Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1895-02-26
10 liberal system OF finance now mas LII

t2s gG!obug sace::::2::: G'1::: GO America
citizens, much less senator's should at
time like this be willing to add $780,
000, 900 to the BONDED debt and transfer
control of the money to the bankers is
fact so amazing that these men are
entitled to whatever Immortality can be
secured by the publishing of their names
in this column, and here they are: AL
drich, Allison. Brice, Burrows, Caffery,
Camden, Carey, Chandler. Cullom.
Davis, Dixon, Dolph, Frye, Gallinger.
Gibson, German. Gray, Hale, Hawley,
Higgins, Hill, Hoar, Lindsay, Lodge,
Mcmillan, Mcpherson, Henderson.
Mitchell of Wisconsin, Morrill,, Muir
ply, Palmer, Platt, Proctor, Quay, Sher-
man, Smith, Villas, Washburn and Will
son of Iowa.
Interesting as all this is it was CON-
pletely overshadowed by the debate Oh
the bill to refund the Pacific railway
debts to the government, which was the
most exciting Of any in the house since
the passage of the Wilson bill, and Hon.
! William A. Harris of Kansas was it's
hero. He did net merely hit the bill
staggering blow; he ground Is to frag-
ments, and everybody says hc defeated
the measure, if any one can claim that
honor The scene was as dramatic as /
ever witnessed III the house. He had not
been speaking five minutes until every
body saw that he knew what he was
talking about. The members crowded
| close around him, and at first Interrupt
w.
with his answers and his facts were 40
pat that every interruption added to the
| force of his speech. lie told how he was
| put in charge of the construction of the
| 81 mile branch from Leavenworth to
! the main line, how it cost but $40, 900
per mile, and yet the company cleared
about $1,000, 600 on it. He then COM
| pared that branch which was built over
the divide, and was therefore the most
expensive, with the main line up the
level Kaw valley and showed that ev-
cry part Of that could have been built
for SIS, 900 per mile and left a fair profit
to all parties. AS he went on to show
how the managers had let the contract
to themselves under other firm names
and thus cleared enormous fortunes aud
then charged for freight and passengers
Oh a basis of cost OF $l05, 900 per mile,
every sentence snapped like a pistol, and
members not previously posted listened
i'll open mouthed establishment.
| Seeing the effect he was producing,
| the other side tried to confuse him by
asking it he was not in favor of govern
ment ownership of all railroads, to
which he replied that he would begin
with ownership of this road because,
said he: 81 believe there is a higher
question underlying this matter than
the mere collection of the debt be.
lieve that the inordinate greed and ra-
pacity Of these men have for 80 years
debauched public sentiment and public
morals and public men all over the
country He went on to show how the
United States commissioners to examine
the road had violated their trust and
merely ridden over the track as fast as
an engine could carry them. He present
| ed the confession of Mr.. r. NJ Shoe
maker, head Of the inside ring, that the
20 mon who constructed the first l35
miles in tho Kaw valley had cleared
| $85, 600 each, and proved that there
was not mile of the Kansas division Of
the Union Pacific road which could not
have been constructed and equipped il
first class shape for the money advanced
Oh the mortgages, leaving all the land
and other gifts as clear gain It was the
most exhaustive and lucid statement Of
that enormous sWindle ever made in the
house, and as soon as it was completed
many mem bcrs who had tacitly agreed
to vote for the Reilly bill began to look
around for some easy way out CT it. So
when Mr.. Boatner of Louisiana moved
to recominit the bill without instruc~
tons it was carried by 1T to l06 All
honor to the notorious Populst crank
of Kansas tor his great victory for the
people!
The story of the Pacific railway swim.
die has been printed SO often that will
give only the figures as they stood at
the close of 1904. The United States is
sued bonds to the Union Pacific inciud-
ing the Kansas Pacific, to the amount
of $33, $50, SIP, and has paid interest
thereon amounting to $50, 223, 26l; to
the Central Pacific in bonds, $27,
$780, and interest thereon, $43, sos, 553,
and to their subsidiary lines enough to
bring the total up to $G4, 1923, 5l2 in
bonds, and SOL, S73, Gil in interest, q
grand total of $lGG. 497, 1928, donated by
the government
On this the companies must be credit
ed with about $40, 900, 900 turned into
the sinking fund by the government,
and considerable on transportation, a
total credit of $50, l02, 1l6. So the
government has paid in interest SOL,
III, SOB over all that the roads have
paid back, end they still owe the gov
eminent $ll6, 395, 025. If, however, the
government forecloses and takes the
roads, it will have to pay holders of the
first mortgage about $40, 900, 900, but
in that case it will have the right to
pursue the diverted profits of the early
management, or, in plain English, to
recover from the big swindlers and their
estates the amounts they stole so far as
their assets CO. And this is the milk in
the cocoanut. Of course the California
members have a local interest in oppos-
ing the Reilly bill, and equally, of
course, the friends of monopoly in the
eastern states voted solidly for it. So
the division, like that on silver and the
oond issue, is sectional rather than DO.
litical J. 81. BROWNING.
Her Choice.
| He wO171d have gathered her II, q