Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-01-19
Aanraster fntelliqsnrer.
SATURDAY EVENING, JAN. 10, lss4.
Mr.. Huntington and His Road.

Mr.. Huntington and His Road.
Mr.. g. p. Huntington exhibits cred
liable faith in the goodness OF his cause
In appearing in person before the con.
Rressional committee to protest against
the forfeiture of the land grant
to the Oregon Central railroad, running
nortbward through California and
Oregon. The land grant is liable to
forfeiture because Of the non completion
Of the road (; but Mr.. Huntington de
clares that " there is no ground, moral
equitable or financial on which this
land can be taken away from u.s." lie
protests that 1t is the first time he or
his associates have asked any extension
OF time from Congress, and that they
built the Central Pacific railroad on the
original aid granted by Congress,
although subsequently, in the high
prices of the war, they had to pay
enormous advances for material and
freights.
Mr.. Huntington's confidence in the
posture of his position is demonstration
of how men may be converted to very
one sided view of question by long
contemplation of 1t as the side on which
their interest lies. None but NJ. Hun.
tiDgton and his associates would ever
have thought Of claiming credit for not
having asked more from Congress than
they received for the construction Of the
Central Pacific railroad, in view of the
fact that the aid they got paid for the
whole road, and the financial result of
their enterprise has been to put the pro
jectors among the very richest men of
the country.
Mr.. Huntington has no claims for
continuance of the Oregon Central land
grant that he might not make now for
an original grant. The time has elapsed
during which the land was TO be given,
aud new conditions have arisen upon
which the eXpediency of it is to be de-
termined. Those who had the oppor.
tunity to build the road and did not
enhance 1t cannot complain, for they
lost it through their own neglect. The
contract between them and the nation Is
at an end by the Limitation of the time
during which it was to run, and there is no
more reason why the nation should ex
tend the time than there would be for an
individual to do so put in its place. He
would only extend it if it WAS for his
interest. The nation should only do it if
it is for its interest. II is a business
transaction and must be ruled by bust.
ness principles. Mr.. Huntington, being
one OF the shrewdest business men of the
country, should have seen this; and
would if 1t had been anyone else's case.
He saw it clearly enough when Thomas
a. Scott was asking a subsidy to build
the Texas Pacific road, while Huntington
himself was proposing to build the
Southern Pacific without subsidy. Then
1t WAS very clear to him that the nation
should not give Mr.. Scott aid to do what
he would do without aid. That was a
clear business idea, which found accepta
tion In Congress aud was acted on. Mr..
scott did not get his subsidy. II Mr..
Huntington had been as clear in his
ideas as to the equities of the Oregon
Central, when he appeared before the
congressional committee, he would not
have argued that it was wrong to take
away from it the land grant which
1t had forfeited, 10y showing why the
grant was forfeited, and pleading that
he had never done such thing before.
but he would have applied himself TO
convincing the committee that the
Oregon Central was of such Importance
to the nations interests as TO call upon
1t to voteit the land grant he desired
III Mr. Huntington can persuade
Congress that it will be pro table to the
nation to give him this land, he will
probably get it. Otherwise, as a busi-
ness man, he cannot ask for it. He is
hardly case for national charity.