Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-10-28

When Congress years aQo granted 70
Thomas Scott and associates valuable
land subsidy, the argument used in favor
of such grant vas that IS the Central
and Union Pacific railroads had mon
opoly of the carrying trade across the
continent a competing road was desir-
able. and in fact, an absolute necessity.
So the Texas Pacific Railroad Company
was formed. and to is was granted many
million acres of the public domain The
road was never built. The men who
owned and controlled the Central Pa
eifc railroad fought it tooth and nail.
md finally bought up what there was
left of il. Before this, these men had
conceived very large scheme, which
has since been carried out. This was no
less than the building of another road
across the continent through Southern
California, Arizona, New Mexico and
Texas to the Gulf Of Mexico. This road
has been completed. II was announced
With a grand foarish Of trumpets that
it would be baiit without subsidy or
other aid from the Government than
right of way. II has been 30 constructed.
From the profits Of the Central Pacific
now opened and in operation for
fourteen years. the four men who have
controlled it's management have built
another. It Ia not competing road. 1t
never will be while both the Central and
Southern Pacifo railroacs are owned
and managed by the same persons. Ii
was constructed TO shut Of competition.
Il vas built With moneys wrunR from
helpless communities by q system Of ex-
tortion, Discrimination and robbery,
the parallel o: which has never before
existed, and which We feverentIy hope
and have faith to believe will soon be
destroyed even on those lines. II was
built for the purpose of perpetuating a
commercial tyranny Of absolutely indie
scribable meanness and injustice, of
prolonging q system Of terrorism and
espionage. which IL instituted by the
Gar of Russia, would kill out Nihiiism
in q year. Il was built from ruinous
tolls exacted under forms of Law from
industries which il has we'll nigh de-
stroyed. 1t was constructed with mil
lions forced from the producer by ohsrg-
ing all the traffic would bear; by taking
so much of the value Of the products II
moved that the balance afforded barely
q living 10 the produces; By disofimin-
sting against . STATE, against cities,
towns. counties and persons. BY refusing
TO pay taxes, By eKtsrtionats local
tariffs, by bribery Of Legislatures, courts
and judges. In short. by practices
which In any other Government on
earth would have bsen impossible, these
managers succeeded in ten years In
drawing from the pockets Of the en-
forced patrous Of their road. money
enough to build longer line than that
which the people had presented them.
Surely this ought to be enough. Yet
now 10 aad them before the Secretary
Of the Interior, before the President OF
the United States, and will soon Gee
this Unsuitable management, this oyer.
bearing tyrannous eutooraoy in the per.
son Of q. p. Huntington, before Con.
Qress praying that ths lapssd land grant
Of the dsfunct Texas Pacific Railroad
be resurrected and transferred to the
Southern Pacific; that grant made fos
the soie purpose Of securing oompet-
ing limo be given 10 line and manage
mont formed for destroying o0mpeti.
ton. IL 10 monstrous The man or mon
who support In Congress, or elsewhere,
this last attempt at Wholesale robbery
OF lands which should be kept for citi.
zens and homes, deserve and will re-
oeive an exeoration not inferior 70 that
which has besu recorded Judas for eight.
sen hundred yeara Tho time has come
whom Wholesale grants Of public land
must cease. Especially ID this tho CASE
when the granting Of noh lands but
strengthens the ohains which have beer
riveted on large portion Of the western
country.