People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1898-03-03

10 believe that the Kansas Pacific
division is absolutely without any
value, that it is wholly dependent Up
on the main line 10 some way, while,
as | have stated, these authorities
have agreed that sl3, 900. 600 was abou,
the amount Of the value of this prop
erty.
One OF their most frequent and
vehement assertions has been that il
was "a line that began nowhere and
ended nowhere" that there was moth
lug but the bare mileage of track
covered by the government lien. In
opposition to the Reilly funding bill,
l remember very well urging strongly
that 1t was impossible to suppose That
the terminal facilities at Kansas City.
which was absolutely necessary to
the operation Of the road. should not
be covered by the government lien,
and lam very happy to see by the de-
cree which was recently issued by the
court that that contention has been
entirely sustained.
Mr.. Morgan: BY the circuit court?
Mr.. Harris. BY the United States
court, Judge SanbOrn:
The cOGrt further finds that by the
nonpayment Of said bonds at maturity
tne condition Of said subsidy mort
gage and lien has been broken, and
that IN pursuance TO law the United
States is entitled to a decree for the
sale OF said railroad and telegraph
line extending from the state line be.
tween the states of Missouri and Kan
Sas the distance Of three hundred
and ninely.three and fifteen six
teenthS miles weStwardly TO a point
upon said railroad, together with said
spurs to WyandOtte and at Detroit,
and the terminal railroad property
In the state Of Missouri, extending
from the union depot Or eastern ter
minus OF said Kansas Pacific railway
company, now called the Union Pa
cltic railway cOmp'Ov. Kansas divi.
sion, distance OF tlfCy-One One-hun-
dreths of mile west 10 the. state
boundary line dividing the states of
Kansas and Missouri, which terminal
properties and railways the court
finds to have accreted TO and become
a part of the said railway, and SUBJ
ject TO the lien of the United States
the same as if bonds had been issued
in aid of the construction the reOf:
through the agency OF commissioners
appointed by the president of the
United States and in pursuance of
law, aforesaid.
So that embraced not only all the
terminal property which this company
Owns from the west up to the state
line Of Kansas, which was the origi-
nal initial point, and eastwardly
from the state line OF Kansas into
Missouri, a distance of tlfty.one one.
hundredths OF a mile, up to the union
depot, including about l3 acres of
land, which is a part of the terminal
property. Consequently it can not be
denied for moment but that this
road, with all It's terminal facilities,
begins in the heart OF Kansas City.
1t extends westwardly in round num-
bers 1874 miles up the bank OF the
Kansas river.
Now what is the condition of the
western connection of this road?
By the act of July /, 1862, il is clear.
ly demonstrated that congress intend
ed TO create Pacific railroad system.
Then the initial point o: the so called
main line was fixed at the one-hun.
dredth meridian, with various
branches eastward connecting with
roads under construction westward to
the Missouri river.
By paragraph in section u of the
act of July !, 1862, it was provided
that the whole line was to be operated |
las one connected, continuous line"
Section Is provided that the door
should be left open Tor all time to any |
new company TO have a connection, |
with the exception that companies |
not named 10 the act of July ], 1862, |
should not have absolute equal privl-
leges, but "Such just and equitable |
terms as the president Of the United |
States may prescribe" Section Is Of |
the act of July 2, 1864, repeated the
provision as to "equal advantages,
etc., to be enjoyed by the companies
specifically named. The act Of July 3,
1866, which provided for the change OF
location OF the Kansas Pacific Tor IN
ion Pacific, Eastern divisioo) so as to
enable it to extend westward, via Den.
yer, and connect with the Union Pa
clfc main line "at point not mjre
than fifty miles westwardly from the