Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-31


cffic and southern Pacific Railroad prop
critics. The Southern Pacific was buln
out OF the earnings Of the Central Pacific,
and while il was being built there was
continual fight going on between the
Southern Pacific crowd and the crowd
that was hack Of the Texas Pacific
scheme. Tom scott represented the texas
Pacific and Huntington the southern Pa
eitic al Washington. Almost every day
Huntington wrote TO Cotton, one OF MS
mariners in san Francisco, and Gotten
kept Croker, stanford and the others OF
the Central and Southern Pacific syndi-
cate posted. These letters contained
Huntington's Utmost thoughts about Con-
.-ressmen. and about Tom Scott,
Gould. and other prominent men,
and about the schemes before
Congress to beat Scott and himself
out Of cash. the prospects Of favorable
legislation. and, in fact, every other mat
ter that in any way touched upon the in
terests Of the Southern Pacific. The let
tiers cover a period Of three or four years,
beginning about 1870. They fill half
dozen columns or more, in the Chicago
Tribune. That paper makes few choice
excerpts from them as follows;
Mr.. KassOn has always been our friend
i'm Congress. and. as he is very able
man. has been able TO do US much good,
and he has never lost US one dollar.
senator ConOver fFlOridT9 may want TO
borrow some money. but we are so short
this summer I do not see how we can let
him have any in California.
By the way. is there not some reason
/ for these lies that the people tell about US :
/ saw ANteu. Governor of New Mexico.
and he said he thought if we would send
"a him such bill as we wanted to have
passed into a law he could get il passed
I with very little or no money, when II we
I sent a man there they would STICK him
| for large amounts.
/ feel. as you all do. that il would be
/ bad to be compelled TO have much to do
with Gould, and we must not, under any
Z circumstances. get ourselves where We
would be in his power.
The committees are made up Tor the
I Forthwith Congress. l think the Rail
road COMMITTEES Is right. but the Commit
/ tee on Territories do not like. \ differ
ent one was promised me. l think there
/ never were 80 many strikers in Washing
ton before.
I 20 10 Washington tonight. OF all
things I DO most dread this Washington
business. and l do know that would not
De dragged between here and there for the
next ten wears as | have been for the last
fifteen wears for the whole Pacific Road.
somehow do not feel so much like doing
battle with the whole human race as l
once did. 20 10 Washington tonight.
Ii We are not hurt this session II VIII be
because we pay much money TO prevent 1t.
This Washington business will kill me
vet. Il ] have 70 continue the fight from
year 20 year. ard then every year the fight
grows more and more expensive.
Matters never looked worse in Wash
ingtOn than they do at this time. it seems
a. though all the strikers in the world
were there. l send with this a copy of
enc Of their letters 1 received yesterday,
all Of the same tenor. The one send Is
from ex-senator POmerOy.
When Won write pay Jones no part of
the 81. 600. because there is an unsettled
account Of say 5000. l think YOU forget
his position.
Have lust received telegram from W ash
inEtOn that Matthews and Window have
/ been put on the Senate Railroad Commit
tee in place Of Howe and Ferry. This
/ looks as though the Texas Pacific had
/ control Of the Senate as far as appointing
/ Commissioners is concerned. am not
I happy to-day.
jaw Gould went TO Washington about
I two weeks since. and know saw Nit
! chell. senator from Oregon, since which
{ time money has been used very freely in
! Washington. as some parties have been
I hard at work that never work except fOT
! ready cash, and Senator Mitchell is not
\ for MS. as he was. although he says he is.
/ But I know he is not. Gould has large
\ amounts q cash. and he pays it without
I stint 10 carry his points.
] think il would be well for us if we had
! more parties in California that were in
terested with US. There is the Oakland
water front. If some Of the army officers
! had an interest in that property L think II
/ would be we'll for them. for US, and for
! every one that has the prosperity Of Cali
I fOrnia at heart, for the right improve
I ments there would benefit san Francisco
/ as well as Oakland-as well as all Cali.
/ fOruia for that matter. y. B.-'Army
4 officers" make the surveys on which recon.
/ mendations of national improvements Of
/ rivers and harbOrs are made
/ There were some mistakes made by Us
/ when the Thurman bill was IN the Sen
/ ate. The greatest was in Gould going tC
/ Washington.
put something?) in the omnibus bill
] 20 Kill the Z. 4 p, and l think it viii
/ do il.
/ Fremont has been appointed Governor
/ of Arizona. / shall give BIN passes, an6
/ / think it important that you should see
/ him on his arrival, and see that he does
not fall into the hands Of bad men. He il
/ very friendly 10 us now. Scott tried hard
/ TO beat his being confirmed. | think
/ viii attend to this matter Of FremOnts.
/ think in all the worlds history never
! before was such a wild set Of demasOgue:
I hOnOred by the name Of Congress. We
I have been hurt some, but some of the
| worst bills have been defeated, but We
cannot stand many such Congresses.
Huntington thought that his letters tC
I Cotton were destroyed as fast as received
He was mistaken. Cotton was the kind
Of a man who kept letters. He died a
! while ago and the syndicate settled will
his widow. They didn't give her whar
she thought she ought to have, and she
brought suit to enforce her demand. The
letters were produced and read in court
! Mr.. Huntington will probably stop writ
| ing letters. He was always afraid
that the newspaper men would find Ou
something about his affairs, and fought
| shy of them. When he visits Washing
ton he generally locks himself in a room
! at Wizards. and sends for those he wants
TO see. He is inaccessible to reporters
and correspondents. In these letters
however. he makes known the inside
facts OF his dealings with Congressman
and the newspapers have the satisfaction
of publishing what he has been so careful
10 keep from the public. His talk of hii
/ distaste for Washington, and the striker:
and hungry Congressman who greet hin
when he goes there, is amusing. He
I expected to pay for what he got
/ but yearly increasing demands
of those who secured the kind of legisla
/ ton he wanted began to alarm him. These
letters are worth reading for what they
show Of the methods employed by great
/ corporations TO get the kind of bills they
/ want passed. The Central Pacific got
\ about S27, 100000 out Of the Treasury in
/ actual cash, and, perhaps, as many mill
/ ions more in lands. The Southern Pacific
is now an applicant for $4,000, 600 acres o.
l land in New Mexico, Arizona and Cali
fornia. which it did not earn. 1t can af
/ ford to spend a great deal of money to GET
/ such an immense land grant. Congress
/ men, however, will be apt to fight shy for
a while Of a man who writes cOmpromis-
ing letters.
Gov. Butler gave a little exhibition Of
Boston culture in Washington the other
day. lie wished to 90 into the Senate
Chamber, but the Doorkeeper, who did
not know him, objected. He explained
that no was Butler. when the official with