The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-01-16
letter from Hon. HI. I'D. Money ON
nRne SOaGherm Pacific Rail.
rOad Question.
w1NoNA, MISS. Jan. 5, 1878.


perate assaults made upon the bill to
authorize an extension Eastward OF the
Southern Pacific Railroad Company's road,
introduced December Is, 1877, by me, to
place before the public the distinctive fea-
lures of the propositions to secure railroad
to the Pacific on the 32d parallel, and my
reasons for the bill / have placed before
Congress.
There are several bills before Congress
for the promotion of the speedy completion
OF such a road, but substantially two prop
ositions: one to permit no competition nor
CO cooperation in the building OF the road,
but to give the job to the Texas and Pacific
Railway Company, whether it is able to DO
the work or not, and as that company says
it is not able, then to guarantee by the L.
s. Government the interest at per cent.
per annum, in gold, on bonds of the COM
pany to the amount of $4,000 per mile
from its Western terminus, near Fort
Worth, Texas, to San Diego, California, ex-
cept for about $50 miles for which interest
on bonds for $35, 900 per mile is to be guar
anteed. Interest is also to be guaranteed on
bonds at SIC, 600 per mile on several branch
roads, one of which (about GOO miles is to
connect the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad
beginning at st Louis and running to Vim
tia In the Indian Territory, with the Texas
Pacific at the Tooth meridian of longitude
near the line of New Mexico. Repayment
of interest is to be made by calrying mails,
soldiers, supplies, ETC., etc. This PROPOSE
ton is that # the road is not to be finish
ed it is to be done by the Texas and Pacific
Company, and as that company says that
il cannot build without the above named
assistance of the Government, its advocates
look no further than the Government aid,
and If it fails to get that, there is to be no
road or in other words, it seems more de-
sirable that Tom Scott should have the
building of the road with Government as
sistance), than that the road should be built.
The other proposition is that in order that
the road shall be built, and built as speedily
az possible over the 1900 miles between
Fort Worth, Texas, and Fort Yuma, Ari-
iona, that the energy and capital of another
company whose ability to do the work is
not only acknowledged but demonstrated
by the 720 or more Miles already finished
inside the time fixed by the law, from San
Fancisco to Fort Yuma, shall be engaged.
In this way the road from San Francisco to
Omaha was finished more than two years
earlier than the time fixed by law. The
Union Pacific building from the east
and the Central Pacific from the west,
the stimulus of competition quickening
the efforts of the two mpanies TO almost
superhuman activity. The last proposition
does not ask the Government to guarantee a
cent of the bonas of the Southern Pacific
Road, which it brings in to the field as a
worker in completing this great thirty sec
ond parallel route. The reader may ask,
very naturally, what objection can be urged
to this proposition? 1t does not ask for any
thing except the lands asked for by the
Texas and Pacific,and which have been ded-
fcated by the United States to the building
of this road, marked upon the maps of the
Interior Department and withdrawn from
the market; it asks no Government guar
antee of bonds; it proposes that both COM
panies shall build until they meet, but
names ElPasso as the most probable point
OF junction. The bill introduced by me
provides as carefully as possible to have the
road built in the shortest time There is no
infringement of the rights of the Texas Pa
citie in the Territories, for it has forfeited
by failure to build as required, and, besides
1t could have no title to lands along the
route until its road was built, and it has
not yet acquired title to a single acre be-
cause it has not built a single mile. To
prevent the high price of monopoly the bill
provides that each road connecting shall
carry passengers and freight at the same
70 mill nd CHI affO oh, Gao .;
to each other as will secure the accommo-
dation of a continuous route to trade and
travel.
am unable to understand how South
ern men who really wish the road can OPP
pose my bill. The trouble is not to find
reasons for it, but to find reasons against
it; it secures what we want and more
quickly than by any other way proposed.
Ny position is just what it was in the 1st
and ID sessions of the 44th Congress. am
and have always been willing: to vote for
the Texas Pacific bill If its managers will
strike off the help asked for the Vinita
branch. That l never will vote for, and
for this reason, il finished as proposed to
the Tooth meridian in Texas to connect
with the trunk lire, it will be the shortest
connection with st. Louis and Philadel-
phia. Tom Scott controls and manages
over 5000 miles of roads converging at St. |
LOUIS and Philadelphia; as business man |
and good railroad manager, he will not |
drop freight aud passengers not quite half
way across the continent to be picked up
by rival lines when he can carry all the |
way across the continent to Philadelphia. |
With that connection secured We
would have road built in the
name of the South as compensa-
ton for the aid given Northern
roads and yet virtually a Northern road
taking away from our Southern cities the
rich trade of Asia and the Pacific Slope for
which we are now longing. The Southern |
Pacific Company owns no road east of the |
Mississippi river. What 1t wants is the |
nearest water base and connections with |
Southern lines of roads. The capacity of |
southern California for wheat production
Is only limited by transportation, with this
road through to New Orleans, Vieksburg
and Mem phis, the grain trade would be i'm
mense. The copper of New Mexico now
paying SIS per ton freight, and ship
ped Havana would come to our Southern
cities. These advantages of the road, how
ever, are too obvious for presentation.
1t has been objected to the Southern Pa
ciHe that Huntington IL a monopolist II
might be difficult to establish that. Ii he
is, because he has stock in about 1000 miles
Of roads, what is Col. Scott. who controls
over COCO miles Of roads? But as far as mo-
nopOly Is concerned, the bill provides against
monopoly prices. Then 1t is said that
Huntington will not bnild. Why should
he note Is Il TO his profit to build road
70 Fort Yuma, over 200 miles to nowhere,
and dnd no business? About $50 miles fthe
last built,) Is over an alkali des.