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About Oregon City enterprise. (Oregon City, Or.) 1871-188? | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1878)
SUPPLEMENT TO THE ENTERPRISE. OREGON'S WEAL. uimnr bit Review of the Congressional Con testa By Senator Mitchell. ' New Market Theatre Crowded With the Best Citizens of Portlaad, The Spacious Halls and Galleries Fail to Accommodate the Multitudes. HUNDREDS AND Ul'NDREDS TURNED AWAY FOR WANT OF ROOM. A. Largyo ViitlioiM? Int'u( I' Xnterestecl lor Tlii-oo The Senator Sets Forth the Noble Objects Sought by Nation al Legislation. And the Infamous Influences and Intrigues that Attempted to Defeat All. LET THE PEOPLE READ AND UN DERSTAND WHO HAVE BEEN THEIR FRIENDS. Every Candid Reader Must Say of the Speaker, "Well Done, Thou Faithful Servant." In response to the announcement that Senator Mitchell, in reply to the invitation of the leading citizens of Portland, had consented to deliver a speech at New Market theatre, in this city, on Saturday evening, August 31, 1878, the people be gan gathering at that place at an early hour on the evening named, and when the time for speaking arrived every seat was occu pied, and the large and intelligent audience was in great part composed of ladies of refinement and culture. Among the au dience were the leading citizens and rep resentative men of Portland, and on the stage were seated Mayor V. S. Newbury, Hon. J. C. Tolman, Hon. D. Malarky, H on. D. P. Thompson, Senator M. C. George, Hon. W. D. Hare of Astoria, Hon. J. N. Dolph, Hon. Vic. Trevitt of The Dalles, Hon. E. S. Kerney, R. Jacobs, Esq., Gen. Benj. Simpson, Major Eaton of Washington, Hon. Geo. A. Steel, and others. About 8 o'clock the Northwestern band which occupied the orchestra, rendeied an appropriate piece of music, and as the last strains died away, His Honor, V. S. New bury, Mayor of the City of Portland, es corted Senator Mitchell upon the stage, and in a few elegant and well-timed remarks introduced the Senator as "the faithful ser vant who had come to render an account of his stewardship." As the Senator stood before the vast audience, bearing was drowned in rounds of hearty Applause and cheers of worthy welcome. When these outbursts of greeting and approval had subsided, the Senator began his remark in his usual deliberate manner, and, as he progressed, rose in warmth and oratory til the walls of New Market theatre rever berated tones of earnest, soul-thrilling elo quence, such as had never waked the silence of that altar of the bards. As sub jects were touched upon that reached th deepsst interests of the people of Portland and Oregon, the listeners were not wanting in expressions of highest approval of the earnest efforts'! of Oregon's "hardworking Senator." The speech was reported ver bating for the BEE,4by Mr. Senaca Smith and is'presentecTbelow. It is well worthy of carefurperusal by every citzen of Port land, and we only resret that the want o ' - - - - larger room prevented so many from hear ing the earnest, truth-convincing manner in which it was delivered. Every seat in the dress circle, parquette and galleries was oc cupied, and the standing room was taken; hundreds who came late were turned away, well considering tnemselves unfortunate. Even those of Senator Mitchell's bitterest enemies who were present, admitted that he acquitted himself most nobly; and the people who could look beyond personal spite and selfish interests to the broad do- mam of the public weal and weltare,vul feel that words are insufficient to express their approval of the man whose heart and hands have been so earnest and faithful in the cause of the development of the State and the interests of its whole people We give Senator Mitchell's speech in full, be cause it is the story of the people s demands, and the history ot how they have been abored for by liberal men, and opposed by tools and schemers. SENATOR .MITCHELL S Mr. Chairman and Fellow SPEECH. Citizens: --It is devolving upon do less a duty than a pleasure me to acknowledge, gratefully, the compliment am paid, in the presence, here flu evening, of thin larg audience, and in the enthusiastic and cordial manner in which you have met me at this time. As ha been my custom ever since I have been trj-ing to represent yon, in part, in the Senate of the United Mates, I am tigain heie for the purpose of rendering to you, the people, my masters, an account of mv stew ardship. I am here, also, for the purpose of meeting old time friends, who m all the years of the past, in every trial, in every viscissitude, have attested their friendship, their confidence, their fidelity, by an unfaltering dev.ition to rae'aud my interests, and to thank them to night, thus publicly, for what would seem to be an abiding taith, on their part, in the integrity of my purposes as one of your public servants. Iam here, also, fellow citizen, tor the purpose ot explaining, so far as I may be called upon to xplain.'and so far as.l may, in the short tune that I can take to-night, to you and all the peo ple of Oregon, who may desire to do justice by their public servants, the motives which have actuated me, and the reasons I had for every ote 1 have cast, for every position I have taken. from time to time, while acting as one of your servants in the U. S. senate. I am here, also, fellow citizens, for the purpose of answeriug, in respectful manner, every just and honorable