The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-09-06

would blow over, and that your House would
he in ,n d ,emper to TRANSFER business. 1pa'e
give me your opinion a. to the proper tune 10
h-;nu mn the Mime gotta land bull II - irnpor>
than, m 4 II should be acted on at the earliest
moment, Would II be polite to hurry and take
v.,,e on il before the first or second week In
June. Please lie, me hear from you
+, GEO w BILLINGS.
Hos. T. B WAsHsuRsE,
Washington, n e..
Mr.. Hun. is Treasurer, and MIR Washburne
attorney. of the Air line Railroad Company
n Mr. Hunt told me and as ! think Mr. Wash
burne told me | came back to Washi IT,
ahout The 1uih of June, and about the ioh
4 met MIR. Washburne and had repeated Inter
views with aim Ia the value IT the AR line
railroad. what The stack would be worth. &c
Mr. Wa>hhurn. sad th,' com,any hat had thi'
+ iran, would max. "a y-ea, deal OF nancy when
thu bill passed | differed with him; we had
dscussisns as To ,h- value "t railroad property
i H.. asked me who III parties wee who W. re IL
take the stock aud be a, the head If the con
Germ told Tim who they wer-, and he was
| satisfied as were his friends in New York
| FROM The last OF April To the hrst Of May
i told h m that the books were opened at the
| Bank ot the Republic, and asked him II he and
his friends would like to rake stock. lis reply
| uas. that he was alb nut gong Europe, and
was sick Of railroad property, he would nn'
take any himsrl; it would depend "n ms irie"ds
| in New York whether they would take stoch'
Nothing # moment occurred until al the
passage OF the bill. | went 10 the Senate and
found the bull lying on The tabls, took It mp and
read il; saw General Jones, and called his
attention Il, the error in the word s'or, and
| IL. oil. Ihar "
said certainly, that it read very badly, and thai
he would 20 and get it cnrrec ed saw him, !
think, in The afternoon, VIII n be told me thai
the error Nas corrected
Q In your interview with MIR. Washburne
did he say that ke was oPpost TO ne whine
sofa bin, nr say that he was friendly to the bill
but wanted il 30 T. AIMED that all roads should
have an equal chance. a..d that the oenrnt OF
/ the grant should not inure 10 the beneht OF any
particular company. 10 the exclusion OF any
other conpsny equally deserving!
A. did MT understand him so. my in
trrviews with him, the drin of his opposition
was against the ILLINOIS Central Ra lrnad CON
pany, and friend of mine (Robert Smith, al
| liiinois) understood the same, who was present
a, one of our interviews.
! @ Did Mr.. Washburne not state to you that
he was perfectly willing th-t the illinois Zen
| traI railroad shou d stand on the same footing
with any other road
A think he did not.
O Did Mr.. Wasnburne not state 10 you tina,
the granting If the charter ut The a.innesota
railroad would weaken the chances for grant
by Congress to aid in the construction VI
railraod in Minnesota
A. There was something said about that in
the first instance but welded to the necessities
OF the Territory, tina, they could go on thai
season with the work.
q II Mr. Washburne had such converse
lion, state exactly the time and circumstances
| uncer vi ich the conversation took place, and
/ the language. and who was present, 1t any
one
| A. 1t was about the first Of May. The con
versation was in his rootn, and no person pre-
sent but ourselves; could not repeat The Ian
puace, except in general terms
@ You have spoken of Mr.. Hunt Did
Won not understand Mr. Nashburne as refer
| ing to him as representing the interest OF on.
OF the roads running through his Mr.. wash
burne 81 district?
| A. Yes; MIR. Hunt represented the Air Line
Railroad Company as treasurer.
| O. Did M, Mr. Washburne distinctly and
repr a,edly state that he had no friends and nc
private interest to serve; that, IN the grant, ne
wanted the interests Of the Territory properly
| protected; and that the two roads through his
district should sand on an equal footing, so TAI
as regards this grant,
| A. To the first part | don't recollect; to the
latter part, have answered it before.
@ Did YOU ever have word of converse
ton with Sir. Washburne, after the bill was
drawn up by Mr. Sibley, in regard to any par
ticular part OF the bill!
| A. don't recnllec, whether before or attel
the bill was drawn up; but had several CONVEX
sations with Mr. Washburne, in his room, OF
the subject-a half dozen times.
@. After the bill was drawn by Mr.. S,o
ley, did you have any con 'ersation with Mr.
Washburne in regard to any alteration Whatever
made or to be made in the bill
4. had repeated conversations in relation
to the alterations of the third section OF The
bill. These conversations spread over terra
of two weeks or more, and were all held IN Mr
Washburne's room, from the 25th of April t
the 10Th Of May.
G. What were those Conversations Die
ever Washburne assent or knoA OF any aitera
tons in the III I'd sec ion by striking out the
word s(ature2''
/ A. cannot say what the words were thai
were stricken out never knew I'LL i
was done. 1t was to make the new bill con
form to the old BILL The object was To keet
the charter as it stood, that the work might g.
on. My Instructions from the leading men IN
the Territory were to preserve The charter.
/ q. Did mir. Washburne ever assent to oil
know Of the striking out Of the word '.juture,
and changing the word or for the WORD
{. and IN the third section of the bill:
| A. never knew the words of the bill TIL j
had passed, but he did assent that the new bill
should conform to the one
1 @ Did you everhave any conversation with
| Mr. Washburne on the substituting of the WORD
"aad for org"
a. | canaot s,ate the words | was moi
| aware of the language the bill until saw
the printed bill in The Senate, after it passed
| the Hnuse had no conversation with Mr.
| Washbu-ne after l discovered the error in the
third section did not consider it important.
| G What p rs"n did you have the nvtr
satlon with in regard to the error /?
| A With General Jones, OF Iowa.
WHiiam Patton, srors.
| @. Where are you employed, and in whai
capacity and state whether you ever had thit
bill Handing him House engrossed bill No
342l in your possession; it you have. state what
you know in regard to the change in the third
section in substituting the word /" Gsd for the
word " or" al whose suggestion was it made
State all the facts and circumstances connected
with il in your knowledge.
| A. am the FIRST engrossiug clerk of the
Senate. While this bill was pending before the
Committee on Public Lands in the Senate Gen,
eral jones, of Iowa, Of the Senate, chilled on
| me, and said that he was informed there " as a
mistake or clerical error in il, "a he had under
stood that The Committee on Public Lands Of
the House Of Representatives, who reported the
| bill, had reported it with the void "and in
stead of the word .or," and wan'ed to know ii
| it would not be proper for me to make the cor
reclion, and stating that if it could not be cor
| rected the Com,niltee on Public Lands OF the
Senate would report an amendment correcting
| Il, and then it would have TO GO back to the
House for concurrence, which might cause con
siderable delay in its passage. which the friends
| Of the bill lnted to avoid. For his rart, he
said, he did not see how It cnuid affect Inc
| me aninr or sense of the bill but As its fnend