Leland Stanford Quotes
Without the Chinese, it would have been impossible to complete the Western portion of this great National Highway. [The Transcontinental Railroad]
Leland Stanford, 1824–1893, Governor of California, Industrialist & Founder of Stanford University, Letter to President Andrew Johnson
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Bonnycastle was one of the earliest visionaries of a transcontinental railroad. The Canadian version however was constructed after the United States.
before there were railroads in the West
Ten years later, The Transcontinental Railroad was completed. What Sherman did not count on was the massive subsidies that the government offered the companies to build the railroad fast.
Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier
Jarrett was testifying against Chinese immigrant laborers. The fact that they had a much lower standard of living meant that they would work for very small wages and would drive down the wages of existing white laborers. President Arthur withdrew Jarett’s nomination when he discovered that Jarett had been very critical of his administration.
The railroads that opened up the West are often used as examples of American corporate and entrepreneurial achievement. But private enterprise would not risk the capital for such a visionary and innovative scheme. It was the Federal Government which provided loans to start and paid for every mile of track with huge grants of land along the right of way. Then the Federal government provided the security and conducted numerous wars against the Indians to make the construction and operation possible. Had the Government and President Lincoln not pushed and supported the plan, there would have been no transcontinental railroad.
Of particular interest is his point about the immigration of cheap, foreign labor in addition to presenting unfair competition to the American worker also regards him in society’s view and his own. It was a tremendous loss of dignity for now a free working man was no better than an ignorant, compliant Chinese coolie. This loss of dignity has been a problem to which politicians have not been very sensitive.
Many people contest his 40 million number as being exaggerated. Even if true, opponents argue that they would be no more likely to take jobs that most Americans do not want at current wages or whose education does not make them qualified for the high tech jobs that are available. They argue that with 40 million additional American we would not replace many immigrants but would greatly increase the unemployment rate. Later, DeLay was convicted and sentenced to jail for money laundering and illegally spending and raising campaign funds. He was also reprimanded by the House Ethics Committee for unethical methods of fund raising for other earlier actions.
If we do not change the immigration laws and give visas and green cards to foreigners who earn degrees at American universities,
This early Irish emigration—mostly to America—were mostly Ulster Presbyterians known in America as “Scotch-Irish”. The editors were very concerned as the emigrants were the backbone of the Ulster workforce. The huge Catholic emigration would come later.
Amasa Leland Stanford was an American industrialist and politician. He was the founder (with his wife, Jane) of Stanford University. Migrating to California from New York at the time of the Gold Rush, he became a successful merchant and wholesaler, and continued to build his business empire. He spent one two-year term as Governor of California after his election in 1861, and later eight years as a United States Senator. As president of Central Pacific Railroad, beginning in 1861, and later Southern Pacific, he had tremendous power in the region and a lasting impact on California. He is widely considered a robber baron.
