Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-08-17
RAILROAD LAND Grants.


hheff Hsuse, Curss. Forfeiture. <ke.
Hon. Chas. B. Lore, of Delaware. in
discussing the Oregon Central Railroad
land grant forfeiture bill in the House
OF Representatives, during the late ses-
sion, sad:
Mr.. Speaker-On MAY 4. 1870. the Com
press of the United States granted IN the
Oregon Central Railroad Corppany pnh-
lie lands in the State of Oregon es.i-
mated at l 10000 acres, to aid in con
structipg r'ilroad and telegraph line
from Portland TO Astoria, and from a
suitable point of junction near Forea,
Grove to the Yamhili River. near Nc.
Minnviile, 10 the State of Oregon"
Ibe grant included he usual RIGHT of
way, necesssry lands for depots. side
tracks, Do ; also the alternate sectious.
designated by odd numbers. nearest said
road, with the usual provisions for i,-
demDity II the Governments should die.
pose 0f the odd sec,ions which otherwise
would have passed to the COMPANY.
Ihe net also provided that whenever
sections OF twenty or more consecutive
miles OF the road and telegraph lins
should be completed. properly con-
structed and equipped, the Secret .ry
OF the Interior, after examination.
should cause patents 10 issue to the
company for so much OF the granted
lands az should be adjacent to and
coterminous with the completed sec-
tiona.
Section 6 is az follows:
And be IL further enacted, That the
said company shall file with the Secre-
tary of the Interior its assent TO this act
within one year from the time of it's
passage: and the foregoing grant in upon
condition that the said company shall
complete section of twenty or more
miles OF said railroad and telegraph
within two years, and the entire railroad
and telegraph within six years from said
date"
Portland is distant from Astoria, in
land, one hundred and seventeen miles.
From Forest Grove to the Yamhill river.
pear McMinvilIe, is 27j< miles, msking
the whole length of the road and its
branch l441x niies.
Before the expiration of the six years
named In the act making the grant the
company constructed line of road from
Portland westwardly toward Forest
Grove about 20 miles. and thence SOUTH
wardly 10 the Yamhill river, near Nc
Minnville, about 27k miles; in all a7lS
miles OF constructed road practically
on the line Of the road proposed in the
grant.
Twenty miles of the completed read
from Portland TO Forest Grove are on
the main stem from Portland to Asto-
ria; the remaining "a miles of the COM
pleted road are on the branch leading
from Forest Grove to McMipnville.
The bin nov before the House pro-
poses TO revoke the grant Of land because
the company has failed to perform the
condition upon which IL was made, hav-
ing refused TO build the remaining 81
miles OF road.
ID will be observed that Astoria is In
the extreme north west corner of Oregon,
at the mouth of the Columbia River,
with large body Of unsettled land be
tween it and the Willamette Valley in
the south, hemmed in on the west by the
eoest range OF mountains and on the
east by the range separating 1t from the
Columbia River.
To open up this land to settlement
and in provement by means Of q trunk
line from Portland to Astoria, with
branch to MoMinnville. was the intent
Of the grant. This purpose ~ somewhat
apparent In the words OF the oriRina'
grant, but still more from the debate in
the two Houses of Congress- at the date
sf the grant, in Nav, 1870.
Mr.. Smith, the Representative from
Oregon in the 4ist Congress, in discuss
ing the act making the grant of land,
April 20, 1870, In this House. said he had
introduced hill To provide for con
structing road the whole length OF the
valley in q southerly direction fnot In
the dire ,tion Of Asteria) and hoped TO
have passed IL in that shape; that the
committee failed To report in favor of
an extension OF this branch southeriy,
and he accepted their report. That
1.-The Willamette Valley. which con-
tains two-thirds Of the population OF
the whole of Oregon, has no outlet to
the sea bat by the Columhis River. That
river flows across the north end of the
Willamette Valley. On the west. be-
tween that valley and the sea. noun
tain range extends along the whole
length; through this range OF mountains
to the mouth OF the river We have no
road of any kind; during the winter the
river is often frozen, and We are then
entirely cut off from I'll communication
with the outside world. We have not
wagon road, We have not footpath, we
have not any means by which we can
communicate with the sea when the 90
lumbia River is frozen over. We want
this road to give Us an outlet 70 the sea
at all seasons, and We want TO open up
this pass we have found through the
mountains to the settlement"
MIR. Williams, the Senator from Ore
CON, said in the United States Senate
Feb. 2, 1870:
B "For twenty or thirty miles 10 (the
proposed railroad) runs through thick
iy settled country, the Willamette Val
lev, where nearly all the lands are taken
and occupied by settlers; then u strikes
the coast range mountains. In these
mountains there are lands that are valu-
al,le or would be valuable II persons
settling upon them could have any 40
cess 10 market; but 10 is impossible Tor
men 10 90 upon these lands and Gus
down the timber aud cultivate them ana
raise enough to paw for taking what
thew raise TO market. It 10 20 open
up that country that this grant ID
asked"
And again. Feb. 10. 1870, in reply to q
oate,ion by Mr.. Davis. be said:
"The road is about one hundred miles
in length, the branch about thirty
miies."
Again the attorney of the company, IN
his briet, said on this point:
aThe line of road In aid Of the con-
struction Of which this grant vas made,
though short. IL one OF vital interest 10
the people Of Oregon. especially nhcse
of northern Oregon, and 10 IL only oy
the completion Of the "a miles OF I'M
eomplesed road that the vast interests,
COM snercial. military and otherwise. nov
rapidly developing at Astoria, near tne
month of the Columbia. can be orouent
into communication by rail with tns
Great transcontinentai road.
I. Astoria, the mou.h Of she Columbus
the military forts OF stevens and Csnoy'
hederd in as they are on the Washine-
ton Territory side by almost impassaoie
ranges Of mountains, End their only
bope of obtaining rail connection witn
the transcontinentai line in the compte-
lion Of this road. And u was this an
omaious condition Of affairs, IN conneo-
lion with the great co>t OF the eonssfuo,
non az this road aud the commercial
and military necessities of the case, thai
lei Congress in ls5o TO regard sue nuiiu-
inc of this line ss national undeftak