The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-04-07
It's Public Domain.

Mr. Van Eaton, from the House COM
mittee on public lands, submitted to the
House minority report from the COM
mittee on the bill to forfeit the entire
land grant of the Northern Pacific rail-
road west of Bismarck. The report is
signed by Messrs. Van Eaton, Strait and
Stevenson, and in it is set forth the his
tory of the formation of the Pacific rail-
road companies. It goes on to review
the consequences Of the enormous grants
of lands. and while condemning the
policy of the government during the
period in which SO many millions cfacres
of the public domain were squandered,
it criticises the course of certain dema-
gogues who do nothing but howl for the
forfeiture of land grants in this language:
+" Who knows what the public mind is
These great corporations are here by
their agents and attorneys, using their
influence against the whole policy of for
ife;tnres ON the one hand, while upon the
other are numerous shysters, spectators
and lobbyists in the guise of patriots and
representatives of the people, urging
congress to forfeit the lands where there
is the slightest pretext for il" After re-
viewing the difficulties with which the
company has had to contend. The re-
port concludes as follows: Substantially
the object and purpose congress mad IN
view in making the grant to the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company have been OBJ
tanned in the construction of said rail-
road and telegraph line to the Pacific
coast, and speedy transportation of mails,
etc" The road is now complete from
Lake Superior to Tacoma on the Pacific,
sll of which has been built and equipped
by the company, save that portion from
Wallula to Portland, through the Colum-
bia river valley, a distance of PA miles;
where there is a road owned by the
Oregon Railway & Navigation Company,
but used by the Northern Pacific COM
pany under contract with the former
company. The main line therefore, is a
continuous road from the Northern lakes
to the Pacific ocean. On the Cascade
branch, so miles eastward from Tacoma,
and 81 miles vest from Pasco on the
main line have been completed, exam
med by the government commissioners
and accepted by the President, and 40
miles are now under construction in the
Yakima valley, which will soon be
finished and ready for examination, and
when this is done there will be left but
754 miles, including the tunnel of l 9-l0
miles to finieh the Cascade branch. The
contract for the construction of the tunnel
has been made, and work is progressing.
In consonance, therefore, with the facts
of the law and the equities of the case.
we report the accompanying bill and ex-
pect that it be printed as we will offer it
as substitute for the bill of the com
mittee.
The substitute bill provides that in
consequence of the failure of the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company tc
construct its road from Wallula Junction
to Portland in the State of Oregon, a dis
tance of 214 miles, over which line the
said company have running connections
with tire Oregon Railway & Navigation
Company and have abandoned the
buiIding of their own road between saiC
points. The United States reserves the
title to the lands granted to said con-
pany as are co-terminus with said un
finished part of baid road, and so much
of the act makiug the grant of lands tC
said Northern Pacific Railroad Company
as applies between Wallula and Portland
is hereby repealed, and said land is re
sumed as part of the public domain.