The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-01-31

The Situation Of tho Pacific Railroad
Ring.

The report of the Committee on Public
Lands condemning Huntington's preposter-
ous claim 20 the Texas Pacific Immigrant and
the resolution of the House Of Representa-
tives declaring the forfeiture Of all unearned
IMMIGRANTS may be accepted as new de-
parture whereby Congress serves notice on
the railroad treasury raiders that they must
90 out of business. This 10 tho real signin-
ca noe of the position taken by Congress- and
n is 20 be hoped that nothing viii be done TO
neutralize IL.
following close upon the heels OF the expos
IRE which grew out of his resurrected letters
10 Cotton. Is simply fatal IL required unpar-
alleled presumption on his part TO come for
ward as a claimant for the Tex az Pacihc land
grant but even his assurance VIII probably
fail him In the face OF this rebun; but II IL
doesn 1t will not avail him:
The situation of the Pacific railroad ring IL
admirably described In the concluding portion
of the Payson report, which 10 summarized
as follows:
THE report saws that the Southern Pacific was
built with the money of the Central Pacific out
side of the securities based upon II, and oper-
ated and controlled oy nat , copSny ,hst so
never had any rights east OF Yuma upon which
it could base . claim against the Government,
either Legal OF ,Se oa or
hope of receiving a dollar of aid or an acre OF
land therefor from the Government; that by its
action IL aided in defeating the building Of the
road contemplated by Congress, and the facts
presented In the report show that
transcontinental transportation now stands
in this condition: The next route
is controlled by the Central Pacific west
of the Colorado and by Gould east of It. The
Central Pacific and Union Pacific with Gould's
connections east Of Omaha control the middle
route BY subsidizing tn Pacific Mail the Cen
trail Pacific keeps the water route under control.
The Northern Pacific Is not only In the pool"
with the Central, but agreement has been
made between them whereby the territory Of the
great Northwest is divided between them as to
TRANSPORTATION, as though the ownership OF the
country followed the building OF railroads into
t. subject to which practical assertion OF owner
ship the transportation OF freight for the entire
Pacific coast Is under the control OF a few men
who adopt as a rule for charge all the traffic
will bear"
IL Is scarcely within the range OF possible
ity that the present Congress, or any future
Congress, will listen for one moment 10 Hunt
ington's outrageous demand after the scath-
ing indictment which Messrs. Payson and
Cobb and their associates on tbe Public. Lands
committee have brought against him. On
the contrary, they seem to have prepared the
way for the adoption of such legislation as
viii compel the ring which controls the trans
continental railways TO meet all their obDga-
tons TO the Government and adopt fair rates
for the public. The charters OF these ran
roads confer upon Congress the right TO pro-
tect the people against extortion and Cypress
ion, and the time is ripe for enforcing the
conditions under which they were created.