The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-19
LANn-GRANr LEGISLATION.
Argument of C. =. Huntington Before the
Committee ON Public Lands.

Argument of C. p. Huntington Before the
Committee on Public Lands.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1S.-At the meeting of the
House committee on public lands c. p Hunting
ton appeared ON behalf of tho California & Ore
gon company The first inti1nation the members
of the committee had of his presence was when
introduced by Chairman Cobb. He came he
said, as a representative of a corporation which
had always performed its contracts in the time
required. 1t had never asked dditiona1 aid nor
Ieniency. For this reason, he thought, Congress
ought not to interfere in this one instance He
should not endeavor to touch upon the legal
questions, but had something almostpersonal to
say about his associates and himself Said he
eve have always built as the law required and
this is the first consideration have asked in
the way of an extension of time. We think we
are entitled to more from the government than
any other class of people, for there has been no
conseTvator of the public peace and prosperity
in the largest sense of the word, like railroads
We ourselves, were the first people who COM
menced the Central Pacific. When that bill
passed it was considered a great thing to do and
did it, notwithstanding the fact that the peo-
pie said it would break us. When we com
menced to build rails $3S ton. They
went to $l25 before we We're through buying,
but we asked more from the government on
was about the minimum rate to ship ton
around Cape Horn. We paid $34 during the
war. Instead of II per cent. insurance
around the Cape at the time the act passed,
we paid rs high as IL per cent. We did not ask
the Government additional aid We paid $32,-
500 for locomotives in war times which could
have been bought previously for $4,000. We
crossed the Sierra Nevada against the predic-
tions and adyices of all our friends, because we
stood by the work honestly and manfuly, and
cared fer every interest we had in charge. We
Endorsed the paper Of the Central Pacific when
ii had 10 credit, and we personally had finished
this work in the time required by law
mention these things to show that we have
worked hard and honestly, asking no favor, but
accomplishing what depended ourselves and
in the present case we were stopped from carry
ing out the purposes through no fault or mis-
fortune of olir own. We built 1872 miles of road
from the Central Pacific line north
ward at a tremendous cost and
effort We were on the way through
to the boundary, and proposed to go right up
there. but when the other link failed in compile
ton we knew there was no local interest to com
pensate us, and road to the State line as a
terminus would yield no return. We stopped
and waited When our sister company was able
10 go to work again got every man that we
could raise and put him on our line. The 100
miles we built from Reading to Mt. Shasta was
the most difficult work we ever did embracing
heavy cuts, fills, and tunnels We did the best
we could, and there is no ground equitable,
moral or financial, upon which this land can be
taken away from Some political reasons
may exist; if so. these are reasons have no in
tePest in influence over