Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-03-09
WHOLE NO. 2,22S.

so long in anticipation Of the exp
ration of the entire line. II wLltG
certainly be "A very harsh exercise
of that power, If Congress has II, TO
thus deprive company OF the aid
given which had struggled through
a great financial crises, and In good
faith had made every effort in its
power TO complete the work and all
Its sections as prescribed In the law
| The proposition TO declare this grant
forfeited comes from the Southern
Pacific, railroad company charter
ed by the State of California. Your
committee have no doubt that the
the Southern Pacific Is controlled by
the same parties who control
the Central Pacific. Sixteen per-
sons own the $36, ,763, 800 of report
ed paid-up capital Of the South
ern Pacific. All these persons
are shareholders in the Central
Pacific, except four. Four Of the
seven On majority Of the directors
of the Southern Pacific are share
holders of the Central Pacific. Near
ly the whole line of the Southern
Pacific is operated by the Central
Pacific. Your committee, therefore,
regard the proposition OF the South
ern Pacific, as evidenced by the bill
introduced and referred to this COM
mittee, as an effort on the part Of
the Central Pacific To defeat the
building of a transeOntinental rail-
way which will compete with that
line. The idea that the Central
Pacific should desire to build "A line
to compete with the one they have
already I'm operation Is one that can
not be seriously entertained until
we are prepared TO accept the pro-
position that shrewd business men
will work adversely TO their own
interest. Your committee would re-
gard the acceptance by Congress Of
the proposition of the Southern
Pacific as the death-blow 10 a COM
peting transcontinental railway on
the line Of the sd parallel. To give
the Central Pacific control Of the
western end of the Texas Pacific,
with terminal facilities on the Pa
cific coast, that mammoth company
now owning every other avenue to
the Pacific coast within the limits of
the State of California, would be To
defeat the main object Of the whole
enterprise, to wit, the building Of
great competing line to the Pacific,
under the supervision and control
of the Government. The PROPOSE
tion of the Southern Pacific, II must
be observed, while IL proposes 10
take the whole land-grant, does not
the building of the road
any farther east than the Rio
From that point, IL In
good faith they mean ever to reach
that point, they may seek connec-
tions to the northeast, with the At
Topeka and Santa Fe Road,
or southeast, with the Gulf OF Mex
leo. 1t does not propose 10 build 20
the Mississippi river, or to meet any
line now built to that river cOnnec-
ting with roads running TO the
Southern Atlantic ports. From III
Paso, the eastern terminus Of the
line which the Southern Pacific pro-
poses to build with the land-grant
which Congress IL asked to take
from the Texas Pacific, Is distance
of some six hundred miles. From
FL Paso to the Mississippi river l.
nearly one thousand miles. Should
the intervening gaps between III
Paso and the Mississippi be filled up
by private enterprise the question
would arise as to the power Of Con-
gress to control the private interests
In the corporations owning the in
lines, and thus the salu-
tary power Of Congress over a great
transcOntinentnl line
might be frustrated or rendered Of
no practical avail. IL would also be
a question whether Congress would
have any right to impress upon the
line or lines east Of III PasO, con-
'tructed with private capital, the
character of a military and postal
route, with preference 10 the Gov
ernment in their use.
BY its charter the Texas Pacific H.
and empowered to con
'truct a continuous railroad from
Texas, to San Diego. The
.ermini Of the road are thus fixed
the character Of the
'oad Is also fixed, TO wit, cOntinu-
JUS line between its established ter
mini, to be used, controlled, and
operated by one company. The
charter, after providing
hat a certain number OF miles shall
De built each year, the whole 30 be
i'm ten years, proceeds Ia
he words following: "And upon
allure to so complete 1t, Congress
nay adopt such measures as IL may
leem necessary and proper to secure
ts speedy completion. Now, un-
Ter this clause IL IL claimed that
congress not only has the right 10
axe away from the Texas Pacific
IS land-grant and give II toanother
company, but also To allow said 9TH
n company to change the character
If the road as one continuous line 10
% operated by one company be-
ween the termini named, and to
'hange the termini themselves. I'm
Ter the quoted clause no such right
AN be found. The power IL there
,iven, not to build another road Of
i different character and with diff
rent termini, not to have different
lines under the control
If different companies, but to take
necessary and proper steps 20 secure
he speedy building Of that identical
Dad, with It's eastern terminus at
Marshall and its western at San
Diego, the whole to be a continuous
inc operated by one company. The
of ithe Southern Pacific,
s embodied in the bill referred 10
'our committee, does not contem-
llate the construction OF q road To
IAN Diego and reaching the fine hRr-
,or there mt all, nor does IL cOntem-
late reaching Marshall, Texas, un-
ess the Texas Pacific, or some other
or companies, by means
# private capital, should build u
Dad westward to III Paso. Your
more than doubt the
egal right Of Congress TO do what
5 asked by the Southern Pacific,
md when the proposition Of said
Is offered as means Of
obtaining a great competing trans
line ON or near the 23d
your committee believe
hat the acceptance Of that offer
would most effectually defeat the
Of any such line.
Another question which your
would notice n the con-
Of the measure, on
which they do not propose 10 in
lumber this report with n lengthy
Whatever diversity Of
opinion there may have been In the
'arly period of our history as To the