Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-04-27
Southern Pacific Railroad
Condemnation Of Subsidies,
The Texas and Pacific Railroad

NN"a
Public Credit.
The Texas and Pacific Railroad
SYNOPSIS OF THE MINORITY GEIl.;.
The Pacific Railroad COMMITTEES e !as at@se
having by @ vote Of seven g SIX sSsssG .> :"
port the Texas Pacific Bill tAYocAst .t"e =.
more OF the seven expressing tlsE desire ~
amend it, or defeat 10 On the 1-lF-.-s ~"-
ity members Messrs. Morrison lAr&sr> -a.
treIl. Blair, Rice and Hewitt la't sisted .-,E
views in a Report OF which the t1-NN-Gs @9
the material portions
We are unable 10 concur IN the view, OK i~S
mqiority of the committee, butdeSlre'Ae @SNE
tio1 by Congress Of such measures SsWl. Sc
cure the early construction Of q transcoa1-
mental railroad for the special use ami develop
ment Of the southern and Southwestern states
and Territories. We believe that this import
am object can be accomplished without subsidy
from the government, and submit the follow
ing views and the accompanying bill Tor the
consideration Of the House:
THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTHERN LINE.
The Texas and Pacific Railway company, a
a CORPORATION Of the State Of Texas, IN tue
year ISL was authorized by Congress to con
struct its read and telegraph from Marshall, III
Eastern Texas. along and near the thirty
second parallel Of North latitude, through that
state and the Territories of New Mexico ana
Arizona TO San Diego, asmall city on the racine
coast, en- the bay OF the same name, supposed
to be well adapted to commercial purposes, ana
having q population OF A, OUO 10 2'Oo0 Poople,
The distance from Marshall to San Dlegol IL
estimsted at 1874 miles by the authorities OF
the Texas and Pacific company, while those OF
the Southern Pacific company believe 1t to DO
about 100 miles greater.
Failing to meet these provisions, the IeAas aul
Pacific company has obtained by construction anu
purchase and has now in operation ALB miles OF
road, which enclose q parallelogram IN NorthtA5leru
Texas, having q base of lt3 miles, eNteudlhS from
Marshall to Fort Worth, now the western terminus
of the road, which only lsa part OF the truhk nue.
The remainder Of the 443 miles is 30 located as TO
secure the more valuable lands granted by the state
OF Texas, probably because the p~ecuillarye mnarass-
meuts of the company We're such lhat us circuit was
based chiefly ulou the granted lahus. lheIe Is
thus remaining of the trunk line between Fort
Worth and San Diego o distance OF l,49L miles upon
which nothing has been done.
or the ten years allowed by the charter within
which to complete this great work only ipur remain,
and a considerable portion Of one oil th@se must
elapse before the enactment of the desired ioEisIa-
ton ia possible, SiX-tenths of the time has been
consumed in the construction of less than one
eighth OF the trunk line, and that at the llstgriy
terminus, in close connection Win the great M'lu'e
system Of roads and the central belt OF states,
rather than with the Southern system OF roads ana
The corporation has fallen thus far short of the
performance Oh ls uuuyI.An,'t, ,riGs6ont rant ~
the alternate sections Of land for forty miles III
width along each side of its line, or eighty miles In
all, through lue oN'tt VI AtN.1,y T,,nit,rj'a ma In
the United states 'uro.bH tuo ~ %T' 4L H.
CahtorhlA, contingent upon u ''"'I""'' WV" '-
conditions OF tt EI"HN'
THE SUBSIDY DESIRED MORE THAN THE ROAD,
r,o ,ro1i, ~ uo Tsy,e and Pacific compauy was
,oria,,sl. i,o,,irrl before the manic of 1873, and
49, ~ innn.nra Ens stiI further declined. 1t
ai,,its H. reruuigry INABILITY. and assigns that as a
49,, Ton ~ fsG,i:, Il, romiIv with the conditions
ic"@ou -, a ~, 49, L 4. I, ,r iF
MP is-, anrI'rd to Congress for a subsidy Of
800, t,, ADO Nj in ohlftj3n toits land raut of %
ply 40 $50 IN ,r'yYs ma - OnO uOO in thn terri.
oEo,ug0 w., , - ,i lrn"' .nLsily If twice the nrobl bla
- I,ITun,t and .,1ippfur itg road.
