Year: 1871

purposes, was received in the United States
Senate from the House. Motions were made
to concur and non-concur in amendments
which had been made to it; but action was
postponed until tho bill be printed. This bill
originated in the Senate and passed the House
of Representatives on Tuesday last by vote
Of 1874 against TO- The House, however had pre-
viously agreed to amendments offered by Mr..
Allison and Mr. Wheeler. Mr.. Allison's
amendment excluded from consolidation such
railroads as may hereafter be chartered.
Mr.. Wheelers amendment provided for single
trunk from point on the eastern boundary
of the State Of Texas at or near Marshall to
the ship channel in the bay Of San Diego,
California, along the route known as the
thirty second parallel of north latitude. The
Senate bill had provided for six different
lines. 1t had also provided for gauge OF
five feet, but Mr.. Wheelers amendment pro-
poses uniform gauge.


Before the Senate shall finally act upon the
confirmation of the bill as amended by the
House thorough reconsideration of the facts
in the case should be made. A chief ostensi-
BILE purpose of the bill is the construction of a
way of Marshall. The energetic gentlemen
who have been lobbying the bill through Con-
gress ignore the fact stated in the HERALD Of
the 7th inst, that the State of Texas has
already chartered and subsidized rail-
road from Marshall to Ell Paso, on the
Rio Grande, and that it is actually in
course of construction. We are informed
that the road along the very line indicated in
the bill was finished from Shreveport to Mar
shall last summer that since then it has
been finished, and the cars are running from
Shreveport, in Louisiana, to Longview, some
twenty-four miles west of Marshall, in Texas.
When the pending hill passed the Senate, near
midnight on the 9th of last June, and went to
the House of Representatives, it met with an
earnest protest from the officers of the State
Those officers stated that their road has the
oldest charter in the State of Texas to run
from its eastern boundary to Ell Paso, on the
line of the thirty second parallel, and that no
other road can be built on any other route to
El Paso on account Of the obstacles encoun-
tered by the Llano Estacado. They had been
advised that the aforesaid charter gave their
road ''the prior and vested right in that line,
which cannot be dvested, repealed, run over,
injured or infringed upon by a subsequent
charter for another road" They further in
sisted that the Southern Pacific Railroad Of
Texas sis the only one that has the legal and
undoubted right to run to Ell Paso, on the line
of the thirty-second parallel, aud the only one
with the State aid aforesaid, and therefore the
only company that possibly can have the
ability to build one to Ell Paso." Satisfied
with their charter from the State of Texas,
they only asked the House of Representatives
to grant them charter through the terri
tories and California for what they call "a live
road and route with a charter which is not
solicited for speculative purposes merely,
which can and will be built speedily and
which, by its extensive Southern connections,
is the only true Southern road from the Allan
tic to the Pacific ocean,"


The real purpose of very many Congress
sional bills is concealed beneath the innocent
phrase-"And for other purposes" From
the above protest it would seem that for the
purpose of building railroad the charter is
not needed. This, however, may not prevent
the lobby from wanting it ''for other pur-
poses." As basis for bonds and stock ope-
rations it might be worked to the very great
profit of somebody.


Among the corporators in the pending bill
are the names of Messrs. H. D. Cooke and II.
Mccullough. All know that Mr.. Cooke is the
Washington head of the firm of j. Cooke &
Co., and it is well understood that our late
house of the same firm. If the bill is pushed
through and gets the Presidents signature
about eighty million dollars OF bonds can be
issued under its ample provisions AS
matter of course this would make nice little
addition to the stock in trade of the 'Great
American Banking House in London" Even
should that enterprising firm fail to obtain q
monopoly of the sale of the new government
securities and to have its own way generally,
might it not still be able, by virtue of its two
railroad charters, to manufacture few hun
dred million dollars independent Of the gov
ernment issues.


The United States government does not own
an acre of land in the State of Texas, and
therefore cannot grant an acre to the proposed
national company. The existing State COM
pany, as we have seen, has the exclusive
right to build road through Texas from Mar
shall to Ell Paso. 1t owns the lands. alter
nate sections, along the line, and is actually
engaged in building the road. The would-be
managers Of the proposed national company
are working like beavers to get charter for q
road along the same line. Is 1t possible that
they think of building second road where
there is yet scarcely business tor one2 Or do
they want the charter to use as basis for