The Sham Inspection of the Northern Pacific
A whistleblower account of how railroad executives entertained government officials with champagne to secure unearned land grants.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A correspondent reports that gentlemen appointed by President Arthur to report upon the twenty-five miles of the Cascade division of the Northern Pacific, constructed east from Tacoma, were carried over the Puyallup coal road in a special train. It is alleged that these officials were treated to lavish entertainment, including special brands of champagne, while the inspection itself was a mere formality designed to help the company hold its land grant. Critics argue that the twenty-five miles of completed track were largely phantom, and the commissioners were kept in a state of confusion to prevent a genuine investigation into the company's claims.
“The free pleasure trips which the commissioners took… were taken much at their own pleasure in regard to time; the company's confidence in its influence… making it consider the examination but a matter of form.”
This 1884 account of 'corporate capture'—where government regulators are wined and dined by the very entities they are meant to oversee—echoes contemporary frustrations with the revolving door between public service and private industry in the Pacific Northwest.
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