Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-04

Detter 10 discharge the debt at once, on
condition of reduction of fares and freights,
than to enforce its payment, and thereby
impoverish the country through which the
road passes; but my opinion is that il
would be better to use the debt for the i'm
proyement of the road, the construction OF
branch roads and irrigation works, and
also to require cheaper fares and freights.
As l before remarked, Great Britain
started first to build railroads, and built
them all through india. They found that
the roads without irrigation were useless,
and they then devised a scheme to irrigate
the land, so as to supply business for their
railroads. They first estimated $l15,000,-
600 for irrigation. Much more than that
has already been expended, and the result
has been entirely satisfactory.
In the railroads and in the works OF
irrigation they constructed they spent a
they increased very much the revenues OF
India. do not propose appropriations by
this Government on any such scale, but
claim that 1t IS wrong to tax portion OF
the arid region to pay for great national
| enterprise, in which the whole country is
interested, and Cypress the people and pre-
vent its development But inasmuch as
the Government has received its considera-
ton | say use every dollar of this money
| for public improvements in that country
under such regulations as Congress may
hereafter prescribe. In that way we shall
have carried out the original design of the
Act and at the same time develop the in
| terror OF the country and the resulting
benefit to the United States will be i'm
| mense.
About 800 miles of the Central Pacific
| Railroad is in
|
In Nevada. This valley, before any portion
OF 1t was irrigated, was the most forbiddiDg
in appearance of any section of the over
land line. A small part of it has been irri-
gated. and it has proven to be equal in
| fertility to any land IN the United States.
There is sufficient water running to waste
in the Humboldt river and its branches to
| irrigate this entire valley. If this water
were stored and conducted over the land by
proper hydraulic works during the irrigat-
ing season, at least 4, 900, 900 acres of land
could be reclaimed in this valley alone.
The irrigated land would be worth at least
$50 an acre, and would support popula-
ton of more than 100000. The entire
farm area of Massachusetts, according to
the tenth census, is not equal in extent to
the land susceptible of irrigation in the
Humboldt valley alone. A few millions of
THE DEBT OF THE CENTRAL PACIFIC,
If used in works of irrigation for this VAL
| ley, would create wealth and support a
population sufficient to contribute annu-
ally to the revenue of the United States
more money than could be collected from
the company by any funding bill that
could be devised. The Central Pacific
| Railroad, as before stated, occupies this
| valley. There is no inducement for a
parallel road and in many places the
road occupies the sites which will ulti-
matoly have to be used for reservoirs. ETC..
and the road bed must be changed before
| the valley can be reclaimed. If the Gov
eminent insists upon the payment OF the
| debt, without any portion of it being ex-
pended for the development of the country
| or the improvement of the road, the road
will remain where it is. and the greater
| portion of this valley will also remain a
| desert. Congress can remedy all this BY
| requiring the company to change its road
bed and experd portion of the money due
the Government for that purpose. and also
| for the construction CT the necessary hy-
draulic works. The Central Pacific Rail.
road also passes through the valley of the
Truckee river, the outlet of Tahoe, Bonner
and other lakes. Here again is vast area
| of several hundred thousand acres of land
| that can be easily retained by storing the
flood. water in the mountain lakes and dis
tributing it by canals on the fertile lands
below. Nevada has numerous other
FERTILE VALLEYS SUSCEPTIBLE oE IRRIGA-
TIoN.
Which will supply business for this road
and branches to be constructed from it. If
| the policy l indicate could be pursued Ne.
vaoa in very few years would be wealthy
and populous State, and the revenues she
would pay to the Government would far
| exceed the amount of money that can he
| collected by the proposed funding of the
debts of all the aided roads combined. To
| make this central continental road capable
of doing the business of the country cheaply
| and expeditiously tunnels are necessary to
be constructed to avoid the heavy grades
and deep-snow line in the Sierra Nevada
| Mountains, where over thirty miles of
snowsheds are now maintained. These
tunnels have been surveyed, and in the
| aggregate will be several miles in length.
1t is entirely practicable to enter the noun
| tains below the deep-snow line on the east
side and avoid the deep snow on the west
| side of the summit of the mountains by
| following along the sunny slope which
| forms the northern bank of the north fork
of the American river.
| By these tunnels about l 100 feet of alti-
tude would be avoided, the snow-sheds dis
pensed with. the cost OF operating the road
greatly reduced, much time saved, and
travel made more comfortable and safe.
A portion of the debt ought certainly to be
used for this much-needed improvement,
and unless this is done these tunnels will
never be constructed and the interior will
be deprived of cheap freights, travel and
mails delayed and Government transporta-
| ton, particularly in time of war, greatly
embarrassed. Before any bill is passed
adjusting or funding
| THE DEBTS OF THESE ROADS,
1t seems to me that the committee charged
with that subject should make personal
examination of the country through which
the roads pass to enable them to devise
some scheme whereby these roads may be
benefit to the country and not an insuper-
able obstacle to its development.
THE Union Pacific funding bill was SUBJ
sequently Tecommitted to the committee,
and the Senate adopted the following res
olution introduced by Mr.. Stewart: THAT
the select committee appointed under the
resolution of the Senate of January "a.
1888, to which was referred the President s
message, transmitting the report of the
! Pacific Railway Commission, be, and it is
hereby continued, with all the power and
authority on it conferred by Senate resolu-
ton OF February %, 1888, until the in
debtedness of the Union Pacific Railroad
Company, the Kansas Pacific Railroad
Company, the Central Branch Union Pa
cific Railroad Company and the Central
Pacific Railroad Company as the sue
cessor to the Central Pacific Railroad Com
pany of California and the Western Pacific
Railroad Company, to which the subsidy
bonds of the United States were advanced
in aid of the construction of the roads of
said companies, shall be adjusted by Con.
| gress. And said committee is hereby in
structed to personally examine, during any
recess of Congress preceding the meeting
| thereof IN December next, the roads of said
companies and the country through which
they pass or which is Immediately con-
tributory to their income, for the purpose
of ascertaining the ability of said COM
panies to pay their Indebtedness to the Gov
eminent, and how the Indebtedness of said
companies can be so adjusted and paid as to
advance the development of the country
through which said roads pass. and afford
to the inhabitants thereof reasonable rates
of transportation forpassengers and freight.
Said committee may hold its sessions at any
place in the United States, and. the expenses
attending the investigation shall be paid
out of the contingent fund of the Senate.
ANY subcommittee appointed by said COM
mittee shall have the powers of the full
committee"