Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-02-09
Argument by ThOs. 4. Scott and
GOV. John q. Brown for the
Texas Pacific.
/. d. 4.

The argument ofthe Texas Pacific
railroad was resumed on the 18th
ult.. before The House Committee on
Pacific Railroads. Mr.. StOrrs hav-
ing finished his statement of the le-
gal points upon which the Southern
Pacific of California desired the
right to- build through FL PasO,
GOV. JOHN {. Brown, vice president
of the Texas Pacific road, discussed
fully the broad general questions
which had governed the policy of
the Government in aiding the con-
structiOn of commercial highways.
The Texas Pacific, ne said, had
built already 40 miles Of tha road
without Il dollar of aid frurI the
Government, and justice required
the extension of the aid asked by it,
a. the Union and Central Pacific
companies lad secured Sd, 100000
of bonds and :J3,0O0.WD uf acres of
land. the Northern Pacific T,OO0,-
600 acres and the Texas Pacific only
S,OOO, 600 Of acres, nc norton of
which could The latter receive I'M
til after il had buiit I.Hl miles
through Texas.
Thomas \. scott, President Of
the Texas Pacific, briefly reviewed
the grounds upon which Govern
ment aid " Is asked and the advan-
tageS which the Government and
people would secure througha COM
peting line. lie showed that with
the present price of labrr and ma
terial and ability to market the
bonds Mt par, which would he Sc
10 auIa,.-n
ment of the interest thereon, the
whole amount of annual interest to
be paid out of the annual earnings
Ofthe line would be less than 81, 0O0,-
600, while the present transcOnti-
mental line has to cover more than
four times that amount. He further
claimed that under the plan pro-
posed, the interest would be paid
each six months by the Texas 81 Pa
ciiic Company, while the sinking
fund would gradually redeem the
principal, and leave the road ulti-
mately without debt. Under the
power reserved to the Government
TO regulate rates so as to take care
of the actual capital, these rates
would annually be reduced to the
great benefit of the Government
and the people, and that the Gov
eminent alone would save three
millions yearly by the building of
the road, more than the entire in
interest on the bonds, if it never earn
eel cent. Mr.. Scott claimed that
the Central Pacific Company had no
intention to build Il line to compete
against themselves, but merely Off
cred to build the road To prevent
its construction. They were not
bound to build a mile, and if their
bill passed, could simply sit still six
years, and in that time mOnOpOlize
the entire traffic across the CONT
nent, and he taxed as one route, as
they were doing now. without an
action. The Texas Pacific Com
pany had spent SIC, OO0, 600 in good
faith. and had il not been for the
panic of 1873, would have had the
whole line nearly completed by
this time, Gnd under the aid pro-
posed would complete it by the
wear 1881. Mr.. Scott closed with Il
strong appeal to the committee to
- look at the question, not in the
light of technicalitieS, bIt on the
broad ground of the interest to the
WlOic country, anu tNDtS>'Su HIS
conviction that every member of
Congress who aided in securing this
great highway on the basis of jus
tice To the people and the interest
of the Government, rs a competing
line between the two oceans, would
in after years regard it as one of the
proudest achievements of his poll
iical life.