Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-04-13
THE CASE OF THE PACIFIC RAIL
ROAD


ROAD
We have given a large portion of
our space this week to Senator
Bailey's splendid argument in favor
of the bill reported by the Judiciary
Committee of the Senate, for COM
polling the Union and Central Pa
cific railroad companies to pay their
debts to the United States. 1t is
the direct pecuniary interest of ev-
cry reader of this paper that that
overgrown and hagrantiy dishonest
corporation should be tied down by
the most stringent laws to the full
fillment of its contracts; for so enor-
nous is the fraud which it openly
designs to accomplish that every
citizen of the United States would
feel the loss in the form of taxation
to cover its amount.
To give an idea of the brazen au
dacity with which the nefariOus
purposes of the company are urged
upon Congressman by its lobby
agents, we quote the following ex-
tract from Senator Edmund's speech
on the subject:
have seen the officers of the
companies in this very Senate
Chamber, ON the day bill was to
be up, distributing their passes with
an ostentatious impudence that was
amazing. / hope it did not affect
any Senator. | suppose it did not.
/ have seen fifty cents line paid to
affect legislation in the editorials of
newspapers. That is a very small
price now; that was in old times.
i suppose the present editorials are
paid for at rather higher prices.
But we shall find out by and by, by
an inquiry, if the two houses are
willing to direct it, and perhaps the
present Government directors may
be able to look after it little and
ascertain how much money has
been paid by these companies "to
protect their rights" as they call it,
ut this present session of Congress.
Not to any Senator or member of
Congress / beg everybody not to
misunderstood me. But to pursue
everybody in his house and appeal
to his personal friendship for this
director or that director, to appeal
to his interest in protecting his con-
stituent, who sold some bonds or
some other thing to excite his pref
udice, to mislead his Judgment
everything that goes to make unjust
influence upon legislation-may
have taken place to a greater or less
degree.
Happily the lobby members of
Congress are not in such good re-
pute as they were year or two ago,
and Senator or Congressman has
to give rigid account of himself if
he is seen in conversation with
them. There is an evil odor in the
lobby which is reaching the nOstrils
of the constituencies, and Senators
and members will do well to assure
themselves that they carry none of
it in their clothes when they return
home.
The purpose of the company is
nothing short of a fraudulent bank
ruptcy to take effect in 1890, when
their debt to the Government be-
comes due, and they openly avOw
this intention, defying Congress to
prevent it. The sum of which they
would thus cheat the people of the
United States is between $3.50, 000,-
900 and $14O,OOO,OOO, or in round
numbers about 81 90 from every
man, woman and child in the ma
ton. They avOw this fraudulent
purpose, we say, and defy the Gov
eminent to prevent it, and the pur-
pose of this avowal is to intimidate
weakened Congressman into what
they call compromise, by which
they would clear $40, OOO, 900; and it
is proposed that this compromise
shall assume the form of a proposal
from Congress to the company.
There is a healthy feeling of honest
disdain in what Mr.. Beck, of Ken
lucky, says of the proposed cOmpro-
mise:
1t is a proposition from Congress
to the railroad companies which
they have the right to accept or re-
ject after retaining it for four months;
it is a concession that we have no
power over them under all the reser-
VatiOns of the acts of 1862 and 1864.
1t might be very well for Congress
to consider a proposition made by
railroad companies, but it is I'M
worthy of Congress to make propO-
sitions, which we confess by the
very act of making that we have no
right to make and no power to en-
force, and which it is for them to
say whether they shall become laws
or not. II is oar business to make
lars, not TO propose bargains. Some
Senators think the companies would
accept it, some think they would
not. Nobody processes to know; we
are assured only of delay. / sup
pose they would accept it, as they
could save by it $45, ZOO, 900, which
they justly owe us, rather than take
the chances of the passage of the
Judiciary Committees bill or some
other measure which does not suit
them.
Whether he comes from North,
South, East or West, whether he be
Republican or Democrat, for or
against the President, the member
of Congress who trifies with this
subject will have heavy reckoning
to- settle with his constituents, for it
is the question at last come up in a
passable and tangible form whether
the people or the corporations which
they have created shall govern this
country.
THE PROPOSED NEW TARIFF-