Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-04-04

authorizing the county commissioners
to issue bonds, is thoroughly guarded
in every particular. Perfect and COM
plete protection is thrown over the cit
liens of the county. They cannot be
involved in the construction of road
which will not be completed. They
cannot be involved in the construction
OF road which will not be equipped
and pnt into running order. The bill
requires that at the time the contract
is entered into the persons with whom
the contract is made, and who have
undertaken the construction and equip
ment of the road, shall execute q bond
to the people in the sum of 500 900,
conditioned, that the road shall be
equipped and run with freight and
passenger trains for the period of
twenty-five years.
1 regret, Mr.. Speaker, that this bill
has not been printed with its several
provisions guarding and protectin the
taxpayer; but I supposed, this being a
short road, that might not have been
considered necessary. 1 do not wish
to detain the House I would have
liked that the bill had been printed,
and that every member could have had
an opportunity of scanning carefully
the provisions giving protection to the
taxpayer; and then would have had
an opportunity more distinctly to have
explained to the House the importance
and necessity of this enterprise. 1 will
only say further that it is an enterprise
i'll which the interests of our people are
bound up; and they are now anxiously
waiting, daily and hourly, for the news
of the passage of this bill. An engi-
neer has already made his report on the
line of road and the estimated cost of
its construction; and the road, if the
House will allow us TO use our own
means in its construction, will be run
ming and equipped with freight and
passenger cars by the lst day of July
next.
Mr.. AvERILL (of Minnesota) ask the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Hos
kins) if this road, runs through, or will
in any way interfere with, the Indian
reservations of Washington Territory?
Mr.. McFADDEN.. Not at all.
Mr.. HosKINs. am very glad that
this question has been propounded.
When I was up had intended, in the
few very remarks 1 submitted, to touch
upon the point; and desire to say to
the members of the House that this
road is road between sixteen and sew
cnteen miles in length, running from
the capital of Washington Territory,
Olympia, to place called Tenino, on the
Northren Pacific Railroad. 1t does not
run through one foot of reservation or
territory owned or claimed by Indians.
Nor will the proposed route pass through
one single foot of property or territory
belonging to the United States. Every
inch OF this road will pass through
property owned by citizens of this Ter
ritory, and not single foot of it will
be claimed by Indians or by the United
States. The bill is not subject to the
objection that it appropriates one sim
gle foot of the public domain or one
dollar from the National Treasury.
Mr. SrARKwEATuER (of Connecticut
desire to ask the gentleman this ques-
ton: If there is any objection on the
part of the citizons to the construction
of this road9
Mr. HosktSs. 1 will say, in answer
to the question of the gentleman from
Connecticut, that am told-of course
l cannot state from my own knowledge
but am told by the delegate from
the Territory that the people along the
line of the road are anxious to contrib
ute to its construction. All that is
asked is the right of'way without sim
gle dollar of appropriation. The citi-
zans along the road simply desire to be
permitted by Congress to build the
road on their own territory, and with
their own money, and the bill is guarded
by everything that can be thrown around
this concession. 1t protects the citizens
in all their rights.
1 may say further, in addition, that
it interferes with no private rights, that
there is no corporation claiming the
right of way over or upon the line pro-
posed, and repeat, that the bill asks
no appropriation of the public domain
or of the public treasure. now yield
five minutes to the gentleman from IL
linois, (Mr. Burchard.
Mr.. BURcuARD (of Illinois.) 1 pre-
sumo this is as meritorious bill! as any
private bill of this nature that can be
proposed. My objection is not to this
particular bill, but to the principle in
volved in it, namely, the authorizing of
counties, towns, or cities by Congress
to aid on building a railroad or any
other private enterprise of that charac-
ter. AS was said by the gentleman
from Iowa. all through the West, not
only in his own State but in Wisconsin,
and Illinois, towns, cities, and counties
are covered by bonds and obligations.
The records of the Supreme Court are
now burdened with cases involving the
validity of those bonds. The State
courts have decided over and over
again, some of them at least, that Meth
er in equity or in right can the State
grant power to q municipal corporation