, 1878-02-16
Special Correspondence.

Special Correspondence.
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Jan. p, 1873.
To THE EDITORS OF TIE DIsPATcE
Since Congress met l have been so
very busy that have not had time TO
write you. The committees are all at
work, and it is busy times with them.
On Tuesday last there was meeting OF
the Committee on Pacific Railroads in
the House, and the bill to extend the
time within which to construct and
complete the Northern Pacific Railroad
was taken up. and the company was
fully heard thereon. President Wright,
Attorney Gray, Gov. Goodwin, Fred.
Billings and others were there. Mr..
Billings made the principal argument
for the company. On Saturday last the
18th inst, the committee had another
and protracted session, at which WASH
ington Territory was quite fully heard.
Judge Jacobs opened with an oral ar
gument. and your correspondent fol-
lowed him, with an oral argument. and
also fled a printed rgament, copy OF
which has been mailed to you.
These arguments we're based upon
and mostly confined to amendments to
this bill then and there submitted by
us, by which amendments the extension
of time is confined to the main line.
the grant to the branch declared for
feited, and all lands heretofore with.
drawn on the branch line, and also on
the main line, north of Tacoma re-
stored to the public domein. The
amendments further provide that the
whole grant shall be opened up to
homestead and e-emption settlers,
and that all lsads earned by the com-
raEy shall be subject 10 taxation before
as we'll as after patent issued.
During the discussion it was admits
ted by President Wright that no sur
vey had been made by his company
over the Naches route, but claimed that
they intended to make further surveys.
So apparent was it from the whole dis
cussion that the Company were occu>
pying the position of the dog in the
manger," and seeking to obtain sub
sidy for coal road within the limits of
the earned lands, that the chairman of
the committee asked President Wright
what he had to say against giving these
lands to any company that would first
construct road over the Cascade noun
tains? President Wright said he had
no objection to such amendment pros
viding his company was given the first
privilege and a reasonable time within
which to construct such road. This was
during my argument, and in response
to question then addressed to me By
the chairman, I stated that if the bill
under consideration was so amended, !,
that the Northern Pacific Railroad Co
should be required to construcs annu-
ally a certain number of miles, say fifty
eastwardly from Wilkinson on the Ma
ches Pass line. and upon failure to con-
struct said road on said line over slid
Naches Pass within the specified time.
then the Seattle and Wnlla Walla Rail-
road Company should have the benefit
of the brsnch grant to aid in the con-
struction of their road over the Sno.
qualmie Pass upon the same terms. I
thought it would be perfectly satisfac-
tory to the people of Washington Ter
ritory. What may grow out of this
new. phase of the case is impossible TO
foretell, but I shall carefully prepare
and submit to the committee an amends
ment embracing this proposition. The
company will probably insist that they
shall not be confined to any one pass,
thus leaving the Snoqualmie Pass open
to them. We will try and make them
show their band in this game.
To-day we had hearing before tie
Senate committee on railroads, on the
Mitchell bill. Judge Jacobs opened
with a general statement well made.
and I followed him with an argument
in detail upon several amendments then
and there offered to the bill, one Of
which was 10 include the Seattle and
Walla WaI]a Railroad in the new grant.
This hearing was . very satisfactory
one, and although l occupied over an
hour, got only about half through, and
having the floor, as they say in parlia>
mentary language. shall close at the
next session of the committee, which
will be on the 25;h inst. The fight on
Mitchell's bill is three coTuered one.
Tt is Oregon against the Northern
Pacific and Washington. Washington
against the Northern Pacific and Ore
ron. ana the Northern Pacific against
Oregon and Washingaoh.
We are having lively time of it just
now. Tomorrow the committee on
public lands of the House has ses-
sion. the next day the House committee
on Pacific railroads, and Friday the