The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-09-08

I'LL HAVE dill equal CliilllCc. w NOU l)Tetclu
to give the language Of such letter, but Mr.
Hunt can produce it, and it will show What
there is i'll it.
Question Were you ever the attorney of
the st. Charles Airline Railroad Compa-
ny, or did you ever tell Mr. Billings or any
other person that you were suchl
Answer. | never was such attorney; and
never was employed in any way to advance
the interests of the said company. new
err told Mr.. Billings or anybody else that l
was such attorney.
Papers referred TO IN Mr. WaMburnc's testt
m0ny.
A.
Mr.. Washburnc. | feel an exceedingly
great interest in the measure which the com
mittee is now considering. 1t is a bill of
vast Importance to the section of country
which | have the honor to represent On this
floor, and my constituents look to its pas
sage with very great solictude.
There was one thing in tile bill that has
attracted my attention. refer to that pro-
vision Which refers to the privilege of ex-
tending the road through the State of Iowa
to given point on the Mississippi river
But understand from the chairman of the
Committee on Territories III the House,
Mr.. Richardson, whom know to be a
good lawyer, and | understood from the
chairman of the Territorial Committee in
the Senate, Mr. Douglas, who is distin-
guished lawyer and Judge, that this extern
sion was not intended to, and does not, car
ry any land with it, but was only inserted
to show the direction that it was to take !;
that it was not intended to grant any land
whatever outside of the territorial limits of
Minnesota. However, what may have been
the true construction of the language grant
ing the privilege to extend the road outside
the boundary of the Territory, the amend
ment just proposed by my colleague, the
chairman of the committee, Mr.. Richard
son, settles the matter, if, indeed, there
had been any doubt on the subject before.
If the bill had provided expressly for a
grant Of land in Iowa. | should have de-
sired to offer an amendment, if could have
done so without endangering the passage of
the bill. But as any amendment by friend
of the bill might teId to embarrass it, and
as it was the road | wanted, | determined
not to move any minor amendments, even
though might consider such amendments
important.
| will suggest the reasons why l should
have desired the amendment to which / have
alluded, if my friend and colleague Mr.
Richardson had not proposed the alteration
OF the bill, and if the construction which !
have just stated had been offered as the true
legal one. There are two great lines of
railroad which will run across the State of
Illinois from Chicago to Galena and the
Mississippi river If road be built under
this grant, it will be feeder to one or both
Of these roads. These two roads run through
my district; and my amendment, had Of
f,red it, would have been so to have changed
the bill that there should be two termini,
one connecting with the Illinois Central, at
Dunleith, Illinois, and the other at themouth
of the valley Of the Tete de Mort, connect
ing with the Chicago and St. Charles Air
Line Railroad thus giving two outlets, do
ing justice to all interests and injuring
But the amendment proposed by the chair
man, and even the bill without any amend
ment, according to the construction given
to it, makes no grant Of land to Iowa. The
road will now terminate at the southern
boundary of Minnesota. Private enterprise
will build roads to connect with it, and the
company which first builds road to that
point will get the benefit which its enter
prise deserves.
Being, Mr.. Chairman, in favor Of the
principle of these railroad grants, and par
ticularly in the application Of the principle
to the construction of this particular road
opening up an intercourse with the enter
prising and hardy pioneers of that magnifi
cent Territory, hope to see the bill re
ported to the House with q recommended
ton that it do pass. We have had an able
and temperate discussion upon its merits
and / trust the committee is satisfied OF
the Justice of the measure:
e.
That there be, and hereby is, granted to
the Territory of Minnesota, for the con
str1ction of a railroad between st. Paul, il
said Territory, to the eastern line of the
said Territory, by the most direct and prac
ticable route in the direction of the western
end of Lake Superior, and from st. Pau
to the southern line of said Territory, at
peint which would be on the most direc
route from St. Paul to the Mississippi river
in jackson Or Dubuque county, in the state
of Iowa, every alternate section Of land
that is to say, those designated by odd mum
bers-for six sections in width Oh each side
of said road but in case it shall appear