Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-18
Cen. Gordon and the Huntington
Letters.

In the Huntington-Coulto letters,
which have been widely circulated anu
commented on within the last month, the
roua of Gen. John b. Gordon is mentioned
This fact has been pointed out by certain
journals in way that Gen. Gordon ana
his friends regard as unfrlenai!'
Gordon has written letVei
Mai. John c. Wmtner'
Ianta. stating why he was lllenui!
n Huntington rather than 10 ocolt "neh
Scott was irving to get from congress
ahor+a- for his Texas Pacific road ana
80 n bnild the road Endorsed by the
,,o,-orr,nant to the amount of $50, 0oO,O 900,
and huntington, who was building the
southern Pacific, was trying to prevent
Scott from getting a charter. Gen. Cor
don says
Iopposed Mr.. Scott's bill with such IN
auence as | could exert, on two distinct
and we'll considered grounds. FIRST, as
United States Senator, opposed IL on the
yround that the Government OF the phltea
States ought not on principle, nor as
public policy, to place It's lhuorseiiie ~ ou
the paper of private corporation, Espe-
cialiv was this true In view OF tue Iact lhat
another corporation was proclalmlng It's
sidv of any description, and was actually
accomplishing the work with great vlgor
and raDiditv, Georgia's experience IN ln-
dorsing the bonds Of railroad companies,
rs we'll rs the experience OF other states
did not Justify me, / thought, IN ldFofinS
so gigantic a scheme OF government anu
when there seemed to be no necessity what
ever for such extraordinary leglsiaIOh'
secondly. as a Southern Senator was
nrOfoundlv anxious that, II We were TO
have road across the continent claiming
to he a Southern road, 1T should IN Iact, ana
not merely in name, be such. Mr. scout
was at the head of great lines OF ROAD
heading from New York to St; Louis, lie
was seeking 10 extend from 81. Louis
through Northern Texas to the racine
Ocean. l believed then, and L peueNe
now, that if this great Southern me nag
been built and owned by Mr.. Scott ana
hig associates and successors, their inter-
est would have compelled them TO induce
the transcontinental freights to pass over
| their own lines by way OF ct. Louis TO
! Northern ports. If any one doubts TINS
| he doubts that men are Influenced by their
own interests. 1t is true that the scott Oil
provided for branch to the Mississippi
! river at Vicksburg, ! think. But who can
/ believe that Mr.. Scott and his associates
/ would have directed the great tralhc De-
/ tween the Pacific and Atlantic ports over
/ this short branch, instead of over the one
/ thousand miles of his line leading by way
/ OF st. Louis to New York. On the other
hand Mr., Huntington not only de-
1 clared his purpose 10 carry the
road to Southern ports and Southern
ports only, but he had no interest IN car
rving it anywhere else. On these two dis
tinct grounds, as to the propriety and
wisdom of which | challenge the scrutiny
Of friend and foe, opposed. the scott Dill
and favored the plan of Mr.. Huntington.
The latter declared that he could and
would build the road without dollar
of government aid or sUbeidy. lie
did it. lie declared that he would
make the eastern termini OF his
lines at Southern ports, and only South
ern ports. Hehas done so. AtGalveston,
at New Orleans, at Memphis are his lines
and our own Atlantic cities, Brunswick,
! Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington, are
| destined to reap the benefits of the vast
| influx Of California wheat, and OF the
enormous traffic between the Pacific and
Atlantic ports, while the most Northern
point at which his lines terminate is at
| Newport News, in the State of Virginia.