The Portland daily press., 1883-09-10

8Cc688iDlb.
even this land grant had for good deal Of the
time been put under q sort OF cloud by guerilla
attacks in Congress, which, thank God, never
succeeded. The majorities OF both Houses Of
Congress, and all the Presidents from Abra-
ham Lincoln, who signed the charter, to the
present graceful Chief Magistrate who has
passed upon and accepted so many miles Of the
road, have stood by the company in its rights.
And from first to last the company has had the
firm and invaluable friendship OF the great
soldier statesman, President Grant, who makes
this memorable occasion still more memorable
by his presence.
ADDRESS OF HON. WILLIAM NJ. EyARTs.
Fortunately for us, neither English nor Span
ish explorers of the West Coast had discovered
the mouth Of the Columbia River before our
Independence was established. Fortunately,
also, after that event, though both the English
and the Spaniards continued their explorations
on that coast, 1t was New England trading
captain, Robert Gray, of the ship Columbia"
th At first penetratedsthe mouth Of this river,
to which he gave its name, and verified and
recorded it as a discovery which, under the
rules then prevailing, carried to his country
the sovereignty of the region drained by the
river and its tributaries. The active and Cir
cumspect entry made in his log book by this
intelligent New England shipmaster, was the
title deed of the United States to the region
embraced in the State of Oregon and the Ter
rtory of Washington against subsequent
claims Of discovery made by Great Britain,
and, in some sort, by Spain. 1t was upon this
title that we maintained footing of joint oc-
cupation with Great Britain, and, finally, by
the treaty of 1876, of exclusive title UP to the
division line of the 49th parallel. By the trea-
ty of Washington of 1871, under the arbitra-
tion Of the Emperor Of Germany, our construct
ion of the division line in Puget's Sound and
the communicating channels was established
Until the acquisition of California, as the re-
salt of the Mexican War, this region was cur
sole footing upon the Pacific Ocean, and this
excited the interest and ambition OF the nation
for an overland communication with this re-
mote and unpeopled possession. immediately
upon the Louisiana purchase in 1903, the FORE
cast and energy of Jefferson was shown in the
project of the survey of the vast wilderness in
tervening to discover q practicable route for
migration and traffic. Congress voted the
money for an expedition to trace the Missouri
to its source to cross the highlands, and to fol-
low down the water courses to the Pacific
Ocean. Lewis and Clarke executed this task
Starting from st. Louis in May, 1904, they win
tered fifty miles above the present town of
Bismarck. and came in sight of the ocean ON
the 7th of November, 1905. Commencing their
return in March, 1906, they reached ST. Louis
in September of the same year. Thus, under
instructsons drawn by the hand of Jefferson
himself the route now occupied by the Nor
thern Pacific Railroad was opened to the atten-
tion of the people of the United States, and
has from time to time engaged their interest,
till the dream, the prospect, the project and
the effort have ended in the work here and
now. Hencefofth the transit from the Mississ-
ippi to the mouth of the Columbia, and the re-
turn, will be made in nine days, forithe round
trip, which occupied the first explorers two
years and a half.
The prophecy and advocacy of railroad to
our Pacific coast possession, to the Columbia
River and to Puget's Sound, followed close up
on the first introduction in this country of this
system of traffic and travel. As early as 1884,
when the arrival or departure OF railroad
train had still some novelty even in Boston,
a village physician in western Massachusetts,,
DIR. Samuel Barlow, the father of Mr.. Barlow,
of New York, well known on both sides the At
lantic as an eminent solicitor, pressed upon the
attention of his countrymen in articles show.
