The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-04
NO SUBSIDIES TO sAILaoADs.
That ts q Business In Nhfch tAe 0sSerausent
should not EngsGe.

OF this obvious proposition. II may be both curl
Gus and profitable. at this timo. to inquire into
the standing Of some Of the chief benchciarics
OF former grants.
The city 81 Shreveport. Ia. Is the principal
eastern terminus Of the Texas Pacific. What
ever helTs the road helps Shreveport. Con
corning Shreveport II would he enough 10 say
that it owes nearly half n m illion Of dolars. aud
TINT more than half Of It's debt is ropudatod
Just t2CO. 600 of its liability was contracted for
the benefit OF the Texas md Pacific road. Bonds
to that amount. dated July 1. 1872, were issued
In payment for grounds to be used for depot
machine shops, &C., g.. On the 3ist Of Augpst
1872. one George Williamson was appointed to
net rs the ciiy's special agent in disposing Of
the bonds. Ninety thousand dollars were sold
to investors for hard cash ut nearly their
US security for sundrv louns thut have
never. been satisfied. But noiwitiistnnd ng
through her own agent, and for nm ample con
sidcrHtlOn. Shreveport has refused to pay either
prln'ipll or interest, althous,l shr nus not re-
funded ono penny shc got for them. Suit Is
now pending in the United States District
Court for Louisiana on large amount OF the
interest coupons from the bonds. and the city is
defending ON the technical ground that tho dclt
was not created by herself. and that she sold
her own ulauth9rlzed paper. ..,.,,
extending fora distance Of two hundred and
twenty miles from Shreveport in Louisiana to
madrsuhsrrlptionsu Of bonds for the benefit ofthc
road. many ~ which are in like manner re-
pudiatcd. These would all DO participants In
tho advantages Qfany Congressional appropria-
ton for the road.
Equally curious, and not Inappropriate. is It
20 see how cities that have been mos. largely
helped by Government grants Of money 10 rail
roads have dealt with the public by which tho
money has been supplied. Moving north from
Shreveport. the first uaca we come 90 that has
had such assistance Is Kansas City. in Mis-
souri,, the principal eastern ,tcrminus OF the
subsidized Kansas Pacific. Kansas City takes
care OF ~ own nominal indebte'iness. but II lies
In the township Of kuw. that has issued and got
pay for sl6O,OOO OF bonds, which II Icpudiates
aud In the county OF Jackson. which owes
1850 600 Of bonds sold 10y its own ngeuts. and
now contested on purely technical grounds
Kansas, CITY gets the principal benefit Of the
railroads and other improvements constructed
with the proceeds OF the bonds. taxes such inn
provrmcnts within her borders. and could, II
she wanted TO do SO. control both township and
county In tho interest Of municipal honesty.
She IL party to the reputation.
=, A short, distance from Kansas City on The
Kansas Pacific, and whore II Ia crossed
by anothcr railroad that has been literally
assisted byGOvernment. il the city OF Lawrence,
in Kansas. Lawrence now refuses to pny
$500 OOO ~ bonds that she hns put upon tho
market. ana sold, and Douglass County IN
which Lawrence IT,. pursucs tho same course
legally ana morally responsible
little further north Is Leayenworth. the
and also thu seat u Fort Leavonworih, where
millions on millions OF Government funds have
been distributed.
Tho bonded debt Of Leayenvorth City is half
mil lion dollars. and unpaid interest makes It
nearly MY per cent more. In addition the
in bonds. ON only a little over one-tenth Of which
Is interest paid. Tho dishonorcd obligations
81 L"avcnworth City and County are chiefly In
the hands OF persons whose taxes have helped
b. lavish the Governments bounty upon those
communities.
short distance north OF Lenvcnworth is Atch-
ison. the starting point Of the Central Pacific
Railroad which for 100 miles received the same
assistance from Government that the KEN
nSo an" of rT Sd rh ana isf
debt Of the city Of Atshison. not counting
lars and Of Atchison County 500 600
City and county are understood TO 10 willing 10
compromise with their creditors at iiltv cents
Just north Of Atchison Il St. Joseph. in Mis-.
souri,. the initial point III the ~. Joseph and
Western Ia abroad. which was magn inccntly en-
dow"d by Congress with some OF the finest
lands on the continent. 81. Joseph owes over n
million 81 dollars. and does not even pay inter
est on its school bonds.
