The teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1876-1878, 1878-03-09

The company has changed the Ioc'
ton Of the branch line to one MOI
southerly, and it Is doubtful wheths
even the new location is practicabl
owing to the difficulty of crossing til
Cascade mountains, which divide th
territory, running northerly and soutl
erly across almost its entire width. Th
representatives of Washington territor
oppose the continuation of the grant fc
the construction of this branch &
keeping the lands tied up against settle
ment, and the committee, in deferenc
to their wishes, report in favor Of tn
restoration Of tie land Withdrawn O
that branch to the public domain, ez
cept about 1913 900 acres earned by tn
construction Of a road extending thirty
one miles easterly from Tacoma.
BY this change of location, more tia
COCO, 600 of acres of land in Washing
ton territory, covered by the original lc
cations, will be restored to the publ
domain.
\ proposition was considered by tn
committee to declare forfeited by tn
Northern Pacific company all lands i,
Washington territory withdrawn for it
branch line, and to grant an eoua
amount to the Portland Salt Lake ant
South Pass company, corporation o
the State Of Oregon, organized to con
struct railroad from Portland. through
the Columbia valley, to Umatilla, ant
thence by southerly route through
Eastern Oregon, some $50 miles to tic
Union Pacific and Central Pacific IL,
Ogden.
This seems to your committee to be q
scheme to obtain from congress an en-
dowment for new, Independent road
and one which, if constructed, would
be rival road to chat Of the Northern
Pacific. These reasons. without passino
upon It's merits, seem sufficient to til,
committee to prevent its incorporation
IN a bill to promote and encourage the
completion Of the Northern Pacific road
and they leave the lands restored to the
public domain By the diScontinuance Of
the brance nnlncumbered by any new
While reporting in favor Of extending
ne time within which the company nay
lnsh their road, the comn,itter are
greatly Impressed by the necessity Of
Sisndrawln@, as far as possible. al, oD
'tacles to the settlement Il the lands
Covered by the grams Of this colunapv.
Ihe marketable value of tie lands
viii OF course be enhanced as the work
II construction progresses, anl, the cou,
ANY should be allowed some cop,ro! If
rat enhancement, and some a,ya4:are
tegefrom.
At The same tine, the public adyan-
'gc to DC; derived from the early settle
zen CT these lands should not be sacyi.
ced.
The committee have, therefore, en-
'rsed the rights and opportunities of
ctual settlers, while reservinc to the
ompany the control over the land al
'ady earned on the line of the finished
Dad, and over the surveyed lands with
the limit Of one hundred miles from
'e progress Of its construction.
All ofwhich is respectfully submitted.
VIEW OF THE MINORITY.
o accompany the report of the com.
mlttee on the Pacific railroad on the
bill extending the time to construct
and complete the Northern Pacific
railroad.
The undersigned disagree to the re-
'rt of the committee, ard oppose the
usage of the bill for renewal Of the |
'ant of lands made by it, which is in |
distance and principle nesc grant. to
hlch we are opposed. Such grants
g not now warranted by the public in.
rest, and are condemned by tie public