The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1870-07-16

L have just received a copy OF tne
Herald of the 3lst ult., containing ex-
tracts from letters of Representatives
Fitch, of Nevada, and Smith, of Oregon, I
attacking me in a violent and abusive
manner for what | saw proper to do IN
reference to the Humboldt railroad bill
Waving all matters of personal nature
at this time. | make the following state
,nent. which, as the election is now oyer,
NAV be considered with some degree of
fairness
Most Of the people interested suppose !
that the exciting contest III the last ses-
sion of Congress about railroad matters IN |
Oregon was over the question as to wheth- |
Side Company, so called, should have
the land granted blythe Act of 1866 to
aid in the construction of the Oregon and
California road, but the real contest was
as to whether or not the grant of 1866
should not be abandoned or defeated, and
instead thereof new grant obtained for
a road running from the Big Bend of the
Humboldt to Portland, commonly called
the Pengra road. BY protesting groat
zeal for the West Side Company, was one
way in which the schemers pursued this
object; for they knew, as did all who
took pains to inform themselves upon the
subject, that bill giving the land speci-
fcally to either company would be de-
feated, and thus the way made clear for
the Humboldt project Success in re-
viving the grant for the Oregon and
California road-which according to the
decision of the Secretary of the Interior
had lapsed-was only attainable by a bill
that did notundertake to decide the mul-
L At14
companies. Certain of the parties
concerned in the Humboldt scheme sug
gested to me that I should content my
self with pretending to support the grant
of 1866, whichlI refused to do, apd with
out any aid from my colleagues, and
against a tremendous pressure, defeated
deep laid + Ian and secured to the State
the munihcent grant of 1866.
I have favored and helped to pass
through the Senate bill to aid in the
construction of railroad from Portland,
by way of the Willamette, tTmpqua and
Rogue river valleys, to California and
also bill to aid in construction of road
from Salt Lake to the Columbia river, to
both of which the Pengra road has been
steadily antagonized. Powerful infuen-
ces here interested in the Humboldt
EOQJt dlS UpSu duQ uuulGSulSSQ III lHtll
hostility to the Salt Lake and Columbia
river project, and without my constant
and almost unaided support that enter
prise so desirable to the people of East
ern Oregon, as far as the Senate is con-
cerned, would long ago have been dead
and buried.
When Mr.. Pengra brought his Hum
boldt project before Congress, he was
lo4a ol tl,a4 - IL,
east side of the Cascade mountains to
Eugene City, but as we had no assurance
at that time that any thing would be done
with the Oregon and California grant, |
insisted with Mr.. Mallory that the road
should cross the Cascade range so as to
ensure railroad facilities to the Umpqua
and Rogue river valleys. Considerable
controversy ensued, but it was finally
agreed that the road should cross the
mountains, to use the exact language of
the bill g in the rtciaity Of the Klamath
LakeS;" and with that clause it was re-
ported from the Pacific Railroad Com
mittee. When it was found that this.
bill could not pass for subsidy in bonds,
Mr.. Corbett, confident / presume, that
the grant of 1859 would fail, introduced
in the Senate bill for subsidy in lands
which described the line of the road as
follows "From point on the Central
Railroad at or near the North Bend of
the Humboldt river in the State of Me-
vada to and over the Cascade range of
mountains an the vicintty ofthe klamath
Lakes, and thence by the most eligible
route" etc.
Pending the bill before the Committee
of Public Lands of the Senate and at the
present session Mr.. Fitch brought to me
bill which he requested me to report
from the Committee as a substitute for
the one introduced by Mr. Corbett, in
which the alignment of the road was as
follows: "From point on the Central
Pacific Railroad at or near but not east of
the North Bend of the Humboldt river
IN the State of Nevada, by the nearest
eligible route to point at or near En-
gene City, at The apper end Of the VII
Lanaette Galley" l aeceded to this re-
quest and reported his substitute to the
Senate.
When made this report had no idea
or Intlmation that the Oregon and Cali
fornia roads would not meet somewhere
near the boundary of the State West of
the Cascade mountains; but not very
long thereafter I learned in way that
iedb 10 u04Dt on my hind Enat ls was the
intention Of the Central Pacific Company
TO run the road which they were build
ing towards Oregon from Shasta, or a
point near there, up the Pitt River
valley to an intersection with the Hum
: boidt line in the Goose Lake valley, and
thence to Eugene City. / saw at once
what anybody can see, that this plan
would not only deprive the Umpqua and
Rogue river valleys of any eastern con-
nection, but in all human probability de-
prive them of a road at all.
No company, as it seems to me, can af-
ford to build a road from Eugene City
with its terminus at Jacksonville with
another parallel road provided at Eugene
City directly to connection with the
Central Pacific; and besides I was in
formed by gentleman here, interested
in the Oregon and California road, that il
4 n >