The morning call., 1891-12-23
WHO OWN THE RAILROADS.

The following paragraph is copied from
The CALLS Washington telegraphic cor
res pondence of Monday:
ANTrRAILRoAD BILL.
AT the first opportunity Representative Geary
OF California Will Introduce in the House bill
providing for The foreclosure OF the Govern
ments lien on the Central and Union Pacific
railways In default of the payment of S54,S3S,-
2l9 and 7,S16.6SO. first iustallments on which
become due in January, 1895. and February,
1885, respeclI vely. His bill provides for Gov
eminent commission 10 manage the roads, and
they shall contract no Indebtedness In excess OF
the railroads earnings without the consent Of
Congress. Freight and passenger rates shall be
lowered and no unjust Determinations made be.
tween towns or persons.
The question naturally arises as to who
are the owners of the two railroads, one
stretching from this city TO Ogden ana the
other from Ogden to Council Bluffs. The
Government furnished the money and
lands which built the two railroad s. and in
addition TO this ii has furnished the means
by which four or five individuals have been
made millonaires; yes, jointly, with fort
unes in the aggregate estimated at nearly
two hundred millions Of dollars. According
TO the above statement the two railroad
companies owe the Government SIZE, 65i,-
500. The managers of these companies have
for some years past been striving to induce
the inhabitants of the United States to give
them these roads. What reason there Is for
such princely gift to men who have so
grossly abused the trust rep0sed in them is
more than we can explain. The roads were
not originally given them. They hold the
property in trust, building the roads by let
ting contracts to themselves at exOrDitant
rates; such rates, in fact, as made them I'M
mensely rich. But this was not enough
for portion of the managers of these
roads, for one road at least the Cen
trail Pacific, was rented to a company
termed the Southern Pacific, which
has probably peYer been worth the
bonds which were issued to build it. II
these two railroads were controlled and
managed by the General Government they
would cease to be used to Cypress the inhab-
itants of this Coast. And why should they
not be? Why should the people give four
or five persons who are already too wealthy
for the good of the country 500. coo, 600 and
upward more? The managers of the Cen
trail Pacific Railroad Company have OPP
pressed the inhabitants of this Coast to the
utmost. They have labored only for their
individual profit and benefit They have
actually kept the city and State from
making a growth in improvements and
population to which they were justly en-
titled by the natural advantages which they
possessed. Our merchants have been kept
from obtaining reasonable freight rates by
combinations which shut out competition
even by the ocean. Our agricultural prod
ucts have been taxed SO ex0rbitantly for
taking them to market that there has been
but little left for the farmer after the crav-
ings Of the Cormnrant institutions were salts
fed. And to cap the climax. our politics
have been debauched to such an extent by
the policy of employing bosses that we can
scarcely obtain through q jury fair trial in
our nourtS