ing great forecast and sagacity, the vast inn
portance and the clear feasibility of such an
enterprise as that whose completion we this
day celebrate. He writes, In 1887 "My feeble
pen would fail me to expatiate on the substantial
time enduring glory which would rebound to our
nation, should it engage in this stupendous an
dertaking." DIR. Parker, distinguished mis-
sionary to the Oregon Indians, who had re-
peatedly trsversed the route, in 1888 to 1885,
asserted that there was no more difficulty in
such railroad than in one between Boston
and Albany, and prophesied that the times was
not distant when tours would be made across
the continent as they were then made to Mag
ara. Willis Gaylord Clark, in 1888, in an ell
magazine, asserverated that ''the reader is now
living who Will make railroad trip across this
vast continent" Penetrated with this feeling,
the missionary, Whitman, in 1872, started on a
winter journey to Washington across the
Rocky Mountains, to awaken the state De-
partment to the movements going on, in Brit
ish interests, to alineuate from us our Oregon
possessions. Under this impulse diplomatic
negotiations were pushed and guided till the
treaty of 1876 drew the boundary line between
ntaA alma tod fkaS SNts
session. Thus, all the early instincts and as
pirations for this trans continental connection
fastened themselves upon this North
ern route. The spread OF knowledge and zeal
in the minds and hearts of our countrymen had
to do with this project and no other.
But the acquisition of California, the discov-
cry of its till then hidden gold, the absorption
of people and government in the terriblestrug-
giles between freedom and slavery for the occu-
patton Of our new domain, and, finally, the CIV
il war, aroused new motives and new argu-
ments which urged irresistibly the trausconti.
mental connection, but diverted the first COM
pliance with the political, military and popular
exigencies from the Northern to the Southern
and Central routes. Thus, once more in hui
man affairs, the last was made first, and the
first last. During this period, however, the
agitations Of the subject before Congress and
public meetings by Asa Whitney. the conyen-
tion at Chicago in the spring of 1849, and st st.
Louis in the fall OF that year, the vehement
and persistent propagandism OF Josiah Perham,
all had to do with this Northern route, and the
feeling and interest thus awakened and devel-
oped, with this object, were, no doubt, essily
transferred to the service of the other routes,
when paramount motives gave them the pre-
cedence In 1853 Congress made sppropria-
tions for the exploration and survey OF all the
proposed routes, and valuable and adequate
exposition Of the Northern pathway across the
mountains wes secured. The survey from the
East under the charge OF Governor Stevens,
and from the West conducted by Captain Nc
Clellan, met near the point where we now
stand, and these surveys have furnished the
basis upon which the calculations and combin-
ations, corporate and financial, ever after
wards proceeded. till the point was reached
when actual construction needed to be provid-
ed for.
On the I'd of July, 1864, the bill for the con-
struction of the Northern Pacific Railroad was
signed by Abraham Lincoln. The enthusiasm
OF Perham, which anticipated rush OF his
countrymen that would bring, If need be,
million subscribers for 800 ST the stock apiece,
induced the insertion of clause in the Act
prohibiting either the issue Of bonds or the
creation OF mortgage in aid Of the construc-
tion. This financial folly, and much time and
labor spent IN trying to obtain from Congress
very moderate aid by the Government, in the
shape Of guaranty Of interest for limited
period, held the whole enterprise in allegiance
till, in 1870, the obnoxious section was ex-
plunged from the Act. and some other benefc-
ial provisions inserted, and the Company took
the resolution to build the road on the faith
that capital would show in the enterprise it.
self, and in the prospective value of the Gov
ernment land-grant should the construction be
carried through
Perham's popular subscription having
proved wholly sbortive, his organization of the
Company was transferred to one made up In
New England in December, 1865, of which
Governor j. Gregory Smith, OF Vermont, be.
came the President. The financial agency of
the enterprise was offered to, and after careful
examination and new survey, accepted by,
the eminent bankers, Jay Cooke & Co., then
in the highest repate from their wonderful ad-
ministration of the immense Treasury transac-
tions in the issue and distribution of the bonds
of the United States.
The wisdom of the selection of this eminent
financial agency and the immense enginery at
ing the years 1870 and 1877 the Company re-
ceived nearly $30,0OO000 from the sale Of its
bonds conducted by Jay Cooke Sc Co., and the
money was rapidly applied to the actual build
ing of the road. The source of supply, how
ever, proved not to be perennial nor inexhaus-