Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-01-21
as indicated. The circular says:

Union Pacific Railroad Company $780,
513, 900 6 per cent. bonds, and gave it an
immense land grant, for the purpose of
building up the West. The road has
been used to enrich its managers, and
its extortionate rates have been such as
to oppress the settlers along its route.
According to the report of the Attorney
General of Nebraska for 1888, the
freight charges on subsidized railroads
in Nebraska are so per cent. higher than
on Iowa railroads that have received no
Government aid. The road, although
dividends to its stockholders, has never
paid the coupons on its subsidy bonds
These the Government has been com
PEELED to pay, and the principal of the
subsidy. with the balances due on ac-
count, and the unpaid coupons, now
amount to nearly 500, 900, 600. The con-
troll Of this road, reaching from Kansas
City and Omaha to the Pacific coast,
was necessary to enable Mr.
Gou,d to complete his scheme of
railroad trust" organized for the pur-
pose of extorting s22, 4O0, 900 annually
out of Western producers to pay divi-
dends to Eastern stockholders. 1t is
fortunate for the people that he has OBJ
tanned control at time when the Union
Pacific railroad, alarmed at the ap-
preaching maturity of its subsidy, is
suppliant to the Government to extend
that subsidy for fifty years without ade-
quate security. By defeating the pro-
posed extension, and having the Gov
ernment foreclose its lien on the road,
the Farmers Alliance can defeat the
railroad trust scheme. Although the
amount properly due the Government
by the road amounts to about S66, ,0O0,
0G0 Senator Frye, of Maine, introduced
a bill in the last session Of this Congress
that reduces this to So, 200, 600, by de-
Quoting discount from payments made
by the Government for the account of
the road, instead of adding interest to
them; mortgage preceded by $15, 600, 900
bonds, when the Government now has
a second mortgage on the Union Pacific
road lands and assets preceded by
only $50, 500, 900 bonds. He advised the
Government to accept these 8 per cent.
bonds at par, when better bonds of the
Union Pacific road, paying ~ and bper
cent. are offered at 70 and 80. Such an
extension will be the means of the Gov
ernment eventually losing the entire
amount of the subsidy, and only fore
closure of the Government lien at once
can save it, and, by removing the road
from Mr.. Goulds control, defeat his
trust scheme. If the Frye bill passes,
it will place many millions in the
pockets of Mr.. Gould and other stock
holders of the Union Pacific railroad
The charter of the Union Pacific pro-
vides that its telegraph line shall be
open to all telegraph companies on the
same terms. This line, although built
by money furnished by the Govern
ment, is now monopolized by the
Western Union Telegraph Company,
and the control of the Union Pacific is
as necessary to Mr.. Gould to defeat Mr..
Wanamaker's plan of cheap telegraph
facilities as it is to perfect his railroad
trust. The Union Pacific has repeated
ly violated the United States laws OF
1878 and 1873, and has placed its charter
in jeopardy. The attention of the
United States Attorney General (whose
duty to enforce these laws is made man
datory) was called to this matter last
year by the Attorney-General of Ne
braska. The Farmers Alliance can
call the attention of the country to, and
can defeat, the scheme of Mr.. Gould, by
presenting to the United States At
torneyGeneral some such resolution as
this:
whereas, The managers Of the Union Pa.
cidc railroad have repeatedly violated the
acts of 1873 and 1873, and are now conspiring
with other railroads to form q railroad trust
in violation of the statute against trusts, in
violation of the charter of the Union Pacific
railroad and to defeat the provisions OF the
Inter State commerce act; therefore be it
"Resolved, That the Attorney General OF
the United States be requested to declare the
charter of the Union Pacific void, and to
proceed to foreclose the lien of the United
States against the road and to enforce
against its officers the prescribed penalties
of the violated acts of 1878 and 1875.
''If the eAttorney-Generald does not heed
your petition, have your Represents
tives in Congress press the matter
Then have your newspapers print this
let the people understand the character
of the railroad scheme, in Congress and
out"