The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-04-06

sale of the Hot Springs Reservation. Ar
kansas.
Schenck introduced a bin making st.
Louis aud Cincinnati ports OF entry. Re-
ferred 10 the Committee on Commerce.
sumner ictroduced a bill preventing the
Y Unlted states Courts from enforcing con
tracts concerning slaves. Referred TO the
judiciary Committee.
Chandler called up the bill authorizing
the New YORK, New foGndiand IL London
Telegraph Company To land its caole oa
the coast OF the United states.
StOckton's amendment, giving the same
permission TO any company chartered by
any state, was pending. While advO-
eating mis- amendment, the morning hour
expired, aud the joint resolution TO pro-
tecJ the interests or the United States in
the Union Pacific Railroad, came up.
The question pending was on Sherman's
amendment concerning the junction of
the two roads, &c, authorizing the Pre- 81
dent of the United states 10 fix the point
of junction of The Union Pacific and Cen
trat Pacific Railroads and for that pur-
pose, IL he deems 1t expedient, to appoint
a board of eminent citizens, not exceed
ing five in number, to examine and report
in regard TO the proper point of junction,
and also in regard 10 the condition OF each
road, and what sum will be required to
complete IL as first class railroad, accord
! ing to law.
Warner opposed the amendment. He
didn't think IL wise to invest the President
with such extraordinary discretion, nor
did he believe the President would be will
ing 10 exercise it. He contended that the
Secretary OF the Interior had tablish ed
a line between Monument Point and Echo
Summit, upon which route the companies
were bound to build their roads. The
Union Pacific Railroad Company. how
( ever, had seen fit 10 diverge to the north or
| the line fived by the Secretary of tae Inte-
= riOr, and now The two companies were
/ constructing their roads, one eastward and
/ the other westward, past each other with
/ out forming junction.. This left the
rights of the respective companies
/ to be settled either by courts or by
Congress, and he greatly preferred Con-
I gress snould settle the matter by law, be-
4 a hGLERnn a
! might result in deriving the country OF
the benefit of "A through railroad 70 the Pa
cific for months or even years. He there
Z fore offered an amendment, appointing
/ Generals Sheridan, Thomas, Mcdowell,
/ Halleck and Thomas j. Durant, Boa.d OF
/ Com nlSslOnefs, Win authority 10 re-esLaD-
iish point Of Junction, which shall be on
/ the line already approved by the Secretary
| of the Interior. the Board TO report such
I point to the Secretary of the Interior.
| Sherman agreed that the point of juno
tion must be fixed on the general route
[ contemplated by the Secretary of the In
I terror, but Obj ~cted TO the amendment OF
o., the Senator from Michigan, because IL
required the COMMISSIONER 70 select some
I point or designated line, as If line had
I been fixed by law, which, in Sherman's
judgment, was not the fact. II WIS well
i known TO every Senator that the line
/ claimed TO have been fixed by the Secre-
Z tary of the Interior was in dispute, and
/ that charees had been made in connection
/ with it and were being Investigated ia the
| House OF Representatives. It was now
[ necessary that the point OF junction
I should De uXtQ Dy some competent au-
/ thority, because the rival roads were over
l lapptng each other. The u ion Pacific
I Company had already completed its road
/ 80 miles beyond Ogden
COnklin asked which was the line fixed
| by the Secretary of the Interior.
/ sherman said that was one of the dis
I puted points; but however tnat might be,
| the responsibility ty of fixing the point OF the
junction might, after all, rest on the Presl-
dent of the United States; and he her
mau) therefore thought 1t better to place
that responsibility upon the Pres dent al
once, and ct him select ft Comm issiOners
than for Congress to undertake to seiect
army officers and send them away from
their i'm porLant official duties to do this.
williams suggested to Snermaa an
amendment to his amendment TO direct
/ the President TO ii x the point OF the Junf
tion according TO the lie gal rights of the re-
spectiVe companies.