SPECIAL INTERESTS RULE FOREVER

In March of 1869 Richard King and Miflin Kenedy meet in Brownsville at the Miller Hotel. A bottle of whiskey occupies a prominent place in the middle of their table. But they don't require alcohol to speak frankly.

They earned their first money plying the Rio Grande as steamboat captains transporting troops and supplies during the Mexican-American War. Twenty years later these two Yankees with Confederate sympathies are the kingpins of South Texas.

"Where do we stand on the railroad?" poses Kenedy.

"We connect Corpus to Brownsville and our river business ends prematurely," replies King. "We'll support a narrow-gauge track from here to Port Isabel, but we'll control the Rio Grande traffic from Brownsville to Rio Grande City and Roma. We have to sell if we can get the right price because trains will bankrupt us.

"As to the railroad, we need to back the line between Corpus and Laredo and try to lure Monterrey commerce to Corpus," continues King. "For the Mexicans, Corpus is their most convenient port to import and export."

The two contemplate their glasses. They no longer settle for cheap tequila.

"What about Brownsville?" asks Kenedy. "You don't think the mayor and his people are going to be angry because they have been left out of the loop?"

"Don't worry about the mayor. He knows who butters his bread. Brownsville's time will come. In the meantime we'll have a quiet place to drink."