~, - IL s,,o5 '. ,or oh,,oos ro ,,rr,
me aPplva'lou NC - 80 ol ,,i's
EdVuer Iu"h tio S"o'''uuv VI ~ Az" ~ r, a.,
Tor a guaranty Oh interest On S4o,uoJ q MIiu v Nv -
easier, anu etoo.V " u : ~ snn Il az 6To m,r rent
aoau, an n u sn " a 80 '''''0'''
Tbc hands Of tie government bearing four and a
half per cent. interest have recently been sold at
par in reiundang the national debt IL the PupuI
faith is kept and its credit unimpalred, the umel'
not remote when the government VIII be aole tl
effect loans at the rates OF three ana three ana
half per cent, az now paid by England. Inc IN
ference between the interest on these hFe per cent
Texas aud Pacnc bonds Tor hlty years ana tu'
bANAiAlAAg AA'"3 'A'NhA NNN
} pay on the same amount Tor the same time, Il
invested asst might be by the government ior Tut
: payment of its own debt, would amount 10 hucl
more than the cost OF the road, so ihat the govern
} ment would be far better on 70 Dulld Tue ROAD al'
give it to the Texas and Pacilc company outrl3h
than to guarantee the interest ON It's hye per cent
+ hfty-yearbonds, according TO It's request.
The total amount OF interest BuaFanteeu pS. VI
l government Wouiu II PAD mo u Filhlhs lun'
amount TO- mere thap OJ,OoJUCV IN MY YEAR., a. m,
! we are called upon 10 guarantee 'He payment VI w
= sum III addition 10 me Lroceeds Ui w lauu BlaI
IN order to ehaoIe the ltAasauu l4''Ac V'HPan! '
complete its road.
, We are opposed to all pecuniary sutslules an
/ guarantees by the government IN Wnateyer LOT
S ~ ~ Vtntn, " onsfructii0n In iina of reare mr.
s yata capital seeking profitable investment will ger
eraIlv promote commercial development quite d
fast as il consistent with safety and permaneI
, prosperity. If the men in charge ola merllorious ell
: terprise command the confidence Of capitalists, {
even the ton-easilv won trust OF the middle Classe
: there is no need Of calling upon the nation for sui
| slIies or rarantees.
=, ~ .a,.r,t,p, ,,c,pr, p,,rpo,n
" AHn -
The Southern Pacihc ltallroad company lsa co
r poration Of the state OF California.
This corporation has constructed us toh1 10 70
Yuma, On the Easterly bank OF the colorado 1--we
n in the Southwesterly corner of the Territory
Arizona, which it claims TO be the authorized POI
Z of connection with the Texas and ,Pacihc Road,
distance Of about 12O miles. Us track mas pee
luIl lAlbuEu hlA y hA" 'A"' H'H'" -
staclcs at the expense of about SdONVO,0oO, and t
O $50 miles of its southern portion passes through
desert and for lG4 miles nearest the Colorado wit
out an oasis. This road, built TO preserve the cha
ter, is of little value except for It's anticipated co
neCtions with the Southern States from which o
Is ing to the failure OF the Texas and Pacific compaI
to comply with the acquisitions OF law, IL Is III
more than l.20O miles distant.
! The road is already there with its millions
money invested oNera sandy waste upon ths go
q iaith Oh INT government tnaI the leAaS ana faei
,r heau snouIu Dc constructed 80 as 10 ,poeI J. at I
Colorado River or IN the event oil the taligle
lhat corporation 10 70 40 tllt congress Snouu u
d such measures as should enaple II 10 connect WI
4 the southern states oil the Uhloh'
VI POSITION CT THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY
The Southern Pacific Railroad. by force of 7
sbsolute necessity of ia serurin% Eastcrn comm
= tiora ne coon al noeeihle in oranr 10 nrnsoryn
d cani1ai is the o mi norty which bos 10Th me- NOW y
~. od H. disnositicn TO- TO- EyyiId this road - ~"
II nv" MI ~ Sortbborm Pacisn va" "1,nnanr i - ~ mo
K nosition to She oi,arautoa as%ei nv tbe Toyas {,
;r Ppocisc aast of t6n RIO Grnnde. mi caniamnIofi
- ~ aorttnaorcy ~ thc dental ~ g,arantoa ~ bo,
1t W M Tox9s aGSd psniso noTou,rS a%d tbo c UWl
q Unantt total co %II of 10 mn 5ertystirg sttro,oI -
-. sIistnJ t6,t instiIa renn;red thot thav should 10
bbaIJ in cSscSk nuaitin5g he result ~ cortinnod nv
is n metu 40 ~ 30 IN T Tort, sn nLI pac;So coTanan' to ~
T "oo ~ os ce az a tb Snu ,aton yi HJI"r ,Iihicy, 10 -,
J form What tho Southern Pari6c was ready IN do Il
Ol raJistelv for Tho land Grant alone
O Mi bis hin tho Teyas and pacific comnanv r
~ looted The only argnmen entitled IN weigi
4 in orr oninion, was t6at The sonthern Pacific, 20
~ Meeting with Ina ocean at San Francieco n
n beving Intimate business relations with he Cant
W pacise Railroad. might enter into comlrnatio
v n,itb tbot cornoration against tho nphlic intere
: VA W. tSat tSo ppJvantages of con'neHtinn md Of
on connection NJ S,n Diego woriJ Than
a. Iost.