Gold Hill Daily News

THE EVENING NEWS

WILL A ROAD TO THE TRUCKEE BE BUILT?—A correspondent of the Sacramento Union, writing to that paper under date of last week, speaks under the head of "Branch Pacific Railroad" as follows: "It is fully expected that the Central Pacific Railroad Company will next Spring have the locomotive running to the point the most nearly opposite Virginia city to which their main line will come. That point will be distant some sixteen miles north of this town. It might naturally be supposed that the people here would take great interest in seeing a branch road built from the city down to the main line of the Pacific road, but this is not the case. All admit the great necessity of this road, but either through lack of enterprise or cash, or because of dependence upon outsiders rather than upon themselves, the people here have taken no practical steps to build this road. Three franchises have at different times been granted by different Legislatures of the State for the building of it, but those to whom they were granted had no more idea of building the road than of building one to the moon. All they wanted was a franchise given to them, and when they got it they immediately started to peddle it off to the highest bidder. Each of them in turn hawked the different franchises through Sacramento, San Francisco, New York and other Eastern cities, but without success, although the usual gilded statement of profits was embodied in a printed 'report' and scattered among the hoped-for purchasers. There is no end to the number of persons here who are anxious to secure 'little franchises,' as they have been called. The only object in seeking them is to speculate upon them and make money easily. To bestow time, labor or money in the development of any legitimate interest is never dreamt of. And I am afraid it will be found in California that many of those seeking valuable franchises for building railroads have no intention of bestowing either their time, labor or money upon building the roads they profess to be desirous of giving the public. Wire-pulling, lobbying, mis-statement of facts and bribery will unquestionably be largely resorted to, so that the franchises may be secured; but with the clutching of the last, all work will cease except that necessary to maneuver with them in the way that will most largely benefit the operators' pockets. These are days of great promise in railroads on this coast, but with one or two notable exceptions performance has not even shown its head."