The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-05


palance of the second mortgage bonds.
having secured the road. and having
also secured the Union Pacific road in the
same way L propose that the Govern ment
shall open both roads as a continuous
public steel highway from Council Bluffs
to Sacramento, and either acquire or build
a continuation of the public road from
| Sacramento to Oakland or the San Fran
cisco Bay; that it shall open such highway
to trains and traffic of all persons aud cor
porations desiring to operate freight or
! passenger trains over it. Whether the
| Government should charge tolls sufficient
to keep the road in good condition or make
its use free is wholly a question of expedi-
ency to be determined after the road has
been made a public highway. just.as the
same question was determined in favor of
making the highway free after the Erie
! Canal was constructed and put in opera
! ton under the very plan which l now pro-
pose as a solution of the. railroad monopoly
! problem.
! Wedock of Michigan asked. "Is 1t not
! the whole secret of your fight against the
funding proposition that you are in favor
of the universal application OF this method
| of destroying railroad monopoly. and that
YOU see in the present situation of the
! Union and Central Pacific railroads
| frst-class opportunity for making an ex-
pertinent in that line on very large
scale? ?"
Mcguire answered. THAT is one OF my
| objects, and a very important one. but
also object to the funding measure be-
cause it is the last of series of acts de-
| signed, or at least used to give $50, 900, 900
I Of "a nIa's uCit
tion to this syndicate and its successors.
L have also prepared bill with a view to
securing the control of the Central Pacific
Railroad without the tedious and cumber-
some process of foreclosure. In the sec
ond bill have adopted Senator Morgan's
plan of taking the control of the road by
appointing majority of the directors to
represent the Government and have also
provided in that bill for the opening of the
road as a public highway, subject, how
ever, to the payment Of tolls. Senator
Morgan's plan 1 regard better than the
| foreclosure method If it be feasible.
| have not yet satisfied myself that it would
n not be violation Of the vested right 1t is
! based upon the idea that the Central
| Pacific Railroad Company, which was a
California corporation, in taking advan-
!
all of the obligations imposed upon the
| Union Pacific road. one of which was that
! the Government should have the right to
compsny's board, without any limit as to
the number and proportion"
Bell asked: Have any steps been
| taken to enforce the personal liability of
| these stockholders. most of whom, be-
! lieve, are dead?'
! Mcguire said: 81 do not know OF any
such proceedings having been taken
again st any of the stockholders except
such as have been taken by the Attorney
General. l know that ne has caused a
claim to be presented against the estate of
Leland Stanford for S15.O0O.000, as the
proportion OF Mr.. S;anford's liabilities as
a stockholder for the debt to the Govern
ment."
Mcguire removed his request for fur
ther hearing for the California delegation
and for Sumner. The committee agreed
to continue the meeting on Thursday morn
ing next at 10 o'clock.
THE CALL correspondent met G.. P.
| Huntington and his man Friday. John
! Boyd, local agent or lobbyist of the South
eTn Pacific, on Pennsylvania avenue to-
night. Mr.. Huntington said: "Well, ! see we
| have some CalifoTnians here to-day. What
are they after? Are they after job?"
1t was suggested that there WAS a possi-
bility that one of them (Sumner) would
to get back into Congress, and was using
bis opposition to the railroad bill as a
stalking horse.
well. if he gets iD," said Huntington,
lit will be on some one else's shanks than
his own" Huntington seemed to be par
ticularly displeased with Sumner, and re-
lated an incident intended to show that,
although Sumner had been pecuniarily
benefited by Mr.. Hopkins he had not been
satisfied for it, Huntington continued:
when Hopkins told me that be had
loaned Sumner money told him we would
never see the fellows face in our Office
again"
The correspondent recalled Polonius'
advice to Laertes, but although Mr.. Hunt
ington seemed TO appreciate its applica-
ton to this case he probably considered
that the lending might be poor invest
ment II WAS not so bad to borrow from
Uncle Sam.
Il understand Attorney General Olney
has presented bill! to Mrs. Stanford for
! SIS. ,00O," suggested THE CALL corre-
spondent
Huntington replied: "Well, let him pre-
sent it, ii won't hurt him. He can present
as many bills as he wishes"
The interviewer suggested that of course
| Mrs. Stanford would pay the money as the
! different amounts fell due
Mr.. Huntington said: "Stanford's pri-
vate estate has nothing TO do with the
| debt TO the Government. l never had
more than 100 shares of Central Pacific
stock in my life, and don't believe Stan
ford had. l know very well that never
made any money out of the Central Pacific
road"
When the correspondent informed Hunt
ington that the House Committee would
be told that the first Central Pacific bonds
had never been sold Huntington demanded
sharply: well. what do they claim be-
came of them then?"
They intimate that they were negn-
tiated by the five partners and the money
largely found its way into their pockets"
Mr.. Huntington seemed particularly dis
pleased at this and said: 81 don't care
what they say. Who built the ROAD unless
this money was used for the purpose?"
and grumtlng that they were a set of
statesmen out of q job who. il they were
in Europe, would be bomb-throwers, Presl-
dent Huntington and his man Friday
went on their way.
N