The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-02-02
THE aAIILE OF THE alAnTs.

The contest now going on over the
Texas and Pacific railroad IN congress,
or rather before the committee, may
indeed be called the battle of the giants,
On tho one side stand arrayed the peo'
Pile asking for q great public thorough
fare across the continent, 10 insure tho
safety Of their commerce, with not only
the Pacific coast, but tho far east, even
India, China and Japan They ask that
a hopeful competition may be given the
monster monopoly whose rates amount
to practical prohibition, and which has
turned aside the commerce ol the
world and forced IL by longer and
costier route 10 the oast They ask
for the Texas and Pacific bill, ~ u mat
ter Of simple justice TO u bruised and
broken section Of our country, They
ask IL in the name Of commerce, ad-
vancement and progress, They stand
marshalled in serted hosts, under q
leader who has conquered in many con-
tests of this kind, man renowned
throughout christendom as the ackowl'
edged head Of railroad enterprise,
On the other hand, they are conlrontN
ed by the very men who spoke the
Union and Central route, with the Cred
Il Mobilier and all It's attendant horrors
Of corruption aud thieyery into hcinR
These men have and control the one
solitary artery Of trade and commerce
which connects our eastern coast with
the Pacific, The government built the
road, and these mon have irickcd II
out Of oil control Of its operations ol
voice in fixing rates, Not only is COM
merce placed NJ the mercy Of II single
railroad management, but the governs
mcnt itself is bound hclplesaly to ia
car wheels II has been the dream Of
the people to furnish q competition
which will force this roOd TO reasonable
rates. These are the objects contcpded
for by the illustrious railroad mngnatcs
before congress,
Mr., {, i, Huntington, the brain and
nerve ol the monopoly IN before the
committee, Ills effort IL principally
directed 10 the task OF dianbu1lng "
the public mind of the idcn that the
southern route il part of the Union
and Central line, that it IL not in fact,
u simple continuation OF that line,
Huntington, the CrOckem Hopkins
and stamford own the Central and
control the Union Pacific These same
men own the Southern Pacific,
and Mr. Huntington has the oilront,
cry to tell congress and the nation
that they are building the lat.
ter rs check and balance TO the
former IIisattacE upon Colonel Scott ia
very weak, and helps to an argument
against hisroad. lie says Colonel Scott
has thriyen during his whole life by
rings and rail combinations, is now
deep in them, and that of all the men
in railroad affairs in the United States,
he is the last to be. entrusted with the
task of furnishing competing line
across the continent The value of this
statement will be understood whom we
reflect that Mr., IIuntinptons manage.
ment of the other route has resulted in
the adoption of such II rate as has
driven the commerce of both Europe
and America away from this the short,
est line TO the east, and sent it through
the Suez canal manyp. thousands of
miles farther. Can we trust him with
another route back to this side and
which will render hopeful competition
an utter impossibili,y for all time to
ocme? Besides, Colonel Scott proposes to
have the government fix the maximum
of rate to be charged.
But Mr. Huntington would sell ont
to Mr.. Scott could the latter give n suf.
iicient guarantee that he would
build the road 80 as to tap
the gulf and lower Mississippi. Since
when has Mr.. Huntington been known