Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-01-27
Letter Of Hon. b h. Martin.

" ASliiNOloN, january 49, 1919.
Hon. Gou. H. MoR,ti, Nprukcr If he Hons,
81 Dsisgut,s ~ Vest I',ryuijd:
Ny DENR SIR: learn, by a dispatch
in the newspapers, with some surprise
that our Legislature has passed resp
luton instructing the Senators, aud rr
uuestiug the Representatives, To vot,
Tor the Texas Pacific Railroad Subsidy
Bill ! am 81 confident that this mus
have been done inadvertently, or al
least upon "a very imperfect knowledg,
oI the iacts, that | venture tn address
YOU in regard Ia two or three points ou
the general subject, IN the hope that
YOU at least may not allow this decision
lo stand without better understanding
Oi the questions involved,
First IL should be- known To- 0uI
people that the Texas Pacific Bill, as re
poTI,,t from committee, calls tor the en-,
lurscment of the United States upon a
minimum amount at SIS, 10000 at tht
bonds 1T that company running fifty
years, and bearing i've per cent interest
in gold, thus binding the Treasury a.
pay out tn capitalists II ,937 900 Ia gold
annually, or an aggregate of nearly
S97 100000 in all, Tor interest. The
bonds are upon | 100 miles oi road aud
arr at the rate of S3O,OuOner mile ior the
easy portion, and 5,OOO per mile for
the harder portions uf the route. This
is moro than enough tu built and equip
the ruad at the present low prices Ui
labor AMI material, and u will leave =
large profit Ia the builders without n
uurIng them to put IN another dollar
ui their own money.
SecOnd. Col Scott, the President IT the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company aud OF
several tributary concerns between
Pittsburgh and Saint Louis, Il also
the President and Chief Manager ui the
Texas Pacific. There can De no doubt,
think, OF his purpose b. make the line
iron Northern Texas to the Pacific
subsidiary and subservicnt a. his ruads
north ii the Ohio river that is his
grrat motive ia getting up this sCEemo
to make the government build more
rna,lS Ia tetSi his OvergrOWn monopoly.
West Virginia has nothing tn hope Tor,
hat much to lose, by the adoption II
such a policy Neither Of the great
trunk lines which cross her territory
ne,,i expect IN get passenger or a car
load u fright destined tO or iron the
Far West, "a Col. Scntt and his allies
control bath the Atlantic and Pacific
euds Of the through line. They will be-
made 10 work into each Others hands
in spite Of statutory provisions No
set ii men in the country ought tO he
entrusted with so large and dangerous
power.
Third. II turns out that one other
company, AMI perhaps more, offer tn
hnild all that l. essential Of this same
Texas Pacific rna,i, either without ait
irum the government or With very
much less, as yOu will SEE by thu hin
ut senator Johnston. Oi Virginia, en-
cluSed herewith than,the sum asked
by this Texas Pacific Biil. For Ia
stance, the san FranciS,p end al this
SEND parallel mad across the continent,
Was originally required to b. built hy a
California company, aud that company
has already in operation a continuous
line fran that CITY nearly eight hundred
mik,s eastward to the interior OF AriEOna,
where il Is rapidly progressing, a mile
dsy, average, 81 track being laid. At
traCted by the rich silver ami gold
mines Ut Arizona, aud hacked by the
rich mines OF Nevada and California.
and her wheat fields, these capitalists
are nov constructing the western half
u this railroad line IN order to accom-