Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-02
HUNTINGTON'S LETTERS.
THE Way THEY ARE RECEIVED
IN WASHINGTON.


IN WASHINGTON.
The Southern Pacific Railroad will not
/ Get the Texas Pacific Land Grant
An Investigation Suggested into the
Fradulently Declared Dividends.
A Washington special to the New York
| World says:
All the politicians have read with inter-
est the published correspondence between
Z. L. Huntington and ''Friend' Cotton.
1t has disappointed many in that ii has
not disclosed more specific details, and
that no very prominent members now in
Congress are directly implicated. 1t will
take good deal more than has been
printed in the Huntington correspondence
to secure an official investigation of the
matter. The correspondence develops what
nearly every one interested knew, that the
Southern Pacific and Central are identi-
cal In their management and owner
ship. The original grant to the
Texas Pacific was obtained upon the
ground of establish ng a competing line
to the Central. The great scandal lies in
the way Tom Scott obtained the Texas
Pacific grant. Something of the nature
OF this scandal was outlined in Cant.
NewelPs charges made to the Secretary
OF the Interior, and by him sent to the
Senate Just before the holiday recess.
The effect, of the Huntington correspond
ence, however, is to make it absolutely
certain that Congress will refuse to pass
the Texas Pacific land grant over to the
southern racine. The amount of this
grant is between 15,000-000 and 20 OO0. 600
of acres. twas assigned to the Southern
Pacific when the latter Joined its interests
TO the Texas Pacific. This assignment
under the circumstances, was purely
illegal, and, when made defeated abso.
lutely the original intention of Congress
IN making the grant. This land has never
been placed upon the market, as the title
to 1t has been for number of years in
question. Meanwhile settlers have gone
IN and occupied a large number of the
most valuable tracts, and have made
permanent Improvements. These settle
ments extend the entire length of the
tract, and If these people should be COM
PEELED at any time in the future to pay
eXtortionate prices to the railroads for
their lands, great hardships would ensue.
But there is no longer any danger of that.
In order to secure this land Huntington
must have affirmative legislation from
Congress. In view of the recent cores
pondence no member would dare to incur
the nOtOrlety of advocating a propOsitiOn
10 ron large number of poor people TO
make present to an already over-gOrged
corporation.
1t is a constant source of wonder here
to those who know anything about Hum
tlngton's methods, that he should have
permitted the Cotton letters to be pub
lished. He had plenty of opportunity to
suppress them by paying Mrs. Colton's
demands, and it can only be accounted
I0r upon the ground that Huntington has
become Indifferent to future gains and is
careless of what is said of him.
A prominent man, in speaking to-day of
the affair, said: ''The whole correspOn-
dence demonstrates one thing, and that is
the fact that any man in a public position
who permits himself to be placed in the
power of any corporation is a fool who
does not know enough to go in when it
rains. Corporations are supposed, in the
law, TO be S0ulless, and it seems to me
that almost all men connected with their
management become in time equally soul
less. None of these men could be trusted
by any member Of Congress. II the
latter should desire to be dishonest. these
corporation traders have not even the
honor of thieves. They are ready to use
men without thought of obligation be-
yond the present service, and are equally
careless of their betrayal. There has
been enough of that sort of thing during
the last ten years to educate the dullest
member upon this subject, and YOU will
ind that no investigation will involve
very seriously any member of Congress
OF modern times who has any character
or prominence"
The admission of Huntington that the
earnings of the roads of the Central Pa
clfic monopoly in January and February
of 1877 were $3, 900, and that one-haif
OF this amount was profit, shows that the
employees of the road have several times
submitted lying reports designed to show
that the net earnings OF the monopoly
were only moderate. But here we have
an admission that they are fully 90 per
cent. This admission also reveals another
fact, and that is that the returns of the
gross earnings of the roads have been per-
sIstently misstated. In 1877 they were
given as 6,471, 900. Yet if we take the
earnings of January and February as
given by HuntingtOn-and they are
two of the lightest months in
the year-then they should have
been at least $2,000,000 more than rep
resented. This extraordinary disclosure.
the San Francisco Chronicle contends,
would be sufficient warrant for a reduc-
tlon five times as great as the sham re-
Gently put through by the Commissioners.
The Chronicle also suggests that the Com
missioners might examine into the ques-
tiOn of the dividends fraudulentIy declared
on borrowed money, to which Huntington
alludes, and that Congress would not do a
bad thing if it would investigate all the
matters touched upon in the cOrrespon-
dence, so that they might obtain light
which would enable them to act intell-
gently upon the fraudulent application of
huntington and his partners for the un-
earned lands of the Texas Pacific.