Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-02-10


the muneence OF the gifts that hsve been showered
upon these people by the National Government
| think it will not be out Of place to call atten
ton briefly TO the history OF the Central Pacific
Railroad Company. | find that Thomas II. Benton
at meeting in ST. Louis in 1919, adsocated the con
struction of Pacific railroad find ais a by
the name of 2. P F. DeGrand in 1919 advocating
the same thing, and Call attention the fact that
he desired the IailIoad should be constructed under
single Act OF Congress, in order TO relieve it from
the freaks OF legislation. We come down from 1919
to 1852 and we find the Legislature OF this State
asking Congress to grant aid for the construction OF
Pacific railroad fad that in 1859 the Legisla-
turs of this State called Convention of the Legig-
lures of the Pacific States and Territories to be
held in San Francisco to ask Congress for aid In
Congress we find, in 1859, the Hon Tm. H. Gwin
advocating the construction OF the Pacf railroad,
and saying that the Government would save
enough in four years. in the est OF transportation
| of mails and troops, to pas for the road. We fad
Jefferson Davis raising his voice, both as United
States Senator and Secretary of War; in favor of the
road. In 1860, and again in 1864, the Democratic
and Republican parties in their platforms declared
in favor of the construction OF railroad from the
Atlantic to tue Pacific, ard that the Government
| should aid in its construction. In 1862 Congress
passed an Act authorizing the construction Of the
road, and in 1864 that Act vas amended
| Now, TO the munifcenee OF the gifts 70.
ceved by the compan5zs Twenty seven million
dollars Of aid bonds swere issued by the
| Government as Ran to the Central
Pacific kaiiroad CompScy. but the offi ers of the
mpany never saw a ingle one of these bonds
| They were sold in New y K, and the whole S27
100000 aggregated but sIs, 900 900 in gold de-
sire the Senators TO take note OF that; that this
| muniflcence amounted in gold coin to ,0j0
only, and but a loan The company il to-day
paying per cent. S27 coo 900, and they received
but SIS 100000, and Therefore they paving to-
day nearly 10 per cent upon the money they
ceived and are paying It into the sinking fund,
tnat when these bonds become due the company
viii pay S27, coo for only SIS, 800, ,0G0 or a
little over: Anything mund,ent about that?
Now, in addition to this na1, the company received
as gift certain quantities Of Government land.
Every one knows that they received only the alter
nate sections each side of the rosd What was it
worth at the time OF the gift? Absolutely nothing
Ii it has been increased in value to the benefit of
the railroad company by the construction of the
road, has not the value Of the sections held 5y pri
yate been equally increased in value to the
benefit of those ownersf Where is the exclusive
munificenee in this?
Again, few years ago there was great deal OF
, talk concerning the great value OF these lands so
the railroad company proposed TO the Government
to return every acre OF land that they received if
the Government would ALLOW 81 an acre to be ssd-
tied upon debt which would not then be due for
fifteen years. Now if there was anything very vau-
able about those lands that was good speculation
for the Government, bus the proposition was de-
c'ined. The lands received by the rsilrcad company
are not worth an average OF 81 an acre to-day.
Where is the munifcence Of the gilt? A Demo-
cratic Congress appropriated $4,000 coo to the rail-
road OF Illinois to construct 450 miles of railroad
through a level country. Forty millions Of dollars to
construct $50 miles oil Ea.road through a level
country More, sir, ta-t all of the national
State and municipal aid ever granted to this com
pany, which has construed over :, 100 miles OF
road, a large part of it owe the worst mountains
ever trlversed by any railroad in the world And
yet the Senators grow CLOG ont over the munifcence
Of the gift to the Central Pacific Railroad. Again.
under the Act OF Congress, the railroad company
was required to complete its road or before the
first day of Tuly 1916 1t completed it seven years
before the time at which 1t was required to complete
il by its contract And here deire TO call the at
tention OF the Senator's to the fact that from the
time that railroad was completed in 1863 to the
time when it should have been completed under its
contract, the Government saved fifty millions
of dollars in the transportation Of mails supplies
etc desire to call the ate1u OF those Senators
who say that that was munlfcent gift to the fact
that the Government saved more In that period of
time than the entire amount OF the money received
by the railroad company if it had been gift l. stead
OF loan, plus the value OF the land given. desire
to call their attention to the fact that the Gov
ernment of the United States has saved ten
millions Of dollars each yesr in the cost of
transportation OF mails, freight and suoplies
by that ralrotd comoany over and above what 1t
would have est to transport the same amount by
land as formerly DONE But still they tell US that
thesa men shed eodile tears and have been actu-
ated by selfish mott es in all their acts These are
facts, Senators-plan, undepatsle facts. | am not
APP 5ea ing to your passions I am not appealing 30
your p-eiudices; but am stating to ycu facts taken
from the recJrd-a record thak is open TO Senators
who in favor of this ,lution as much as the
Senators who opposed u it. And when Senators
stand up here and tell that this company has re-
ceved munificent gifts, tell them that for every
ceut the railroad company ever received it has re-
turned to the people million dollars in benefits,
and / challenge them to contradict the state
| ment Was there ever such an enterprise
undertaken and prosecuted to successful
terminal on under such adverse circumstances as
this railload built! Why, SIR, when the raj
road company commenced to build this railroad the
merchants of San Francisco had absolute control Cf
I IL IL. Il. . A.
