David Rothman cited Wallace's voted for regulating western railroads as how little ideology mattered. It is better seen as how much Tom Scott mattered. Regulating the Central Pacific and Union Pacific served Tom Scott. Similarly, Senator Gordon, a friend of the Central Pacific whom Rothman cites as an example of the in efficacy of corruption because he took money from Scott but voted against him can just as easily be an example of its efficacy. Gordon also negotiated for favors from Huntington.
The President's Report on p. 4 values the "farming lands" at $30 million dollars, but the Land Agent's Report on p. 47 makes it clear that the railroad counted the entire land grant of the Central Pacific, California and Oregon as farming lands amounting to 11,722,400 acres with a value of $29,306,000, p. 47. The Southern Pacific valued its real estate, depot grounds "including an undivided half-interest in 60 acres land in Mission Bay" exclusive of its land grant and improvements at $7,644,636.
The totals, 7,369,447 tons going west and 5,585,332 tons going east, are confusing because the combined figures are far short of the total of 22,824,299, and these lines were predominantly east-west lines, indicating less traffic going north/south.
Sixth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending December 1, 1888 (Topeka, 1888), table III, p. 191.
As will be discussed later, these rates are in a sense a fiction, since they were not applied evenly to all shippers. Negotiations produced rebates. Still, the rates are analytically useful because they establish the base point for negotiations, and only very large rebates would change the relationship between one place and another, although they certainly altered the competitive relationship of shippers in the same place. For through rates, see No. 23, Through Freight Tariff Southern Pacific Railroad to Take Effect July 29, 1877 between San Francisco and Stations Named Below. Through rates also were in effect from Stockton, Lathrop, San Jose, and Oakland.
No. 7, Central Pacific Railroad, Special Freight Tariff on Grain in Carloads to the General Markets, Feb. 1, 1876. I am calculating a carload at 10 tons per car, which was the designated weight for a carload on the Central Pacific. Central Pacific Local Freight Tariff (Western & Oregon Divisions), Local Classification. River Rates to San Francisco, untitled document, State Railroad Commission, California State Archives, Sacramento. Albert Wilbur to George Wilbur, Nov. 17, 1881, box 13, f. 271, Wilbur Papers.