St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-10
HOPPING into HO MPE.
The Donnellian Sage Returns
to the Attack With a Sec
ond Chapter.
Railroad Grants and Canal
Subsidies the Subject Of
the Assault.
History Of the Attempt to
Raise the Tax on the Iron
Companies.
Some ofthe Sage's Character
istic EpitheIs and Gay
Adjectives.

think l pretty effectuallY, IN my laSt
letter, disposed of Mr.. Hompe's charges
about adjournment and the election OF
unnecessary officers. l showed that he
misrepresented the facts as to the
former, and that he had himself voted
for the very officers lie complained OF.
and in one case had even offered the
resolution under which one of them was
appointed; while he also voted to give
every one of the clerks SIS per day. Let
us proceed to other charges.
He charges, in his second letter, that
/ voted that each senator should have
$40 to pay for postage stamps. OF
course | did. And | was right. My
bill for postage during that winter
amounted to nearly $50. 1t is the right
of the people to hear from their repre-
SentatiYeS. There should be the freeSt
communication between them. The
pay of a senator is little enough; the
same as a doorkeeper; twice that Of the
children employed as pages. Men like
Hompe would prevent the people from
knowing what they did. The difference
between Hompe and myself is that L
boldly advocated the appropriation as
right. while he voted no on the resolu-
IlOll, 10 llldke up HIS 1CS-
ord, and then took the $40.
| returned my railroad pasSeS-as L
have done for years-and paid my way
to the capitol. .Hompe travelled on
railroad pass and charged the state (see
D. So of Journal for 346 miles, at Is
cents per mile, or S52. go, when it had
not cost him a penny. tie took that
amount out of the pockets of the hard
working taxpayers, and put it in his
own, without the slightest equivalent;
and then he complains that l received
SO for postage stamps. and spent every
cent of it and $40 more, sending letters,
newspapers and documents to my con-
stituents and others. Oh, Hompe!
Hompe! You should get a hump Oh
yourself and be decent.
Nicaragua Canal.
And then he makes a long attack OH
me for voting against memorial to
congress. which instructed our senators
aid members to oppose the Nicaragua
canal project then pending. But, as
usual. he has not the fairness or manli-
ness TO quote jsee p. so OF Senate Jour
nab the very proposition which | made;
which was to amend s. F. No. IL, by
adding thereto the following:
''Resolved third, That it is the opinion of
che legislature of NJ innesota that the govern
ment OF the United States should, as soon
possible, proceed to construct Ii canal across
the IsthmuS of Darien. Panama or through
Nicaragua. if consent can be obtained there
for. by treaty with foreign govern ments to
be forever free to the ships OF alknations,
except such reasonable toll as may be neceS-
sary to keep the locks and dams in order;
and thus break down the great monopoly of
the uranscontinental railroads of the United
States by free water communication, believ-
Ing that the destruction of the great railroad
combine referred 10 would tend to lesson the
rate of charges on all railroads in the United
States to just and Reasonable figures. : e...,zss
All, There was the point. The canal
would strike at the railroads, and so
H0mpe struck at the canal. He voted
no on this resolution, while a majority,
of the Alliance senators supported it.
Who introduced this memorial against
the canal? Hon. John B. Sanborn, a st.
Paul lawyer. Who were fighting the
canal in congress2 The three great Pa
cife railroad companies. 1t is well UNI
derstood that'it was the Vaccinations of
these. powerful companies that de-
stroyeds the credit OF De LesSeps and
brought his isthmuS canal project to
confusion and ruin. Why should the
state of Minnesota play into the hands
of such giant monopolies? That HOmpe.
the special pet of the Northern Pacific
Railway company, should back up the
transcontlnental lines was very natural.
But Hompe says it would cost lot of
money to build canal across the 18TH
mus of Darien. Granted. But who
would pay for il? The whole people of
the United States--Wall street IN
Guided. Who would be benefited espe-
cially by breaking up the gigantic rail
ROAD ''poof' of the United States? The
people of the Pacific coast and the
of hn
ley. If necessary | would have
the nation blast hole in that
isthmus half a mile wide, so that tree
water communication would break down
the ring which now holds the people of
the country by the throat and bleeds
them of $259,000.000 annually to pay in
tereSt on s., DOC, 000.0 900 of watered stock.
One hundred millions for the canal!
Why. the American nation would save
that much IN three months by smashing
the ring. And Hompe said we nnsn't
smash it; and now he has the affronter
to attack me because said we should.
Mr.. Hompe's next charge gees back
twenty-eight years!
Pacific Road Liens.
He complains that voted in 1864, six
months after took my seat, for the
first time, in congress, for an amend
ment to the act i'll reference to the Pa
cifc Railroad company, which made the
government lien upon the road a second
mortgage.
Let us look into this matter little.
When the war broke out one great
danger which confronted the nation
vas the possible separation or capture,
by an enemy, of the Pacific states. Two
of the California congressman, Messrs.
Scott and Burch, issued letters, 1861, adj
Vocating a separate Pacific republic.
The Shasta Herald and other news
papers advocated "Paciic Republic"
and served warning on the govern
ment that neither North nor
South need look for aid and com
fort from the Pacific states" The con-
fiict of sentiment between NOrthernerS
and SouthernerS in California was es-
pecially fierce and bitter-it caused, it
will be remembered. the death of SEN
ator Broderick. Months of weary travel,
over desert, interviewed between the
Mississippi valley and the Western
coast Of the continent. A railroad to
the Pacific was military and national
necessity. 1t WAS demanded by
every Republican national conven-
ton, including the one which NOM
mated Mr.. Lincoln in 1850 and
the one which renominated him in 1864.
as soon as the 1tcpuOllc2nS look iutl
possession Of the government they
passed an act proposing to give grant
of land and a large donation oil govern
ment bonds $4,000 to S4S,00O per miIc)
TO company to enable them to build
the road. This was before | entered
congress. 1t was claimed that part of
the road through the Sierras would cost
e150,000 per mile. In 1864 two years had
elapsed, and not mile of road had
been built. The bonds and stock of the
company could not be sold to build 1000
miles of road through trackless desert
of sage brush and mountains. The war
was raging furiouSly. 1t was question
whether we were to have nation or
not; whether indeed the government
bonds would be worth anything or not.
Louis Napoleon and the English gov
eminent had invaded Mexico: and Will
lam NJ. Gwin, senator for Califor-
MIA. had espoused the cause of
division, and had been created Duke