The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-06-14
EXTEND TIE UTAH CENTRAL.

The stockholders of the Utah Central
Railway Company, on Tuesday, held
meeting, and in accordance with law
amended the articles of incorporation
SO as to authorizs the extending OF the
road to the Nevada State line. That
was Sermal work, preparatory to real
work to be undertaken later on. That
is to say, we hope it is preliminary to
real WORK, and that active operations
will soon begin.
To everybody except the Union
Paci6c Company, the principal
owner of the Utah Central, it
has long been apparent that the
extension of the Central to the
Pacific Ocean was an absolute necessity
to the profitable operation of the Utah
line; and Furthermore, that it was es-
sential to the welfare of the Union Pa
ciic. Why she O. P. people could
never be made to see this fact, which
was so plain to others. has never been
understood. The success, if not the
sslvat on of the Union Pacific. depends
Cd its control and operation of
through line. So long as there was but
one road across the continent, and
the Union and Central Pacific lad
all the business, the former
had no occasion 10 DO more than de-
veIop local business; but the moment
It's through traffic was threatened with
competition, good railroad wisdom
would have suggested the urgent neces
sity of continuing the Union Pacific to
the Coast, and OF getting it there be-
fore any other road crossed the CONT
nent. That good railroad sense was
not given a chance is proven by the
fact that for years the Union Pacific
instead of being a transcontinental
line was merely a local road,
all the time at the mercy of companies
in direct and open competition with 1t;
and also the other fact that when II was
deemed advisable to get out Of the bad
box into which it had been placed by
its own incapacity or negligence, 1t
went about the business in the mos
reckless and unrailrCad ike manner,
building an expen>iJ e road hundreds of
miles across a desert country and laYa
beds to q point which ordinary CON-
mon sense would have decided against.
Very little local business can be created
along the Oregon short Line, and
as . competing road tor through tratfic
it can never maleri. lily help the Union
Pacific. The disa vantage of location
and distance will always run again It the
Oregon branch
When other roads started across the
continent, if the Unio Pacific had gone
on to the Coast, following the route
southwest from Salt Lake, it would not
to-day be pleading with Congress for
mercy, and skiing long extension OF
its debt an order that it may survive
1t is not too late to recover some
of the ground that has been lost
through lack of the wisdom which
those who stood at the head of the great
corporation Displayed. Though it
reaches the Pae 6c with its own and
leased lines, the Union Pacific is not
vet in q position to command Pacific
business; it is not, in the full sense OF
the term, a eomsetltor for the traffic OF
the Pacific. an will not be until it car
ries its road to a place whore the bust
ness is created BV going to Southern
California it will lind something to do
people and freight to transDor; it will
also run through d co lntry which viii
make business for railroad.
The bare announcement, a few
months ago, that the Central would
be extended during the summer,
tre0led the market prIca of the stock,
clearly showiug how the public re-
earded the extension. The commence
ment of or ding will increase the sell
ing price and the actual valus OF Union
Pacific and Utah Central shares many
thousands of dollars, because p ople
will understand that the road will go
where ii Gan earn some money
and be made profitable. We
sincerely hops, for the sake
of the Union Pa iac ard U-sh ertral
az we'll as for the general benefit that
II brings to Utah, that work will be
commenced at once, and the line con-
tipued westward as fast as possible.
We think the Union Pacific errs when
it delays, and that the excuse that 1t
eanno: in safety proceed undl Congress
takes it's clutches off, il not valid
one.