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

man Act Of May I. 1870, in principle.
although the Kansas Pacific COM
pany was not specifically named in that
act.
10 dne, the Kansas Pacific must be
treated as an entirety. The trouble
between the Union Pacific proper and
The Kansas Pacific began immediately
upon the completion of the Kansas
Pacific and the Denver Pacific com.
panles' roads by the Union Pacific
refusing to prorate either passenger
or freight traffic, as provided Ia the
section mentioned in the beginning.
Every kind of effort was made To
reach some friendly agreement. The
Central Pacific from the first agreed
10 extend to the Kansas Pacific equal
facilities to and from the junction
point at Ogden, but the Union Pacific
odrred the way from CHEYENNE 10
Ogden.
When Col. Thomas A. Scott was
president Of the Union Pacific rail.
road 10 or about 1871, he endesvored
10 influence the Union Pacific people
10 make friendly arrangement and
ne was authorized by the Kansas
Pacific people to accept less than an
equal prorate, the Kansas Pacific npo.
pie Offering TO subject to arbitration
the question Of what was fair, but
nothing ever came OF il, and Colonel
Scott soon retired from the presi.
dency. This injustice on the part Of
the Union Pacific people continued,
and was, in my judgment, the chief
cause of the bankruytery of the Kan
saS Pacific in 1873.
The question was finally taken to
Congress, resulting in the act Of June
10, 1874, making it an ofTenSe punish.
able by fine and Imprisonment. with
heavy damages against the offending
party or company, to longer continue
this discrimination. The bankrupt
condition Of the Kansas Pacific made
IL an easy prey to jaw Gould, who had
IN tue meantime got control of the
Union Pacific main line.
The control Of the securities of the
Kansas Pacific and Denver Pacific was
subsequently, obtained, mainly by Jay
Gould personally, so that it is fair TO
presume that for some time be was
able to so influence the division as TO
traffic that the Kansas Pacific was
more Justly treated, as he was then
preparing his scheme for the Illegal
consolidation Of the companies. which
he formally accomplished in January,
1884, at which time the government
directors OF the Union Pacific we're
actually refuse admission TO the
room, as Will appear by the records
oil the attOrney-generai's office,
Charles Devens being attorney
general at the time.
That is a statement Of exact facts
with regard 10 the rights Of the
western end Of tbIs 1914 miles. Practi-
cally it has the absolute right 10
carry its freight aud passengers On
pro rata arrangementclear through To
san Francisco. It's absolutely absurd
10 talk about It's going nowhere" and
Out on the prairies 394 miles from
Kansas City. Ii has, over the ron
tlhuatl0n called the Denver Exten-
sion and The Denver Pacific, road 20
Cheyenne, and from there over the
Union Pacific and the Central Pacldc
TO San Francisco. II is an absolutely
complete piece Of property so far as
its terminals and rights are con
cerned.
Now, the question is. what do the
earnings show, even confined. I'M
Justly, think, to the mere mileage
OF 3O4 miles covered by the subsidy
bonds? | have examined the repur,s
oil the commissioner OF railroads b ck
for number Of years. The reports
therein are taken from statements
ana returns made by the COMPANIES
themselves. They are not my state.
ments, they are not mere guess ~
to what the earning capacity Of this
3g4 miles OF road is, but they are
furnished by the companies them.
selves, and they are verified practi.
caIly, by the government directors
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