National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-05-06
AGAINST SUBSIDIES.
Important Change In the Views Of a
Railroad King,
An Interview with Colonel Thomas A. Scott
"A Mistake for Government TO Aid ANY
Railroad An Editorial Viow-
Time for tho Railroad system
to Take Care OF itself-
Southern Pacific,
Private Enterprlsc VS.. Lobby Influence.

money with which TO build railroads In this coun-
try and 1t is gratifying to find It's position strength
cned by the adherence OF Colonel Thomas A. Scott,
one of the chief railroad mngnacs in the country,
to this policy In late interview on the subject Of
railroads, which appears in the New York Tribune
of Tuesday. he says;
"whcn 1 was before Congress for subsidy Mr.
Reld's paper opposed me That was all right /
am very glad we did not get IT, We are better for
piled FOR aid because thought that was an
economical way to build road. do not think SO
now The Government should not grant aid to
any road. II Is mistake
ibid the idea over occur to N,u favoraely OF the
Government obtaining control OF the railroads OF
the countryY
ut would be the greatest mistake possible both
for tho railroads and the Government The Gov
ernmcnt could not run them; There are too many
They are to day Just beginning 10 fulfill the prom
ises made III 1875, especially IN the West"
DO you think the railroad future OF the country
will be unfayorably affected 10y the present tend
ency to Capitalization of power, the one-man con
trol?"
The New York Evening Post Of Tuesday has the
following able editorial on the same subject.
TWO RAILROAD SUBSIDIES.
Commenting the other day on bill introduced
in Congress to create with tho proceeds of the sales
of certain public lands fund IN aid Of the Pa
cifc Railrond SYSTEM" we said that 1t Is time to let
TINT system take care OF ITSELF" and that If more
transportation facilities are needed 't ought to be
easy 10 build at private expense the roads which
u
feature of the bill referred to was that II declared
forfeited all railroad land grants which hnd not
been earned by construction according 70 the terms
of the subsidy acts ii this had been ALL the bill
would simply have affirmed what ought TO be the
future steadfast policy of the Government. 1t
went further however and in effect renewed these
grants by applying the proceeds OF the land TO the
benefit Of the several railroad companies. Two of
these. the Northern Pacific Company and the Texas
| a. Pacific Company would probably not be salts
fled even with this liberal and paternal arrange
ment: and their agents are urging upon Congress
the passage of bills extending the time for the COM
| pletion OF their roads and renewing their land
! When the United stntcs began to form partner
| ships with carrying companies across the CONT
nent the plausible argument i'll support OF the
proceeding was that ii was important for the Gov
| ernment and for the people of the whole country
| that easy and speedy communication from ocean
| TO ocean should be established that the undcrtak.
| ing was too large for unaided private enterprise
| and that unless the help asked for was given the
| road would not be built. However strong this ar.
| gumcnt may have been in behalf of the original
line 1t manfestly loses much of It's force when ap-
piled to additional lines. II indeed II docs not alto
| aether fail The public safety and the popular
| necessity were satisfied by the establishment OF
| ans.contnental communication. The question
| of further facilities in the form of competing oil
more convenient routes, might well be left to be
settled by commercial Interest and enterprise. The
plea of necessity and safety was no longer availa-
BILE. That new lines were not then needed is PROVED
by tie fact that although sectional and other in
nuencos were successfully employed TO induce
Congress to aid northern and southern route
| -Ns'N'
any serious movement In the work.
On the other hand now that efforts arc making
10 secure an extension of time and 10 save lapsoI
land grants, the evidence is abundant that private
enterprise may be trusted TO build the roads which
are needed. The case OF the Texas & Pacific Com
pany is IN point A bill now before Congress gives
the company six years further time TO complete III
road from Marshall Tex, TO the Pacific ocean. anC
of course reyiyes aud continues the grunt of land
% COO acres for every mile of road subject 10 thC
right of actual settlers oil such land to purchase
certain quantity thereof Mt Il fixed price, The com
pauy has constructed about ono.seventh of IL
road from Marshall westward and for this auC
for the remainder of its road yet to he built wthil
Texas It received from that state large quantit!
