The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-05-22
SYNOPSIS or REPORT OF
Senate Committee on Pacific Railroads.
MADE FEBRUARY 10, 1860.

Tho report of tho majority of tho Sen.
ate committee on Pacific Railroads is an
exhaustive argument in favor Of two ad.
dltional trunk railroads to the Pacific
one frow Lake Superior to Puget Sound
tho other from Little Rock in Arkansas
and from the terminus Of the Kansas Pa.
cifc railway in Kansas, by the route oil
tho thirty.tifth parallel, TO San Diego and
San Francisco. The report declares
afirmatively that the bill reported by the
majority Of the committee was intended
to be the Gnality of Legislation in aid Of
Pacific railways; that after having pro.
vidcd substantially two additional trunk
outlets--onc for the Northern States and
one for the Southern Statcs-at suitable
initia. points, il was intended 10 stop
there oil congressional 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 cx-
perience Of the influence Of railways in
England, France, Belgium, Holland. aud
tho United States, that they are the great.
est Of all modern agencies for the pro.
duetion of wealth and the development
Of trade and commerce. II demonstrates
that the import and export trade Of the
principal countries in Europe arc ia pre-
else proportion to tho development of
their railway systems, respectively that
the experience of BelgiunI, France, Aus.
tria, Spain, and Italy, shows that tax
on railway receipts il the best sinking
fund thus far devised for the speedy paw
ment Of national debts It also shows
that two additional trunk railways to the
Pacisc are commercially necessary, dem.
onstrating that single line cannot do
tho work that will be thrown upon il :
that additional lines, free from obstruc-
tion By snow, are needed to obtain unin.
terrupted intercourse; to prevent the
evils Of monopoly; 10 avoid political
discomfort in the Northern and Southern
sections Of the Union to bring the pub
lie domain into market; TO increase i'm
migration from Europe; to quadruple
our yield Of gold and silver to save two.
thirds Of tho cost Of wagonipg supplies to
the 100 military posts in tho Indian
country, which nov amounts to about
seventeen millions year; TO reduce By
one half the number Of troops main
tanned in the Territories by the greater
mobility the roads will give the remain
der, and to practically end Indian wars,
which the report shows cost the country
about million dollars q week. The ma
jority of the committee urgently recon.
mend aid to the roads as measure oI
immediate aud lasting economy 10 the
Government The report proves that j,
il safe for the Government to aid them,
without reference to the incidental ad.
vantagcs of doing 60, by showing from
tho accounts Of tho Qaartcrmasters De.
partment with the Kansas Pacific Rail
road that upon an average use Of 22C
miles of the road its earnings for work
done for the Government not only paid
the interest on the bords advanced "a
the road and provided the sinking fund
to redeem them, but brought the Govern
mcnt in debt TO the road. The report op
poses grants hereafter OF Government aid
like that given to the Union Pacific and
Central Pacific, 10 bonds directly issued
but advocates q guarantee of the interes
of the mortgage bonds Of the two addi
tional trunk Pacific roads, 10 be issued t.
defined and limited extent. 1t declare.
that they are military, commercial, ant
political necessities, and concludes will
tho averment that the people demand
their construction, aud do not, as ha
been alleged, participate in, or sympa
thjzc with, the recently raised outer,
against Pacific Railway aid.