Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-04-07
Synopsis Of Report of Senate Commit
tee on Pacific Railroads, Made Feb
rUarT 10. 1869,

rUary 19, 1869.
The report of the majority of the
I Senate Committee on Pacific Rail-
roads is an exhaustive argument in
( favor of two additional trunk railroads
to the Pacifie-One from Lake Superi-
or to Puget's Sound: the other from
Little Rock, in Arkansas, and from
the terminus of the Kansas Pacific
railway in Kansas, by the route of the
thirty-fifth parallel, 10 San Diego and
San Francisco. The report declares
affirmatively that the bill reported by
the majority of the committee was in
tended TO be the finality of legislation
in aid of Pacific railways that after
having provided substantially two ad-
ditional trunk outlets-One for the
Northern States and one for the South
ern States-at suitable initial points,
it was intended to stop there all Con-
gressional aid, and leave 10 private
enterprise and State endowment the
future construction of branches. The
report shows at length, and with a
large array of statistics, derived from
the experience of the influence of rail-
ways in England, France, Belgium,
Holland, and the United States, that
they are the greatest of all modern
agencies for the production of wealth
and the development of trade and
commerce 1t demonstrates that the
import and export trade of the princi-
pal countries in Europe are in precise
proportion to the Developments of their
railway systems, respectively; that
the experience of Belgium, France.
Austria, Spain and Italy, shows tbat a
tax on railway receipts is the best
sinking fund thus far devised for the
speedy payment Of national dehts.-
Ii also shows that two additional
trunk railways to the Pacific are COM
mercially necessary, demonstrating
that single line cannot do the work
that will be thrown upon it; that ad-
ditional lines, free from obstruction
by snow, are needed TO maintain un-
interrupted intercourse to prevent
the evils of a monopoly; to avoid
political discomfort in the Northern
and Southern sections Of the Union /;
to bring the public domain into mar
ket; TO increase immigration from
Europe; toquadruple our yield of gold
and silver; to save twO-thirds of the
cost of wagOning supplies 10 the 100
y y
which now amOuntst to oaboutseventeen
millions a year; to reduce by one-half
the number of troops maintained in
the Territories by the greater mobility
the roads will give the remainder, and
TO practically end Indian wars, which
the report shows cost the country,
during the last campaign, about one
million dollars a week. The majority
of the committee urgently recommend
aid to the roads as a measure of imme-
diate and lasting economy to the ,Ov-
ernment. The report proves that it Is
safe for the Government to aid them,
without reference to the incidental
advantages of Going 50, by showing
! from the accounts of the QuaTtermas-
I ter's Department with the Kansas
/ Pacific Railroad that upon an average
I use of 220 miles of the road its earnings
{ for work done for the Government not
only paid the interest on the bonds adj
vaneed to the road and provided the
sinking fund to redeem them, but
! brought the Government in debt tC
! the road. The report opposes grants
hereafter of Government aid like that
I given to the Union Pacific and Cen
trail Pacific, in bonds directly issued,
but advocates a guarantee OF the inter.
est of the mOrtgage-bOnds of the two
additional trunk Pacific roads, to be
issued to a defined and limited extent
1t declares that they are military
commercial, and political necessities
and concludes with the averment thai
the people demand their construction
i and do not, as has been alleged, par
ticipate in, or sympathiZe with, the
recently raised outcry against Pacific
Railway aid