The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1875-01-08

Sound, via the valley of Columbia River,
with the right to construct branchsl from
some convenient point on the main line,
across the Cascade mountains to Puget
Sound. All the people Of the United States
were invited, and given an opportunity, to
share in the organization and the owner
ship of the corporation.
Congress-. regarding the construction of
the Northern Pacific. Railroad as national
need, and necessarily, from it's magnitude,
largely government work, contributed
such aid, in the form of q most valuable
land-grant, as was believed to be suf-
ficient to secure the completion of the road.
/ The grant, which is still in full force, con-
sists of 12, 800 acres per mile through the
States, and 25, 600 acres per mile through
the Territories traversed, and aggregates,
for the trunk line and authorized branch,
between fifty and sixty million acres of
forest, mineral, agricultural and T.grass
| lands,
LATloN.
The recognized fact on which this legis
lation was based, as shown, by the debates
and the reports of Committees i'll Congress,
and on which the pending amendment to
the Company's charter is asked, is that
such national highway is needed by the
government and the country, chiefly for the
following purposes:
I. AS military road, for the cheap and
rapid transit of troops and army material
and supplies throughout belt of valuable
country, 600 miles il, width by 1900 miles
in length, in nearly all Of which a strong
military police has long been maintained.
H. AS post route, for the economical
and rapid carriage of the United States mail
to the people of three States and four Terri
tories
/ III. AS, a meansI of facilitating and
greatly cheapening the transportation of
supplies and annuity goods to the many
and populous Indian tribes sof the north
| west.
The amount annually saved to the gov
ernment and thereby to the taxpayers of
the country, by substituting railroad for the
present wagon transportation of the War
Department, the Post Office Department,
and the Indian Department in the north
west, will Of itself justify the. past and pro-
posed legislation of Congress in aid Of the
Northern Pacific Railroad.
~. AS means of securing to our own
people great future commerce which is
now in-danger of falling into the hands Of
a rival nation. The government of the
Dominion of Canada by literally endowin G
and beginning to build the Canada Pacific
Railroad, by route 800 miles north of the
Northern Pacific, is striking for the trade
of Asia by the short route from Puget
Sound across the North Pacific Ocean,
The great advantage in distance and time
which the northern continental and ocean
route has over others, and which in the fl-
accrue wholly to our Canadian neighbors
/ if the Northern Pacific Railroad remains
unfinished
V. As the only humane. prompt, eco
nomical and permanent settlement Of the
difficult and costly Indian question. Off
GERS of the army, the officials of the lnteri-
or Department and Bureau of Indian af-
fairs and the Committees of Congress have
agreed, as their official reports give evil
| dence, in,the opinion that the completion
| Of the Northern Pacific Railroad will solve,
| peaceably and forever, the Indian problem
in the north h-west-saving many millions to
| the national treasury, besides avoiding the
| bloodshed and barbarism of former meth
ods. This result, in a belt 500 miles wide,
| has followed the building of the "Union !"
and Central Pacific Roads In a still
| more marked manner it will follow the
building of the Northern Pacifc,-by rem
dering it impossible for the warlike Sioux
and other tribes longer to subsist by the
chase, and thus forcing to resort to agri-
culture, cattle-herding, and other pursuits
| of peace.
The United States Commissioner of Indi-
an Affairs, in his annual report for. 1872
| said: "The completion of the Northern
ssPacifc Railroad win finally settle the
"Indian question in the country north Of
"the line of the Union Pacific Railroad,
land south of the British border. :.
stIndeed, the promise is that two years
ssmore, if not another summer on the Nor
ssthern Pacific Railroad, will itself COM
sspletely solve the great Sioux problem,
ssand leave the 10000 Indians ranging be-
sstween the trans-continental lines as inca
sspable of resisting the government as are
athe Indians of New York and Massachu
"setts.'' Gen. Grant, in his report as Sec
retary of War, said 3the Pacific railroads,
t(tIree) will go far to a permanent settle.
ssment of our Indian difficulties"
VI. As a means of enabling the govern
ment to safely reduce the regular army, and
thereby reduce taxation. Tt will do this
by speedily rendering unnecessary the lar
ger part, and ultimately all, Of the troops
heretofore and now required for controlling
the Indians and protecting the settlers and
mining communities of the northwest.
Shortly after the completion of the North
ern Pacific Road most of the forts on and
near the Upper Missouri, now many in
number and strongly garrisoned, can be
safely and forever abandoned; and several
regiments of troops can be relieved from
duty. In word, the railroad and the pop
ulafion it carries with it will replace and
relieve the army in the northwest. The
completion of the Union and CentIct Pa
cific was followed by like result.
On the other hand, the well-known fact
that the route OF this road passes through a
region exceedingly rich in gold and silver,
and the successive discovery Of mines Of
these metals in the adjacent country, make
it certain that the tide of emigration and
settlement will continue to flow in this di-
raa4;.ra tbo1rf, II, diminished ynInn,e aven