And So il goes. The heaviest and boldest re-
pudiators IN the and are the communities that
have been most favored IN tho mnttrr Of Gov.
eminent railroad subsiiies. One reason. ~
course. i that getting money easily and with
out earning II. they have boen eXiravagant In
their expenditures. Another IL that their lnan-
cial administrations have been characterized
by a degree Of corruption almost unparalleled.
But how docs IL stand with the States that are
most clamorous for Government subsidies 90
railroads
No state appears To he more unanimous on tho
subject than Arkansas. Her REPRESENTATIVES,
whether In Congress or sO-called commercial
eoLvuniione. are solid for Government aid 10 the
IeNus aud Pacific Railroad and all other plum
Arkansas now owes the sum Of 81. $50 coz
besides Interest on the same, for six
years. on account Of bonds issued by
her soil not ono dollar docs she pre-
tend To- paw on these bonds. although they have
given her many miles OF railroad which she
taxes with great req uarity. She does not seem 20
compel the holders OF her bonds the benefit ~
whose money she enjoys with no effort or in
ieniion To repay any portion OF II. to assist in
building another railroad for her Improvement.
bonds tho proceeds OF which have gone into
lcvccs for the protection Of her overlooked
lands. These, ms she does not Ind Il convenient
90 out pay 'A'n S"0 proposes TO r'pud'a'o out and
She also owes the sum Of q 800, 900 principal
State bank bonds In which Uncle sam Invested
some ~ his surplus money as far back as 1898.
But although she does not ray one dollar she
does not hesitate TO ask that that Treasury shall
be depleted to the tune OF millions OF money for
Tho State Of Missouri is. likewise, enthusiasts.
Tie for the Texas and Pacific scheme. Missouri
had loyal Government during the war. which
was run by very radical Republicans. That
made her " favorite with Republican Con-
Crosses, and nt the close OF the war she man =
aged TO get government appropriations for nj
legged expenditures and services. amounting 20
several millions. that were In reality subsidies.
She still gets her full share OF the Government
bounty. Capt Eads's Mississippi Jctty Com
pnny Is ~. Louis concern. The Government
- building "A Custom House In -. Louis which
threatens TO rival the Tweed Court House of
New York, which 1t closely resembles in ap-
pearance. In costumes, and scandal. Nearly
everybody connected with ii has been under in.
dictlnent And last winter Congress Hpproprl-
nted $1,000 with which TO begin a public
building IN Kansas City. whore nothing OF tho
sort II needed, III the interest of jObbing Ring.
Tho people OF Missouri. wishing to construct
local railroads. have through their counties and
towns Issued about 10000 900 OF municipal
promises 10 pay that have boon marketed In
the Eastern States. So general has been the
reputation OF this paper that Missouri has ac-
Cured the reputation Of boing the "rohher
state. Yet the lssourinns think tho holders
OF their repudiatrd obligations ought TO max,
lurhrr contribution, through their taxes 10 the
HoWrnnunt. IN aid OF Western railroads like
the Toxins and Pacific
Another state that believes in Government
suhsldlHing railroads is Minnesota Mtnnrsotg
has Duluth and the Northern Pacific, 10 which
an Immensely valuable land grant has beer
given. Minnesota thinks the Government
should add few millions In money or bonds tc
her landed donation.
In 1898 Minnesota wanted railroads through
h.r territory, and To TINT end issued 81 PTS 30.
OF bonds, which were sold In the East Neither
principal nor Interest of tho bonds has beer
paid. Thrice have the people OF Minnesota b,
popular vote, declared for population Al
ihough against tho protest OF rrspurtail,
minority OF her ctilrns. Now Minnesota, want,
TIE holders of her bonds to assist in hp,piul