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.

These five votes provided the margin for the Thurman bill, if, as Huntington contended, the Central Pacific fell only two votes short of approving its bill. His count must have come either from one of the earlier attempts to substitute a railroad bill for the Thurman Bill or other senators must have changed their votes when it became clear that Huntington would lose, because on roll calls the actual margins were wider. When the Blaine amendment, gutting the Thurman bill, actually came to a roll call vote, it lost 35-23. Virtually all the Democrats and a substantial minority of Republicans voted against it.

The vote is from Poole and Rosenthal, Voteview, #45. With paired votes counted, the vote was 41-30. It is unclear what Huntington based his vote calculation on. Earlier attempts to substitute the railroad committee bill or its equivalent (the Matthews and Chafee motions) never came to a vote.

Rothman, Politics and Power, 37-38, 199-200.

Huntington to Colton, July 26, 1876, Octopus Speaks, 257-58.

Colton to Huntington, Nov. 8, 1877, Octopus Speaks, 429.

Huntington to Colton, April 19, 1877 [1878], Octopus Speaks, 490.

Klein, Union Pacific, 380-84.

Poole and Rosenthal, Voteview, # 45, Roll Call 1878, 4/9/78.

Huntington to Crocker, April 12, 1878, CPH Papers, Ser. 2, r. 6. Congressional Record, 45th Congress, 2nd Session, Thurman Bill Senate no. 15, March 26, April 3-5, April 8-9, 1878, 2030, 2226, 2263, 2309, 2331, 2365, 2376, 2383-84.