Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-13
SENATOR STANFORD'S VIEWS
FACTS ABOUT PACIFIC RAILROADS
AND ThE PACIFIC SLOPE.
Problems OF Railroad Transportation
The Government Sets Example
Of Repudiating Contracts.
Correspondence of the Cincinnati Enquirer.l

Correspondence of the Cincinnati Enquirer
WASHINGTON, d. c., January 30, 1886.
made an interesting call upon Senator
Leland Stanford last evening. He lives in
one of the three houses of pale stone at the
bottom of Farragut Square, in the house
once occupied by Mr.. Kilbourn. The Rus
sian Minister occupies the house at one
end, formerly Governor Shepherds; the
middle house is occupied William L. Scott
said to be the richest member of Congress
and the eastern house by Senator Stanford
who is said to be the richest Senator
From time to time | have met Mr.. Stan
ford-once in California, and again at Sar-
-atoga. He is one of the most striking
looking men to be seen anywhere, weigh
ing about 240 pounds, and over six feet
high, and yet with the strong soft brown
hair, the clear skin and the beard but
partly turned of a man in the perfect ex-
ercise of his powers. His family ard visit
ors he left in the salon, and sat down with
me in his library, a small room in the
front of the house. | observed the por-
trait of his son at full length on the wall.
wonder that the parents of such a child
should have felt almost inconsoable grief
at his loss. The picture represents beau
tiful boy, just coming into the maturity of
countenance of almost precocious manhood
told the Governor that his friends were
agreeaby surprised at his return to public
life, and that it seemed rational thing for
California to remarry her chief enterprise
to the public affections of the State.
Said no had no idaa IF oc,,,ir, 10
the Senate any more than l had of becom-
ing Governor twenty-five years ago. In
both cases | was for Republican who
could hold the party together and prevent
the tendency to quarrel, which is always
our fear. 1t so happened that the candi-
date | favored came short of enough votes
to elect him. The Democrats or a good
many of them, pressed on the Republicans
to take me up. So find myself in Wash
ington. The circumstances under which
received the nomination were agreeable to
my feelings. This is quite new to me, for
have never been even in State Legisla-
ture. When | was Governor of California
| had to decide whether | would remain in
public life or give my whole time to the
Pacific railroad, which ! had assisted to
bring into form. l saw that the two posi-
tions were incompatible; that as the Presi-
dent of the railroad | would have to take
and Office could not stand. So laid down
political lif,', as | supposed forever, and it
has come back 10 me at a time when | least
expected it."
Said l II see that they are still endeay-
oring to make
a NATIONAL RAILROAD LAW,
Or something to regulate prices Of trans
portation.'
Yes, but am not clear that they can
arrive at any solution of it, To correct
some apparent evil in the present railroad
system, the danger is of running on
greater evil You see that the railroad sys-
tenn itself has all the assaults it can endure
from the energy of the people, their organ
lzing spirit and competition. Then there
are other things besides railroads to carry
the products of the country. Persons who
have given the maturity of their lives to
the railroad system as an investment have
been compelled to study it like problem
In arithmetic or geometry. You must
pay your fixed charges. In the case of the
Central Pacific Railroad they amount to
about 100000 year. Then you have to
look ahead to pay off your mortgages The
Government loaned us its credit to the
amount of s27 100000. Our first mortgage
is about the same, and by the want of care
in the law both of these become due about
the same time. Other railroads have their
obligations in the same way. Now, there
is popular idea that freight ought to be
regulated on the principle of mileage, and
if you can afford to carry it at certain
figure between two important points you
ought to be able to send it proportionatelv
on any portion of that route That is not
the case at all You have, in the first
place, to provide for freight enough or
business enough to earn your fixed charges
After that you have 10 take it at almost
anything above cost. We will suppose
that at Chicago there are many routes to
the seaboard. One. route is by TIE lakes
and the Welland Canal. Another is by the
lakes and the Erie Canal. There is, per
haps, third route by the Mississippi river.
Then there are different railroads run
ming to different ports on the Atlantic.
A shipper has a large line of business, and
he finds out the cost of sending by canal.
He tells the railroads that he will not pay
more than a certain amount for them to get
his work. They say to him, Well. YOU
had better send TO New York anyhow, for
there you have quicker facilities to ship
abroad Yes. he comedies that but he
still adheres to the fact that he viii not paw
more than he can send his stuff for down
the lakes or down the river The railroad
ciphers upon it, and finds that there is
hardly enough in it to pay, but still il is
something. So they consent to take it. 1t
barely gives life to the carrying company.
But il is little something. Now, you per
ceive that TO regulate local businesSrln that
starvation basis of through businessYs not
Justice to the railroads. 1t is not what hap
pens in ordinary life. You send an express
package from one part OF the city where
VOC live to another and you paw twenty
fve cents. You send the same package
from the city where you live TO a city q
hundred miles distant, and still YOU pay
only twenty-five cents. If the popular
prejudice on this subject were logical that
package in the city ought to be carried fol
about a quarter of cent. Il only goes
mile, while the other package went q hun,
dred miles. We have a railroad from Sar
Francisco TO San Jose, ard we send every
parcel, such as keg of nails, over it fol
twenty-five cents, but when you get to tn,
town the local express, which has no con
nection with us, charges for the same keg
sof nails fifty cents TO q dollar to take it uI
to the town, hardly two miles. Railroad
have to provide the expenses of pulling tn.
train and manning it, and after they hav,
got that done they have left so much spae,
which they might as well fill as not
PACIFIC RAILROADS.
Said / ." Governor has the building O
several railroads to the Pacific ocean af
feeted your passenger and general trans
continental business 2"
:. Yes. very much. Indeed. busines
across the continent does not give US mucl
concern The Central Pacific has becom
California railroad in the main Fo
some little while we did have pretty mucl
the whole business across the country: al
was subject however, to the competitio,
OF the steamship route by Panama Nov
there are to the Pacific ocean the Southern
Pacific, the Atlantic and Pacific, the North
ern Pacific and the Canadian Pacific
There are at least four other railroads di
viding the business The Atlantic an,
Pacific has its agents in San Francisc
soliciting through business on the sam
terms with ourselves. You take train L
or from California now, and you will b
apt to find a good many empty seats
uhareas some years ago the trains RAJ