Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1884-01-29
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WAsHINGToN, JAN. 20, 1884.

agents, that the present Congress will
meet the expectations OF the people
in compelling the surrender by rail
way corporations of number OF for
feited land grants. The House Com
mittee on Public Lands has already
decided upon number OF these
grants, the most important OF which
is the Texas Pacific, which Mr.. Hunt
ington is trying to gobble, and there
is no doubt that the committee will
be sustained in it's report. A fierce
fight will be made by the lobby, but
the current appears to be too strong
for them, and the eyes of the country,
through the press, are too close upon
them to render the purchase of enough
practicable or possible.
If the Texas Pacific had been built
under the law making the grant, the
company would have been entitled to
100000 acres of land. But the
company failed and abandoned the
work, after having earnestly besought
Congress for other aid in raising mo-
ney, which was refused. Its chief ar
gument was that there ought to be
southern route to compete with the
Union and Central Pacific. But here
came in Mr.. Huntington of the Sou
thern Pacific, who defeated them by
setting up that his company would
build the desired competitor without
subsidy and without Government aid.
To beat Scott and gain his point he
even claimed that the Texas Pacific
grant had already lapsed, and pushed
his line through territory upon which
he was really tresspasser if that
grant was alive. The Texas Pacific
went down. Tom Scott, broken in
health and defeated in purpose, sold
out to Jay Gould. And now comes
the virtuous anti-subsidy Huntington
who built his road upon the ruins OF
the Texas Pacific, and presents Jay
Gould's order on the Government for
this fourteen million acres of land
which the Texas Pacific would have
been entitled to if it had been built.
The onterprising Gould having no de-
sire to build the road, obligingly turn
cd over to Huntington, for whatever
he could make out of it, the land
grant to which he himself had nc
more title than Satan had to the real
estate once offered by him from the
top of high mountain. 1t is graft
flying to observe that the scheme is
going to be heavily sat down upon by
Congress, and that some portion OF
the vast territory supposed to be ii
The grasp of those who have never
given anything for it, is to be restor
cd to the public domain
Somebody has called attention tc
the curious fact that it is unlucl1y fol
aspiring Statesmen to build big house.
in Washington, and the recent defea
Of Mr.. Pendleton seems to be fresl
Illustration of this peculiar truth. II
nearly every case, even as far back a
Douglass and breckenridge, the pub
lie men who have attempted fine
permanent residence here have fount
it the erection OF mausoleum 70
their political hopes instead of a pal
ace. Neither Sprague nor his father
in-law long enjoyed the stately man
sion with its large grounds, at tn
corner of Sixth and E. streets, whic
is now "a boarding house. Attorney
General Williams was one Of the frs
to build a fine residence in the ne,
part of the West End. The red lin
ing of carriage killed him not lon
after. Senator Stewart built what
still called '''fhe Castle" further GU
1t nearl y burned down twice, and hi
family have only occupied it for
short time lately General Butte
erected the well-known granite MAJ
sion on Capitol Hill, which could nc
have cost less than 100000, just bt
fore he went out of national politi,
apparently 'for good" Even Il
leasing of it seemed likely to pro,
almost equally fatal to the prosperit
of Senator jones, of Nevada. 'Bos,
Shepherd only completed his fiji
house about the time the return wa,
came in his fortunes and sent him
the Mexican mines and his house in
the hands of receiver. Mr.. Rob
son has not lived in his house; NJ