Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-04-07
railway specuiNalons.

when Congress will deliver its
judgment on Tom Scott's Texas
Pacific Railway guarantee. Last
Summer we put ourselves on record
that Scott would develop more en-
ergy and show more strength in
the present Congress than in any
preceding one. This is his last
Congressional effort. If he fails
now he falls forever. At the same
time we proclaimed our belief that
lad not solitary chance of sue
! unless he patched up a COM
promise with the Southern Pacific
Railway. We intimated doubt
Of the ability of Scott and Stanford
together to put through a Demo-
cratic Congress any of their pet
measures. We entertain that doubt
still. We certainly do not believe
that Scott alone can do it, under
any circumstances.
There 10 just now a lull in the
battle. It may prove to be that
the combatants are composing
their differences, and that = COM
promise will be evolved resembling
the Scott-Huntington negotiation
Of 1872, by which the Pennsylvan-
ian agreed to buy the Southern Pa
cific. These gentlemen assaulted
each other with remarkable feroc-
ity before the House Committee,
but their hard blows were deliv-
cred in strictly Pickwickian sense.
They are ready to eventuate in the
most gushing friendship should
such q course subserve their mutual
interests.
In view of possibility of that
kind, it is just as we'll to give a
passing attention to the provisions
of the guarantee which Scott is
seeking to get through Congress.
The long suffering people of San
Diego assume, as a matter of
course, that if the guarantee is
passed the road must be built to
their bay. In this they may prove
to be reckoning without their
host.
It should be borne in mind that
Col. Scott's original plan con-
templated Pacific terminus at
San Francisco for the Texas Paci-
fic. He was afterwards forced to
make San Diego his nominal Pa
cific terminus, but he avoided this
difficulty by discovering that 1t
was commercially shorter" to go
to San Diego by way of the San
Gorgonio Pass. The agreement
which he made with Huntington to
purchase the Southern Pacific
shows just what milk there was in
that "commercially shorter route'
coacoanut.
The fact stands to-day that any
one who will read the bill Scott is
seeking to put through Congress,
can discover in it no guarantee that
he will ever build the road on the
direct route to San Diego. Its lam
guage is nicely contrived to admit
OF a compromise with the Southern
Pacific Railway, i. e., the purchase
OF the latter roadway by the Texas
Pacific. The phraseology Of The act
directs Scott to build so many
miles yearly westwardly from Fort
Worth and SO many miles yearly
eastwardly from San Diego. No
penalty is provided for the failure
to build these stipulated sections of
read. On every ten miles of COM
pleted road he receives his issue of
guaranteed bonds. The penalty
comes In ii he fails to build con-
tinuous line to San Diego within
six years. The penalty is a pecul-
lar one. In the event of such fail
ure the Congress of the United
States may authorize somebody
else to build the uncompleted Sec
tions of the road. Thus the case
stands: Surprising that, In the six
years, Scott should have built from
Fort Worth to Yuma, to the point
of connection with the Southern
Pacific Railway, he could stop at
that point and the Congress of
the United States might authorize
somebody else to build a railway
from Yuma to San Diego on the
direct route. 1t would not be
very inviting speculation, how
ever.
In this view of the case, Scott
might get his subsidy and might
purchase the Southern Pacific Rail-
way, building only to Yuma. In
that event San Diego would get
branch of the road from Cotton, or
m extension of the Santa Ana
branch Of the Southern Pacific.
or course, this is all the merest
speculation, but it is hypothesis
with q strong shade of probability
EtRIorlui r ~ r ali ouIi thara ann, -,
pear to b, a CESSATION of the hostil-
tty between Scott and Huntington.
10 the Southern Pacific managers
build the road themselves
10 the Rio Grande they would re-
gard their Investment as a very
poor one.
Meanwhile, all arrangements
LbaL cOu1d uosaibly ba antarnd into