The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-02-05

for that object. Sec. II declares the origi-
nal and present object to be "a main trunk
line communication between the MISsi-slp-
nj River and Pacific coast. Certainly, II
was the original design, and To prom tie 1t,
the General Government made expensive
and numerous explorations 10 determine
the most practical route. The results were
published with maps, profiles, tables OF OBJ
servatfons, and reports on the veg, tation /
and animals of the different routes 50 n 10 I
Give preliminar, information TO aid in the +
selection of route. and invite capital to IN
vest i'm the construction OF the Indicated /
railway communication. Now how does +
this Bill with its amendmen's) provide for
the accomplishment OF the avowed design
With redundancy Of specification, prov lslon /
is made Tor commission OF Engineers 10
select the point on the Mississippi, where
the main truuk-line b. extension eastward /
shall connect with that river Ii limits the
field of selection 10 some point not North
of Memphis il establishes the standard OF
the work to be Gone it permits the c"mta-
nv to issue first mort gage bonds Tor the
contcm plated extension OF tie main trunk
line to the Mississippi River; Proutded
said morfga shall not be "iien on any
property. franchise or security pledged 10
| the Government ''ior the guarantee OF IN
terest on the bonds issued to construct any
| norton of the line betw cen Fort Worth ana
San Diego" Further it Is provided that
| this eastern extension shall be constructed
.twithout any guarantee of interest by the
| Government; and, with abundance OF eau
| ton that the authority OF the State or
States through which the line may be To-
called shall be obtained before the read
shall be built; and it is further required
that this part of said line shall be buIlt at
the rate of not less than fifty miles per an
mum. OF what value is it to give authority
| to the com pany to issue its mortgage bonds
without guarantee by the Government,
and with denial OF liability OF the other
and main portion of the company's proper
ty? AS well might authority have oeeh
| given that ANY one who chose might al bis
own risk buy these bonds. or what elect
| is it to prescribe the mum Der of miles which
shall be built per annum, after the several
contingencies named shall have happened,
| when 70 aid is to be furnished, and the
guarantee deemed necessary to make the
other bonds OF the company salable Is not
only withheld, but publicly refused?
Ifithad been declared that the aid OF the
General Government SHOULD only be given
TO that portion of the road lying in the un-
cultivabIe country, and that the fertile and
inhabited sections should be left to build
connecting branches wherever and when
eyer they should be CONNIE rcially demand
ed the position would have had the merit
of cand Or, and would have been not without
a reasonable foundation; but, as presented
| to us it looks too bare to be called delu-
| sive.
Is it made better by the proposed amend
ment to the inefficient section just con-
sidered? The palpable omission OF any
penalty for non-execution of the described
eastern extension of the main trunk line.
may have suggested the addition of the pro-
vision in the amendment to the amen
datory bill, (5enate, 942) by which
it is provided that a failure to com
ply with the requirements of the bill in
regard to the eastern extension "shall work
an absolute forfeiture of all right to the
guarantee of the government on the Interest
of the bonds to be issued FOR SO much of the
line as may remain unconstructed at the
time OF such DEFAULT Here we have an
other device for holding the promise to the
is no guarantee for the line of eastern ex-
tension, no forfeiture is there possible;
| therefore the reference can only be to the
guarantee for the road from Fort Worth to
San Diego. The time at which the work on
| the eastern extension may commence is to
be after the commission of engineers have
selected the terminus on the Mississippi
river and after the selection has been APP
proved by the President, and after the sew
eral States Immediately concernes have
given their consent. This last contingency
may involve the action of three State Leg
| islatures, and the authority may not be oh
| tanned, or, if it be, who can say when it will
| be obtained? If the railway shall be in the
mean time com pleted from Fort Worth to
San Diego, there is, neither in the amenda-
tpry bill nor in the amendment to it, any
penalty for failure to secure by eastern en-
tension connection of the main trunk line
with the lower Mississippi At least it is
! left to the ability and volition of the pre-
/ ferred contractor. What motive, then,
would the Texas-Pacific railroad, alias the
/ Pennsylvania Central railroad, company
/ have to make such connections No mate
/ rial aid is to be furnished them for that pur-
| pose. They have, by existing railways
| from st. Louis to Texas, convenient connec-
/ tions with the eastern end of the main
| trunk line; they have projected a more
/ special connection by ey tension of their
road from Vinita, so that connection be-
tween the eastern terminus of the "main
trunk line' and the lower Mississippi would
be a competing line, to be successful only
as it should divert freight and travel from
~
delphia that is to say. as it should injure the
owners.
Louisiana is now hopefully struggling to
build a railroad from New Orleans to
| Shreveport. This, when completed, will
give direct comm unication between the
emporium of the lower Mississippi and the
! projected trans-continental railroad from
northern Texas through New Mexico, Ari-
iona, and Southern California. With care
fully guarded and rigidly enforced regula-
tions against unfriendly discrimination, it
is easy to see that there will still be a de-
cided advantage for the cities to which the
Pennsylvania Central X r. and IFS depen-
denotes bear the nearest relation. If this,
be the consequence OF the capital and enter
prise of that company, one has a right
to complain, but the people may claim of
their representatives that personal prefer
ence for particular bidder shall not decide
q question Of such magnitude as this.
The inquiry naturally arises. why, if the
Congress could fix Fort Worth and San Di-
ego as termipi tor the western extension
was it necessary to adopt such dilatnfv and
contingent measures to e. the terminus on
tue Mississippi river; and why such formal
lty in determining the point, when no ade-