The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-04-15
SYNOPSIS OF REPORT OF SENATE
COMMITTEE ON PACIFIC Rail-
ROADS.
Made February 10, 1869.

The following, which We have received
from Hon. VIM. Window, is clear, brief and
comprehensive; !
"The report of the majority of the
Senate Committee on Pacific Railroads
in an exhaustive argument in favor Of
two additional trunk railroads to the
Paci6c-oue from Lake Superior to
Pugct's Sound the other from Little
Eock, in Arkansas, and from the ter
minus of the Kansas Pacific railway in
Kansas, by the route of the thirty-ffth
parallel, to San Diego and San Francis
co. The report declares afirmatively
that the bill reported by the majority
of the committee was intended to be
the fualitJ of Legislation in aid of Pa
ciic railways; that after having proyid-
ed substantially two additional trunk
outlets-onc for the Northern States
aud one for the Southern
Statcs-at suitable initial points, it
was intended to stop there ali Con-
gressional aid, and leave to private
enterprise and State endowment the
future construction of branches. The
report shows at length, and with large
array Of statistics, derived from the ex-
perlence of the influence of railways in
England, France, Belgium, Holland,
AMI the United States, that they are
the greatest of all modern agencies for
the production of wealth and the de-
velopment of trade and commerce. It
demonstrates that the import and ex-
port trade to the principal countries in
Europe are in precise proportion to the
development Of their railway systems,
respectively; that the experience Of
Belgium, France, Austria, Spain, and
Italy, SHOWS that tax on railway re-
ceipts is the best sinking fund thus far
devised for the speedy payment of
national debts. 1t also shows that two
additional trunk railways to the Pacific
are commercially necessary, demon.
starting that a single line cannot do the
work that will be tb1v~u upvu II, tnaI
additional lines, free from obstruction
by snow, are needed to maintain unin-
terrupted intercourse ; to prevent the
evils of monopoly to avoid political
discomfort in the Northern and South
ern sections Of the Union to bring the
public domain into market; to increase
immigration from Europe; to qusdruple
our yield of gold and silver; to save
two-thirds of the cost of wagoning sup
plies to the 100 military posts ia the
Indian country, which now amounts to
about seventeen millions a year; to re-
duce by one-half the number OF troops
10 the Territories BY the
greater mobility the roads will give the
remainder, and to practically end Indi-
an wars, which the report shows cost
the country during the last campaign
about one million dollars 4 week.
"The majority Of the committee u1-
gently recommend aid to the roads as
a measure of immediate and lasting
economy to the Government. The re-
port proves that it is safe for the Gov
ernment to aid them, without reference
to the incidental advantages of doing
so, by showing.from the accounts Of the
Quartermsster's Department With the
Kansas Pacific Railroad that upon an
average use Of 220 miles of the road its
for work done for the Gov
ernment not only paid the interest on
the bonds advanced to the road and
provided the sinking fund to redeem
them, but brought the Government in
debt to the road. The report opposes
grants hereafter of Government lid like
that given to the Union Pacific, and
Central Pacific, in bonds directly issued,
but advocates a guarentee Of the interest
of the mor,gage-bonds Of the two addi-
tional trunk Pacific roads, to be issued
to a defined and limited extent. It
declares that they are military, COM
meroial, and political necessities, and
concludes with the averment that the
people demand their construction, aud
d. not, as has been alleged, participate
IN, or sympathize with, the recently
raised oQtery agaiasto Paei6ot Railway
aid.n