Year: 1870

lands to the North Pacific Railroad
was the subject of animated debate
upon its passage in the House. Fol-
lowing is the speech made by cur mem.
Der, Hon. J.. s. Smith, in the ten
minutes allotted TO him. It will be
read with interest by the people OF
Oregon:


Mr.. WHEELER. I now yield to
the gentleman from Oregon MIR.
SMITH for ten minutes.


Mr.. SMITH, Of Oregon. Much
misapprehension exists in the minds OF
gentlemen Of the House in regard TO
the reasons for some Of the provisions
of this Senate joint resolution. Now,
Mr.. Speaker, q residence of twenty
five years on the northern Pacific
coast has enabled me to become ac-
quainted with the country west of the
Rocky mountains, through which this
road is to pass, and l should be glad
TO give the House the benefit of my
local information at some length if ]
had time in the few minutes allotted
to me. But / shall confine my re-
marks chiefly TO two points very close
ly connected. The first is, as to the
propriety of permitting this company
TO select the point of departure from
the main line for its branch road; and
the second, as TO whether there is any
danger of the power to select being
abused if it shall be granted.


FiIst, in reference to the point
of departure for the branch road. II
the country for three hundred miles
from the western terminus OF this line
were level prairie country, such as
exists in Kansas and Iowa, there would
be no reason why the point of depart
ure should not be within that dis
tance; but gentlemen must remember
that between that point, wherever il
may be located, and Puget Sound,
there is a lofty, rugged chain of
mountains traversed by very difficult
passes. So far as investigation has
gone up TO this time, there are but
two passes north of the Columbia riv-
er between the line of this road and
Puget Sound. One is the Cowlitz,
the other is the Snoqualmie. They
are barely practicable, and it is there.
fore eminently desirable, if further ex.
ploration should develop, what is
hoped for, more favorable pass fur
ther north, that the point of departure
may be fixed accordingly. Ii either
of the two passes already explored i.
adopted then the point of departure
may be as provided in the original
bill, within three hundred miles ot
Portland. If better pass should bt
found further north than either oi
those named, as is not unlikely, then
TO make the point of intersection with
in this three hundred miles, it will be
, necessary TO lengthen the branch road
and after clearing the mountains, te
run it in southeasterly direction in
stead of a northeastly, as it ought t<
> run; and thus gentlemen, \ in. their anx
iety to shorten this branch, will make
need be or than the company would
make it if given this necessary latitud.
in selecting the point of junction. 1
this road shall be built from Puget
Sound, near the forty-cighth parallel
then it will he necessary that the poin
of junction should be some four hun
dred miles from Portland. So much
for the first point, as to the necessity
of giving some latitude TO this com.
pany, as to fixing the point of depart
ure. This grant, if made at all
should be so framed as to enable the
company to select the shortest and
best route for both the branch and the
main road. This resolution in its
!, present form gives that power, and i,
ought not to be changed.


Now as to the second point. I hold
|, there is not the slightest danger of any
abuse of this power if it be extended
to this company. I call the attention
of the House to the language of the
ljoint resolution. It provides that the
company shall have power " to locate
and construct under the provisions
and with the privileges and duties
provided for in its act of incorpora-
ton and amendments thereto, its
main road to some point on Pu-
get Sound, via the valley OF the Col.
umia river, with the right to locate
and construct its branch from some
convenient point on its main trunk
line across the Cascade mountains to
Puget Sound.


! It seems to me that it requires an
immense stretch of imagination to
conclude that this language would
give this company the right to build
its branch parallel to the main road.
It must select its point of departure
at some convenient point to reach
Puget Sound. No court, no Secreta-
ry of the Interior, no sensible man
would say it gave right to built a
parallel road for single mile. There
is no danger on that point. Further
more, in the region of country be-
tween the Rocky mountains and a
point three hundred miles east of
Portland, the country is of such char
acter as to offer no inducements to
build an additional line or to lengthen
the road one mile for the purpose of
increasing the amount of land to be
obtained. I am familiar with that
country, and while I do not under
take to say that it is desert, or that
there is no good land along the line of
this grant. do say that the poorest
part Of this country is between point
three hundred miles east from Port
land and one hundred and fifty miles
further east, where the location of the
passes is such as to make it inevitable
the road must go. There is, there
fore, not the slightest danger that
this company will build one solitary