Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-03-06
WASH iNGTON.


0VuNV0 oOOW.
WASHINGTON, March 3.-Ihe Cap,,a
today has the following gossip about tn.
political aspirations of Minister Mortor
at Paris: :" There is one candidate
whose name has not got into the papers
! refer TO Hon. L. P. Morton. Seated
IN bis elegant residence in Paris. Mr.
Morton oontemplates the political stu
alton at home With keen interest. HI
knows how important il is for his party
to carry New York, and he also knows
at he has better success in RAISING
money in New York for campaign pur.
poses than any other man. In the even,
tnas the convention at CHICAGO should
De unable to select Arthur, and still find
It all important to have q New Yorh
candidate, feel confident that Morton
would take the nomination. He knows
the canvass cannot be carried on with.
out plenty of money, and | have nc
doubt that he would give more aud raise
more than any one who has been talked
OF. MOrton's prominence az a political
debt raiser Is rather curious, when it il
considered that ON Wall street he never
Las had the reputation of an euoru Gus
ly rich man. After be failed IN the dry
goods business, be became a member OF
the banking house Of Morton, Bliss d
20. Bliss vas understood 70 have On,
fNO.OUO in the firm, whereas Morton,
although senior member. had only BOO
OOO. be Is not now rated at over 81 600
QUO by New York men, and yet by bis
large acquaintance and good position be
has become, in a way, the representa-
tive OF Wall street in the Republican
party"
The PlUmed Enixht.
The rapid development OF public sen
timent during the past week in favor OF
tho nomination Of Blaine ia the prip
cipal subject of comment among Re-
publican politicians. For some time
past opponents of Arthur's renomina-
tion have complained because no can
didate was put forward upon whom
they could unite. Blaine has constant
ly declared himself not a candidate,
and he has carefully abstained from
discussion of the subject. The growing
feeling in favor of his nomination Ii
spontaneous, and is viewed with con
siderable alarm BY many Democrats,
as the best informed politicians ere
think that Blame and Logan will have
the grea test strength in the convention,
with Edmunds and Sherman AZ second
choice candidates. All sorts of wild
stories and absurd rumors are afioat,
the principal ones being that the most
ly for Blaine, and that Edmunds ia
simply stand for Arthur. The state
ment that General Logan held a cen-
nell and other stalwart leaders, is IN
laI kce
Platt casually for few moments. His
visit to New York was on private bust
Ness.
The Land Grants.
WASHINGTON March 4.-TomorrOw OF
next day Henley. of California, will re-
port the bill from the House Committee
on Public Lands declaring forfeited the
land grants under the act Of July %,
1866, t. aid in the construction of the
California d Oregon Railroad. This
will be followed the latter part of the
week with another bill TO forfeit the
grant OF the Oregon Il California Rail.
road. which is being built southwark
from Portland 10 the California State
line.
Henley has prepared a report on the
former bill, in which the COMMITTEES
gives long history of the projection OF
these two roads and the reasons which
guided them in declaring the grants for
feited. The report states that only l5S
miles of the California 4 Oregon road
have been built, and the act required il
to be all completed in 1890. The Origi-
nal grant was 2, la6 ,FtiS acres, OF which
the company has patented 1857 ,OC0
acres.
When the attorneys for the company
came before the committee, the report
says, they stated AZ the reason why
work WAS stopped on the road that Viii
lard ceased building southwark, and
that it would have been useless to build
the road to the State limo and stop there.
The only way it could have been CON
tinued was by obtaining a franchise
from the State of Oregon. which, under
the circumstances, t.e company thought
not wise to do.
The report says that this was poor
excuse for stopping work, as the Oregon
people would have been glad to grant a
franchise, and in the opinion of the
committee the truth of the matter is
that Willard, owing to disagreements
with the Central Pacific, threatened to
build rival road along tho coast, and
tho Central Pacific folks. who own the
California 4 Oregon, threatened to
build to Portland, and that while deter
mining the best course to pursue both
companies stopped building. and under
the terms of the granting act, forfeited
their lands. In reviewing the matter
the report states that the committee
considers the history of the Central Pa
oifio, which owns this line, and is can
not but conclude that that company has
had enough aid from government, and
should be held to the strict letter of the
law in this case. With any other cor
p0ration Congress might consider some
Of the pleas and excuses made by the
Central Pacific, but as in this case tho
company has inv ssted so much in the
California 4 Oregon Railroad that tho
enterprise will be completed anyhow.
Mr.. Huntington having admitted this
in his examination, the committee re-
commend restoring the land grant to
the public domain.
Henley will also prepare reports on
the Oregon i California and the North
ern Pacific railroads, the committee
having decided 10 forfeit the grants to
both the roads.
The River and aarboP Dlll
The House Committee on Rivers and
Harbors have been engaged for over a
month in preparing their bill. 1t Is ex-
peoted that skeleton Of the bill will be
agreed OH the latter part OF the week,
and after that time the committee pro-
poses to call on delegations IN whose