pacific Railway a distinct, indepen-
dent, competing line between the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans"
1t was also provided
"That, upon the failure of the cor
pOratiOn therein designated to so
complete said Texas and Pacific
Railway" that is, to complete it
according to the requirements of the
law, as an independent, competing
line, through to the Pacific at San
Diego. Congress should adopt |
such measures as it might deem nee |
essary to secure its speedy compile
tion."
1t was further provided in the
last section of that Act
"That, for the purpose of connect |
ing the city of San Francisco with |
the Texas Pacific Railway, the |
Southern Pacific Railway Company |
of California should be authorized to |
construct line of railway from a
point at or near Tehachepe Pass, by |
way of Los Angeles, to the Texas
Pacific Railway at or near the Colo
rdolO riUer."
This last section was added to the |
Act by Senator Stewart, of Nevada, |
who was a close friend of the Cen
traI Pacific Railroad Company. 1t |
gave that company the privilege Of
tapping the through line from the |
south at Yuma, on the Colorado, |
and diVerting as much of the through |
business as it could over its branch, |
called the 'SOuthern Pacific" run
ming by the great interior valley to
San Francisco: 1t was a section /
that Congress ought never to have
permitted to go into the Act, be-
cause the original charter Of this
Southern Pacific Railroad of Cali
fornia" provided that its line should /
be built from San Francisco dorm
the coast to connect with the Texas
Pacific Railway at San Diego; and
this change Of route, from the coast /
to interior, was q great wrong to the
coast counties ofSOnthern California.
But, however this may be, the sec
ton is in the Act.
Now, under the above cited law
of Congress, the Texas and Pacific
Company was organized, and COM
menced to build the road. The
people of the whole country, repOs-
ing confidence in the purposes Of the
Government, have made invest
ments and undertaken enterprises
dependent upon the construction of
this road according to the require
ments of the law. The people of
San Diego, never doubling the good
faith of the Congress of the United
States when pledged in the solemn
form of public law, entered into an
agreement with the persons who
were designated in the Act as the
builders of the road, conveying to
them valuable franchises and termi-
nal facilities, and thereby incurred
a heavy bonded Indebtedness which
is lien upon all the property of the
city. Very large private invest
ments were made upon the same
basis.
The Company began to construct
its road eastward from the Bay of
San Diego, and was engaged in gra-
ding. when the financial panic of
1ozt5 ooo,,r.ad oud ita COaratiOpe !