The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-02-15

acts from any State or Territorial Legislature
to carry out the provisions of this bill, shall be
submitted to Congress for approval before any
lands or bonds shall be received by any OF the
companies undertaking to build the several
lines Of railway contemplated by this act.
This amendment elected considerable de-
bate. Mr.. WILKINSON inquired how it was
that Republican Senators could vote $780,
100000 for Southern route, through Tex
as, now in the act of secession; and refuse
$25,OOO,O0O to a Northern road, with equal
claims, and running through country loyal
to the Federal government. He said :s ,itS
Sir, this bill, that has come to us from the
House of Representatives, is q bill of ab0min-
nations. 1t is fraught with manifest injustice
and wrong; and, instead of producing the re-
suits which some gentlemen expect, believe
these Texan secessiOnists will laugh at you.
If meu are not bound to this Union by any
stronger ties than those furnished by this rail
road scheme, then the quicker they get out of
the Union, in my humble judgment, the better.
Mr.. DOUGLAS was afraid that by encum-
bering the bill with too many roads, too
many branches, and too large an amount of
money, it would fall of its own weight. He
said the route from Puget's Sound to Lake
Superior was good and pract icable route,
and he favored setting apart alternate sec.
tions Of land, for many miles on each side,
to create fund to make the road. But, he
said -
would much rather make but one road, so
situated as to be fair to all sections, and so
that all roads on this side could connect with it.
believe if we could set aside all these local
interests, and start one road at the city of Sa-
cramento, California, and then over to the
Washoe mines, and keep due west until you
strike the head of the Arkansas, you would
find good route and practicable road. When
you get to the head of the Arkansas, one branch
should run down to Louisiana in the direction
of New Orleans. and the other to Iowa, in the
direction of the northwestern states and thus
you would accommodate the whole country
quite as well, perhaps better, by one road with
two branches than you would with all these
roads. ,,at) Bill .rffur.1 Tfve a. rf-el.5
Gen. LANE felt induced to vote for the
amendment offered by WILKINSON, on the
ground that in case of war with Great
Britain, the road will be needed for the pro.
lection of the northwestern Pacific coast,
bordering on Puget Sound, and for all
the country lying on the line. He said:
The northern route, am sure, is a very prac-
ticable one, and would terminate, as provided
by this amendment, at Puget Sound, the finest
sheet of water on the face of the earth. The
country east of the mountains and up the Mis-.
souri, river is generally level and until you
strike the Rocky Mountains it presents very
little obstruction to the building of q road.
From Fort Benton, on the vavigabie waters of
the Missouri, to Fort Walla- Walla, on the Co.
lumbia river, upon the border of Oregon, and
only short distance from Puget Sound, it is
only six hundred miles. By this statement you
see, Mr.. President, that Railroad on that
route is practicable, and would be necessary
for the defence of the country. r- 4
The vote was taken and the amendment
proposed by Mr.. WILKINSON was adopted
ayes ~, nays 10, as follows =. .t f.t..
YEAs-Messrs. Anthony, Bingham, Bright,
Chandler, Clark, Collamer, Doolittle, Douglas,
Durkee, Fessenden, Fitch, Foot, Hale, John.
son of Arkansas, King, Lane, Morrill,, Powell;
Rice. Sebastian, Simmons, Sumner. Ten Eyck,
Trumbull, Wade, Wilkinson, and Wilson--27.
NAYs-Messrs. Baker, Bigler, Bragg, Cling.
man, Crittenden, Dixon, Foster, Grimes, Gwin,
Harlan, Hemphill. johnson of Tennessee, Ken
uSQy, Aatudtn, NlcnOlSOu, fOlk, OaulSDQfy,
Seward, and Wigfall-l9. DIE .Htf,
An attempt was then made at the in.
stance of Senator WILSON of Mass, to re-
duce the appropriation for the Southern
route, from $36,OOOOOO to 1925 100000,
the same as appropriated to the Northern
route, leaving the grant to then central route
at $6O,00O,000. Lost-ayes 10, hayes %.
On the 3lst, the final vote was taken on
the bill, and as amended in the Senate it
passed by the following vote -
YEAs.-Messrs. Anthony, Baker, Bingham,
Bright, Cameron, Chandler, Clark, Collamer,
Fitch. Foot, Foster, Grimes, Gwin, Hale, Har-
Ian, Hemphill, johnson of Arkansas Kennedy,
Lane, Latham, Morrill,, Polk, Rice, Sebastian,
Seward, Simmons, Sumner. Trumbull, Wade,
Wigfall, Wilkinson, and Wilson-37.
. NAYs.-Messrs. Bayard, Bigler, Bragg. Cling.
man, Fessenden, Green, Hunter, johnson of
Tennessee, King, Mason, Nicholson, Powell,
Salisbury, and Thompson--l4.
The bill, as it passed the Senate, provides
for three roads to the Pacifc-a northern,
central, and southern, with branch on the
Pacific coast from Sacramento, to Portland,
Oregon. To this last mentioned branch, no
donation of money is made, but alternate
sections of pubic lands, for six miles on
each side of the road, is granted to aid in
its construction.