Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-11-04
VETERAN RAILROAD
SUIT COMES
UP AGAIN
Pima County, Arizona, Fight
ing Against Payment of
Famous Narrow Gauge Rail
road Bonds,

Attorney $. L. Kingan was instruct
ed at a special meeting Of the board
Of supervisors this forenoon to repre-
sent Pima county before the supreme
court of the United States in wash
ington at the hearing of the narrow
gauge bond suit. This hearing is
scheduled to be held on November 10,
says the Tucson Citizen.
Involved in his suit rs S~Sb4,0O0,
which Pima county will have to pay
should a judgment be rendered adj
verse To the county. In return Tor
this suit the county has but a memory
of a narrow gauge road which. was 10
connect Tucson and Globe.
Twice before this suit has gone to
the highest court in the United states,
but Zach time il was on t~echnicalites
However. the third hearing. which
will come up within the next Two
weeks, will be final, II is stated and
its outcome means much TO the tax
payers Of the county.
The suit is without question the
biggest ever brought in this territory.
and the amount involved should the
county have TO make ii good. Will ran
as a heavy burden or the taxpayers.
II is for this reason that a determined
fight is being made and no legal OPP
portunity is being overlooked 40 land
the county a victor in the case.
More than q score Of years the suit
dates back and its recital is a tale Of
sharp, shrewd seheming on the part
of eastern promoters who had "fren-
zled finance" down to a fine point. A
syndicate made a proposition to the
county in 1888 to build a narrow
gauge railroad between Tucson and
Globe. Their proposition was to take
county bonds in exchange for rail-
road bonds. The exchange was agreed
upon and the first payment was for
$500 This was given before any
work had been done. Another pay
ment for 500, 600 was made after ten
miles of the road had been complet-
ed. All OF the payments were IN
county bonds and in exchange rail
road bonds were received
The bonds. with interest, have
mounted rapidly until in tho space Of
t~wenty-four years they reach the
alarming total of S354.000.
Pioneers who lived here when the
first ten miles Of the railroad was
completed still tell Of the great eele-
bration. II was considered a gala day
IN Tucson ana all of the prominent
citizens were invited 10 ride on the
special rain. With the cheers OF al
most the entire town ringing In their
ears. the citizens who had been for
AAtAnAt fAANNhl az So ca EH 80
train started on The trip over the line
They went ten miles QUITO the end
Of the road. at hat time. and then
they were. brought back again, No
one recalls that another train was
ever run over the road. 1t was one
ride hat should the county lose its
suit will have cost $1,000 per mile
for the train.
Construction work on the line sud-
Tap1tr naugnI "a ffnrI tho hffr nNFlTFEHnm
and the promoters returned to the
east. leaving Pima county citizens
holding an empty sack with ten miles
of narrow gauge railroad and a small
train equipment.
Finding that it had been given an
underhanded blow. the county declin-
ed to settle for its bonds. which had
been given I'm exchange for the worth
less narrow gauge bonds.
Litigation followed and for wears
the case has dragged through all the
courts. having twice gone to the SUI
preme court. II is coming up next
month before the highest tribunal for
a decision on a mandamus proceeding
to compel the supervisors here TO levy
special taxes 10 make good the bonds.
Victory for the county means that the
bonds are worthless. Defeat VIII
mean that the taxpayers viii have TO
make good the bonds, together with
the the interest for nearly a quarter
Of "a century and the entire total Of
expense aggregates S354,OOO.