criticism . that may, from time to time, have been made on my course, while acting as one your public servants. I am here, furthermore, fellow citizens, for the purpose of MEETING MY DEFAMERS Face to face; aa well those of ihem who are and those who are not too cowardly to hide their malicious forms and shriveled souls behind the subsidized columns of a monopolizing and sub sidise! public press, and to hurl back into their guilty faces, distorted as they are by habitual falsehood and persisteut deception, the many misrepresentations, by which, from time to time, they have sought maliciously to mislead the people of the btate of Oregon, with refer enced my motives and my position as one or your Seuators. Fellow citizens, the public acts of public men, I bold, are, and of right ought to be public prop erty. They are, and of risjht should be, at all lines, and under all circumstances, open to a free, full and fair inspection, and to the honor able and just criticism of both the press and the people. Any public servaut of the people who is unwilling, or ashamed, or afraid to sub mit his public acts to this crucial test, is, 1 hold, unworthy, in every sense of the word, to hold any office of honor, trust or profit, in this great nation. , (applause) But while this is true, 1 hold it to be equally true, that any public ournalist who seeks to mislead the people, with reference to any of the public acts of any ol their public servants, simply for the purpose f gratifying a spirit of personal animosity and private revenge, is not entitled to hold the Hon orable position, he, by such a course, dese crates; such a mau is no longer entitled to have his name enrolled among the names of honorar ble men, much less among the names ot the many honorable journalists aud newspaper men of our Mate and coast. Fellow citizeus. FALSEHOOD AND MISREPRESENTATION Hurled daily from the columns of a vicious, mer cenary and monopolizing public press, may for the time being accomplish its purposes, but a reaction is sure to come; wuiul, persistent, flagrant migre repsentation of any public man, must in this educated, intellectual age ot neces sity be short lived. It may, 1 say, for the time being accomplish its purpose it may aeieat tne man personally or politically against wiiora tne malicious attacks are made, but what I inquire of you to-uight, is a mere personal defeat, to any mau, care not what his ainDition may oe, i care uoi who he is or what may be his aspirations, to a per manent, erroneous conviction in the minds of the constituents of any representative, that their pub lic servant has been false to h s duty; that tor per sonal or other unworthy consideration he has sat in the councils of the nation, not id tne in terests of his people, but has sought to obstruct and hinder measures which would tend to promote their welfare for my part,fellow citizens, 1 would rather, to-night, see every hope of earthly ambi tion perish instantly and forever, than to have mv public acts and my motives misconstrued by the people whom I have been trying to faithfully represent iu luu okiulo ui iuo uuiLw gwa. (Applause.) And I desire right here to CHALLENGE MV DEi'AMEKS, I ask them to-night, if there be any here, to point to a vote which I have cast, to a position which I have occupied, to an expression to which I have given utterance at any time since I have occupied a seat in the Senate that cau by auv iair interpretation be construed otherwise than in the interest of the people and of the State of Oregon, and I ask them to do it now, if there are any such here, and if they will not do it now in my presence, when I have opportu nity to be heard in my own defense. then Jo not hereafter, because they happe' to control the columns ' of a public press, attack a man, assassin like, behind his back, when he has no opportunity to be heard; for whatever might Ik said to the con tray, any man that will do that thing is, after all, little better than any man would be who had been proven by overwhelming testimony to be an assasssnof truth aud a defamer of public men; and if any such man exists anywhere iu this fair State of ours, then it will be well for the people of this State, and for the prosperity of this btate, that the time shall soon come when its fair face shall he cleansed and its fair fame freed freed from the weight of THIS " FLEH3HLVEST INCEBCS," Now fellow citizens, knowing that the peo ple of the State of Oregon, and of the city of Portland take a deep and abidirjg.ioterest, in all matters of legislation relating to rail roads and to internal improvements ana an that kind of thins. I nronose to-night, as rapidly as I can, because I do not wish to de tain Tou too loner, to detail as near as I can some of the legislation and attempted legis lation of the last session of Congress on this subject. And as I proceed, inasmuch as I have from time to time, day after day, month :J COURTESY OF BANCROFT LIBRARY, TTV TITITOQ TTV nV H T.TT?OPMT A after month for the past eight months, been attacked by the "principal newspaper of this State," as standing iu the way of legislation favorable to the interests of this State, I pro pose as I proceed in detailing what was done and the part which I took iu what was done and attempted to be done at one and the same time to answer all charges which have been made against me so far as I 'inderstaud them. On the morning of my arrival here, fellow