The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-03-18
THE OREGON PACIFIC RAILROAD.

read will be put through on the route
proposed by that corporation, as tits one
Of the most feasible reutcs now known
between the northwestern coast line
and the great grain and stock country
of eastern Oregon and Idaho, This
is proven TO be Il fact by the cxtraor-
dinary efforts put forth by other rail-
reads to Kill this corporation as soon
as its existence was known. The
managers of the Oregon Pacific eX-
pected to get loan on lands bonded
to them by the w. Y. 4. Z. Nj.
Wagon Road Co., but such was the
strength and Influence OF their enc
mics that even the Interior Depart
nent of the United States was caused
TO reverse an opinion made in relation
to these lands. In 1879 Mr. Elisha
Barnes, of Prineville, wrote to the In
terror Department in relation to the
title of the w. Y. 4 {. NJ. W. Il. Co.
to the lands said to have been grant
cd to them, and received the follow
ing answer
DEPARTMENT. OF THE lNTERIoE,
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
WAsuINGEoN, ID. c.,
Ocr. ID, 1879.
IL. EGsLa Bayues, Esq, PfiHeeiRe,
| H-dsco county, Oregon:
SIR Your lettor of March ID,
1878, addressed to the Honorable
Secretary of the Interior, respecting
the Willamette Valley and Cascade
Mountain Road, has been referred TO
this office. In reply / have to state
, that under date of Sept. p, 1871, the
Governor of Oregon formally certified
to the completioz Of said road in the
manner prescribed by the granting
act Of July 5th, 1866. Upon that GER
tificate the lands have been conveyed
, to the State, and q IS not ,riihn he
posceT Of This Department u iHquir,
into he regularity ofUe Gor7uoT's net.
Should you believe that the State
p authorities have been imposed upon
and that the road has not been actually
constructed as required by the acI
. referred 10, you should present the
, facts to The Governor, who would,
presume, institute appropriate inquiry
; in the premises. You are in error
in supposing that the duty Of sell
ing the lands embraced in tbs
grant Is cast upon the Secretary-it il
imposed by the act upon the State
Very Respectfully,
/. N. ARMSTRONG.
ACrSG COMMISSIONER
r Notwithstanding this ruling hat
been made, the enemies of the Oregon
Pacific brought such Influence 10 bea
upon Carl Schurz, Secretary of tn
, Interior. that he reported aeains
: patentiBg any more land 10 the roaC
company until Congress should inges
sigase their ti.la. This, OF course
was hard stroke against the Oregon
Pacific and will have the effect or lie
: laying the commencement of worl
on their road, but the enterprise is il
the hands Of energetic men, backeG
by sufficient capital to do the work
. and we have every reason to believ,
that the road -sFiIi be completed as IA
as this city by the time the bar at tht
mouth Of YaQuina Bay is improved
to admit Of a slightly larger class o
vessels. Fifty thousand do!..rs has
already been appropriated By Csngres.
for the Improvement Of the bar, work
has already been commenced under
the supervision Of L. S. engineers
and there is no doubt now but that i,
| will be continued until Yaquina Bay
will rank among the best harbors or
our coast. This will cause the b1ild
ing OF the railroad mentioned, and
the benefit it will be to our valley
oonuC4 10 z4fr-zfaI