steamship companies combiued, and the powerful
clipper lines confined unit, and said is rail-
road must not be built. It is fact within the
knowledge OF every Senator upon this floor who has
arrived at years OF maturity that before the build
ing of the railroad the merchants in San Francisco
! could combine and fix a price on food and provs-
| ions; and they would sometimes advance the price
500 per cent in single day They kept record of
all inbound vessels, with their csrgoes, and if any
vessel was over due month, all they had to do
was to 60 cut and buy up what in { &c market of
| that which the vessel bringing, aud there was
no power on earth that could get new supplies to
| the city inside OF thirty days. | say 1t was no
uncommon thing TO have the common neces-
saries of life advanced 500 per cent. in one day.
| WHY, sir, remember the time when j was upon
the line where this railroad IS now built. had 70
plY dollar pound for -four to sustain life. Can
any such condition Of things arise now? | say 1t
was thCS9 mouopoiies that opposed the construction
| of the railroad. It those monopolie3 which
subsidized the press of this Sta'e, and called the
construction OF this RAILROAD 1.-The Dutch Flat
| SwIndle" Was ever any enterprise met with the
| obstacles that were throwa in the way OF the con
struction of this railroad? San Francisco agreed to
take stock 70 the amount Q. $500 600 and the mer.
ch mt and banker said ''No; this enterprise can
Lever be carried to successful issue and in order
for us to maintain Que Standing "a business men we
| must not contribute the 100000 ana take their
Stock because if we take their stock we will become
personally liable und the Constitution Of this State
for the debts OF the corporation when it shall have
| failed, as it surely WILL And thereupon these en-
I liphtPned and far-seeiOc- utH
resist the issuance of this stock and gave e. that
| company the worst stab any enterprise ever
/ received in this State. Theg said, We do not
believe IN your solvency we do not believe in your
ability to construct this road, and therefore instead
OF giving you six hundred thousand dollars and
taking your stock in lieu thereof we will give you
four hundred thousand dollars in . oney if you will
not force US 70 take the stock Was ever any com
| pany met with such proposition as that2 At that
time tie company had TO l,ok to capitalists for the
| means to construct tnis road Notwithstanding the
opp ,ston of these merchants notwithstanding he
opposition Of these owners ef the steam,h ,hip lines
notwithstanding the opposition OF the owners Of the
| clipper snip lines; Notwithstanding the opposition
of the powerful stage company that at that time
controlled the travel OF this State in every direction
and who foresaw that the completion Of the road
would their downfall-the road was completed.
And say that it has saved TO the Government OF
the United States since it was completed, over
| Sl40,000,O00 in the transportation of the
mails and supplies sone / say that il
| has saved to the people Of this State foI
the same services as many millions more
How have they been met in an attempt ts bring
ship and car togetherl San Francisco finally gave
the railroad company, in order that they might
bring railroad and ship together sixty Of nd
out the mud fats. They started to drive plies on
it. and the nature Of the land was such that when
they had struck the last blow on a ninety foot pile
| they came very near losing the hammer. Afterward
the company found that somebody in the dim and
distant p1st had made map making streets on that
land and then they asked the Supervisors TO declare
those streets closed and they asked the Legislature
to pass an Act allowing them to close those Streets
which was done bat the then Governor refused 70
sign it. at the instance Of the jealous people of sar
| Francisco.
They next tried to get Goat Island, and they met
with the combined opposition OF the people # San
/ Francisco. There IS not man who was engaged in
that opposition but viii admit that be was wrong
and you can't fad man who viii not admit that
millions OF dollars would have been save1 10 the
State if they had allowed the railroad company to
have the island Now, sir. so much fer that prop
| osition.
But we are told by members that this gra5png
monopoly is grinding down everybody. Terrible
| N IN thff n ot