citizens, the following article APPEARED IX THE OREGONIAN; A newspaper, I believe, published iu Port land; I think, it is published here, I am not one of its subscribers, and the courtesy which has been extended to me by nearly every other newspaper on the Pacific coast, of sending me a copy while I have been representing you in the Senate, has not been accorded by the Oregonian, but I understand it is published here, and here is the artiele, which I will read, at length, because it is very short: " Senator Mitchell complains that he has been misrepresented. He does not as yet indicate in what respect, hut certainly it cannot be said that he Ins been misrepresented in this, that it was the opposition and delay produced by his course in the Senate, which threw away the opportunity for passing the Northern Pacific Extension Bill. Now theu, it was this very point to which I had reference, when, in the few remarks I made on the eviiig of my arrival here, I stated that I had Ix'.en misrepresented; and now fellow citizens of Portland I say to you, to the editor of the Orego uian an. I to all the peopli- of the State of Oregon that I propose-here, and now, not only to assertj but prove m the face and light of recorded histor3. in the fuce of the open undispntable record, and that too with a confidence which can only be lorn of an implicit faith in the FINAL TRIUMPH OF TRUTH Over falsehood, of justice over injustice, of right over wrong, of fair play over foul play, that any man whether it be the editor of the Oregonian, or auy other man, who will assert that any alleged opposition or mine, any delay of mine, auy act of mine either iu the Senate of the United States or elsewhere, throw away the opportunity for passing the Northern Pacific Extension bill does, either maliciously and rualignautly, or ignorantly and unconsciously misrepresent me. Now here is a charge made, aud it is not made here for the first time, and ray denial is just as broad as the charge is, or possibly cau lie; now for the proof. The burden of proof in all cases, every lawyer knows that, every lady knows it, everybody else know it, is always upon the . party making the charge of wrong, whether that charge is made against a criminal in the docks at the bar of public justice, or whether it is made against one of the people's representatives at the bar of public opin ion, it makes no difference which the, BURDEN OF PROOF ALWAYS Hosts upon the party making the charge. And while I have confidence to believe that the justice and fairness and good sense of the people will always discriminate against a mere naked cbarge'unsupported by evidence, and an accusation unsustained by proof; while I believe that, still inasmuch as this charge among others has been iterated and reiterated against me through the columns of the Oregoniau from time to time, I propose to-night to waive all questions as to where the burden of proof rests, and to show to you from the open record, from facts and argu ments as irrefragable as the broad sun-light of heaven, that the charge is false. Yes,fellow citizens, so untenable is it that it would seem incredible, no I will not say that, I will say it is incredible that any man possessed of suf ficient intelligence and ability to conduct the columns of a newspaper in a great State like this, and I cheerfully concede that Mr. Scott has all of that, and whose duty it is and who is iu honor bound to render to bis readers a a faithful account of the ACTS OF THEIR PUBLIC SERVANTS, And to make just criticisms and draw just infer ences from those acts, I say it is incredible that any such man would make such a charge unless prompted by motives of the purest personal ani mosity and for the purpose of gratifying a spirit of the purest personal revenge. Now fellow citi zens bear in mind the charge: " My con in in the Senate," says the Oregonian, "threw away the op portunity tor passing the Northern Pacific Rail Road Bill." Why fellow citizens is it not a fact of record which no man with the least vestige of respect for truth left in him will deny that the bill for the extension of the northern pacific s. R. unuer my advocacy in part ana under my special championship aud direction, after a two davs discussion, and without a single dissenting vote was passed through the Senate of the United States on the 23d day of April last, two months lacking three days before the adjournment of Congress. Yes, fellow citizens, 57 days before the House of Rapresentatives adjourned, the bill for the extension of time to the Northern Pacific It. R. Co., the passage of which the Oregonian says I defeated, was under my special leadership. I say it iu no boastful spirit, but because it is a fact, pushed through the Senate of the United States, the bill having been reported by me from the SENATE COMMITTEE ON RAILROADS Some days before that, and having received, by the way, the sanction and unqualified approbation and approval of every member of the Senate Committee on Railroads both Republican and Democratic. (Applause) Why, I inquire of Mr. Scott, why, I ask of you fellow citizens of Portlaud and the State of Oregon, was not the bill taken up in the House ot Representatives and passed there on some one of the fifty-seven days which elapsed between the time of the passage of the bill in the Senate and the time the House adjourned. Could any act of mine either iu tne senate or out oi tne senate staud as a