of valuable land. If the bill should be passed tn
effect of the law would be 10 confirm the grant
the company of public lands beyond the state o
Texas, on the line from FL Paso TO the ocean, TN
includes lands on the line as laid down across tn
whole Territory of Arizona, where not spadeiu
of earth has been turned by the company or sin
gle thing done to perform the agreement oy Whlcl
But this is not the whole Of the case. Across tn
Territory of Arizona railroad has been nearl
finished. The Southern Pacific Company has la
| its tracks substantially parallel with the route Q
the Texas Il Pacific Company. and not far from tn
tracks of the latter Gompany,ifis its tracks are eve
| put down Rt ALL 1t Is asserted on good authorit
that within 200 days the southern Pacific Will hay
Its road in running order from Yuma, at the wes
err line of Arizona, to FL Puso at thI western lin
of Texas. Several questions occur here which seer
to answer themselves. Is another and parable
and neighboring road across Arizona needed
connect the East and the West? Is there any cor
cOivable ground OF public policy upon which n
Government can be asked to grant subsid
| TO build n railroad where one Is already built
, | Has the theory of popular necessity and pull
J lie safety any application to this case? The 0rgu
mont for railroad subsidies is that they Will ope
new regions for settlement by our thrifty an
energetic population and contribute to the wealt
of the Nation the products OF hitherto unoccupie
| lands but what becomes OF the argument Whel
| the regions are already OpenedY Does not no con
| tention grow ridiculous when 1t is seen that IN
passage Of the bill will actually postpone the ocer
patton of the lands TO which our eager populatio
| 10 oI I'M tod
already built ? Finally, is not the crownng Ut
surdity fastened upon the whole discussion by Oh
fact that the road already built has not cost IN
Government an acre OF land, and that not an acr
is asked for ii, while for the read which Is NJ
built the Government Is asked to give millions {
ncres? The Southern Pacific Company opposes III
| bill Naturally enough II does not desire 10 Ell
| counter a rival in the field which II has alre0d
worked-a rival which shall receive GovCrnmel
mid where itself secures no aid. The reason is
selfish one; but IL is not often thai corporate sesl
ness is supported by public considerations Z
,, The case Of the Northern Pacific Company
scarcely less ilagrant This company has built abot
one.quarter Of its road; but while " has neglecle
the greater part and suffered its land grant 10 laps
another and an unsubsidized company has bui
upon the western end of the route, and private er
terprise It is understood, is prepared to continu
, Inc work That such thing is contemplated
shown by apreposterous provision IN the exlehslo
bill to this ELECT
Northern Pacific Railroad Company Of any rallroa
D or part of any railroad Of standard gauge now G
that may hereafter DC, constructed on llle inc
its road from wRllula to Portland, 10 that the sam
shall be available as part thereof shall be deeme
a compliance with the provisions of this act and
its charter and the joint resolutions of Congre
: amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto /
> like manner and effect and to all iutents and pu
poses, as il such purchased or acquired railroa
or part ofrailroud had been constructed by It,"
y PrepoSterous Is the only word that will properl
describe this provision. II Congress passes III
bill II will stultify itself by saying substantially
n Northern Pacific railroad is a public necessit
Private enterprise is unable 70 build 1t, Therefor
the Government will help IN the work. But
private enterprise should build the road or an
| part of It, and SO contradict the assumption upo
y which aid Is granted, and II the Northern Pacit
: Company should buy this road or part OF ron
+ and SO oagaiu contradict the assumption the Cover
: ment will still pay the Northern Pacific in lar
4 | for the road which II has bought although Il
capacity of private enterprise TO perform the wo
| has been twice demonstrated, and the only grour
| upon which we pay at all has been cut from b
| meath our feet II is hard to say which propOs
| is the more mOnstrOns-to pay tho Texas Pacii
3 for building II road whero one has been bu
+. already or TO pay the Northern Pacific for buyil
d a road already built.
Both proposals ore so monstrous that Congre
Z would not hesitate moment 20 reject both II Il
Il public interest and not the influence Of the lob
| controlled legislation at Washington,