Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-01-18
~ Sugelts 8erala.
Pacific Railroads.
new York SUM-

New York sum-
n II not the business of our Gov
cFument TO build railroads; and
nof<uDtion and waste Invariably
1sllo8 al connections of Govern
1sont With private corporations.
U11sr Was pressure the Union and
( []ot1trni Pacific Railroads were con-
otrooted st public expense for
u(ivnts benefit; and now they con-
I1l1uto huge monopoly, plunder-
M tho commerce of the country
'uifh = greed snspasslng that of the
{hor OF the horse leech. The
~6ondals attending the building of
1heae railways. which besmirched
&ho characters Of many prominent
men. are too well known to require
any new comment here.
Several years since the Texas
+ E1cffic scheme, s0-called, was
brought before Congress by Col.
Tom Scott. 1t contained all the
Credit MobilIer denominations of
thd Union and Central. Useless
branches, doubling the mileage
and cost of the main line, were
&sked for; and Inside construction
oompanies would have reaped a
fich harvest. This scheme has
been repudiated by Congress re-
peatedly and wisely; and we are
now Informed that Tom Scott's
!. original plan has been largely
th0fn Of its more Objectionable
features, though we are not ad-
vIsed Of the details of the bill
which has been prepared in his be-
halt; but 60 far as he is concerned,
Il makes little difference what
fhey are. Not a cent of the public
naoaey should be given to him.
Yet the South, with prostrated
Industries and recently ravaged by
{ pentiIence, calls loudly for aid to
1oCare BOn1e share Of the transcon-
& tinentaI trafflc. A benefit to South
ern trade means benefit to all,
and equity would seem to demand
patient hearing for the claims Of
that portion Of the country, pro-
ylded they are brought forward
under appropriate and reasonable
conbitions. And while we hold tG
the opinion that no Government
s eubsidy, even in the form of LOAF
Of the public credit, ought 10 bt
granted; we have no objections t
teliing our Southern friends wha
are the necessary limitations with
In which alone their application
night properly be listened to ant
considered.
I. II there Is TO he any loan o
Government credit, 1t must be rig
or0usly restricted to the trunk lin,
from Fort Worth to the Pacific. M
branches whatever can be includ
ed.
5 III. One-fourth of the cost of con
struction and equipment must b,
paid by the company out of its ow.
aetual capital.
Ill. The real cost of the worl
must be ascertained by officers o
the United States Engineer Corps
appointed for that purpose, and tli'
Government aid must be confines
TO three.quarters of that cost.
~. Tie Government must holt
4 first mortgage on the road ant
plant.
v. All the public lands grantee
must revert to Government contro
a 30 as to be sold to actual settlers.
vi. All earnings for Government
tFansportati0n must be retained il
the Treasury.
We think that bill carefully
drawn and containing these fea
tu,S aud really presented in be
han cf the southern people and a
an antidote TO Jay Gould's monop
oily, would be entitled to respectful
consideration; and in Difference t.
. large public sentiment it shoult
te thoroughly debated. II defeated
IN It's merits. IA troublesome qnes
s lion will be removed from Con
gress; and then our fellow-citizens
Of the South cannot complain that
they have been refused hearing