Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1871-05-06
Senate Report on the Overland Railroad
Question.

Question.
From the above. named report we
learn that the price paid before the war
for the transportation of the mails over
land to the Pacific Coast was 81 80 per
100 lbs for every 100 miles. The
highest price paid to the railroad for
transportation is not more than % cents
per 100 lbs. for every 100 miles, show
ing saving during the years 1868, go
aud 10 of about ST, ,55l ,666, which
the committee claim would pay all
arrears Of interest now due upon bonds
issued to the Pacific Railroad Company
more than three times over. We ex-
tract the following from the Report
"The Secretary OF. War on the 18th
| of February, 1871, in answer to reso.
luton of the Senate, estimates the cost
Of the military service, through the
| War Department, in guarding the over
| land route from the Missouri River to
| the Pacific Ocean. from the acquisition
Of California to 1864, period of six.
teen years, ut about 800, 900 900. aud
states that this sum is :" rather below
than above the true cost of the service.
This sum would equal S6,250 900 per
annum for the entire period. As this
expense was constantly increasing, the
annual cost at the time of the opening
Of the Pacific Railroad must have been
much greater.
The expenses Of the Indian service
for the same period. as shown by the
| report Of the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, was over s560,000 per annum,
and the mail service averaged little
less than s 900 600 per annum for the
whole time but in the year 1864 IL
had reached 81 100000 per annnm,
and was increasing with the population
OF the Pacific Coast. These sums
together make an average annual cost.
from 1913 to 1861, of over 5000 900.
These statements fully corroborate
the statement Of Secretary Stanton and
of the Chairman of the Senate Commit
tee on the Pacific Railroad, made IN
i 1862, that the cost of this Government
service at that time was about 81 ,500,-
900 per annum, and that this cost was
annually increasing.
The whole amount of the bonds isued
in aid Of all the Pacific railroads is
| S6I. I.6lS,S3 The annual interest OH
the same is s3,s7T, ,I29 %. The earn
ngs thus far have paid about 30 per
cent of the interest. which, deducted
from the annual interest, leaves the net
annual expenditure for interest s2,-
I7I3.991.
The net result to the United States
may be thus stated:
The cost of the overland service for
the whole period from the acquisition of
our Pacific Coast possessions down to
the completion of the Pacific Railroad,
was over $4,000, 900 per annum, and
this cost was constantly increasing
The cost since the completion of the
road is the annual interest-S3 ST.
129-to which must be added one>half
the charges for services performed by
the company, about 81, ,l63 l3s per
annum, making a total annual cxpendi-
: ture of about SIS 900, 900, and showing
saving of at least S3,000,000 per
annum.
This calculation is upon the basis
that none of the interest will ever be
reraid to the United States, except
what is paid by service, and that the
,, excess of the interest advanced over
freirhts il total loss.
In this statement no account is made
of the constant destruction of life and
private property by Indians, of the large
amounts of money paid by the Secre.
tary Of the Treasury as indemnity for
damages by Indians to property in the
Government service on the plains under
the Act of March Sd 1S49, of the In
: creased mail facilities, of the preven'
2 ton of Indian wars, of the increased
9 value of public lands, of the develop
{ ment of the coal and iron mines of Wy
a oming and the gold and silver mines oi
Q Nevada and Utah, of the value of the
:. road in commercial point of view IL
f utilizing the interior of the continent
) and in facilitating trade and commerce
8 with the Pacific Coast and Asia, and
!. above all in cementing the Union and
Q furnishing security in the event Of
3 foreign war.
q Some years ago, young man o
1 culture and good taste went to hear
: we'll known ranter. Getting disgustet
! before tho sermon was half through, h'
) left his seat and was going on tip-to