fatal obstruction or as an obstruction at all, even to the weight of a feather. in the passage of that bill through the House of .Representatives, aud that too in precisely such form as tho friends of the Northern Pacinc Railroad Co. in the House might desire to pass it. Most certainly not. JNobody will contend this. But suppose it should be said, because I desire to meet this question In every possible phase, that it cau be presented, that the bill which passed the Senate, although it passed that body after two days discussion without a dissenting vote, receiving tne approbation of every warm friend of the NortbernPacine Railroad Co. in the Senate, suppose it should be said, however, that the bill which passed the Sen ate on the 23d of April last was not satisfac tory to the nohthern pacific railroad company, And I will come to that hereafter ; then to that proposition there arc several incontrovertible answers, and the first is this, and I call your es pecial attention to it : The House of Represen tatives was in continual session from the 15th dav of October, J 877, until the 20th day of June, 1878, a period of eight long months and five days. Why, I inquire of yon and of the editor of the Oregouiau, was there not. a bill for the extension of time to the N. P. R. R. intro duced in the Hnse and passed through that body on some of those 244 days, and in just such form as the friends of the N. P. R. R. desired to have it, and sent to the Senate for the consider ation of that body f Will the editor of the Ore gonian answer me that question? Will the land-grabbing, stock-manipulating, aristocratic purse-proud Billings, of Vermont, who has been burling his anathemas at me on lightning wings across this continent for the purpose of deceiv ing and misleading my constituents in reference to this matter, answer that question ? Will any of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company or their friends who have been asserting that have been 6tanling in the way of the N. P. R, R. answer me the question f Will the people of Oregon answer, the question ? Was toe House of Rep- "sentativ.. fellow-citizens, was any j member of the House of Representatives who ! might have been in favor of the passage of the bill for the extension of time to the N. P. R. R . even pure and simple, without a single provis ion looking to the protection or guardianship of the interests of the ieople of Oregon, under auv kind of obligation to await THE ACTION OF TUB SENATE ? Most certainly not, no oae will contend this for a moment. Were there any parliamentary rules of Congress, either of the House or of the Senate, that prevented the House from acting upon mis most important measure without regard to what was being done in the other end of the Capitol ? Will Mr. Scott answer me why out of these 244 days a bill was not taken up and passed through the House and sent to the Senate for its considera tion. Most assuredly he would be the last man to give me the credit ot having sufficient power to control the wholeHouse of Representatives on this subject for 8 months and 6 days. Applause. Power to prevent against the wishes of my col league in the House and against the wishes of the many friends of the N. P. in the House lor eight long months, the passage of just such a bill as they might desire. I claim no such credit. It would be foolish in the extreme forme to assume any such power, aud I know Mr. Scott would be the last mau in tne worm io accoru it ui me. Applause. Now bear in mind there was not only nothing in the Constitution of the U. S., in the parliamentary rules of Congress, in any book which was ever written, or any unwritten book, that prevented the House of Representatives from proceeding to pass upon this measure at any time without regard to wnat was Deing done in tne sen ate. Not only that, but the mends or thej. Jf. R. R. Co. did introduce a bill in the House early in the session, aud I will speak of the character of this bill presently, if I have the time, asking for an extension of time for ten years. That bill WAS INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE Long before auy bill was reported in the Senate, theu why I ask was not that bill taken up and passed through the House and sent to the Senate ? Again, suppose tne senate bill was not satisfactory to the friends of the company, why 1 ask again, did they not take up the Senate bill and amend it in the House to satiaty the JN. Jr. R. R. Co. during some one of the two long mouths that the Senate bill was on the table of the House of Representatives aud send it back to the Senate for its consideration of the amendment. But suppose again this hard ly supposable case, that the Senate bill was drawn i'i such a way that it was inexpedient or impossi ble to amend it without tearing it all to pieces; and I say that this U not a supposable case, but suppose it was, theu if that were the case I inquire why did not tne t r lends ot the .N. Jr. R. R. (Jo. take up the House bill even after the Senate bill had passed, and pass it through the House and send it the Senate for its consideration ? No, fel low .citizens, iu the face of the facts, in the broad noonday of this out-spread record, which no man can successfully deny; before thse facts of history which are incontrovertible, ana which will live and shiue aud tell the truth, when caiurainutor aud caluminated alike shall have taken up their abodes iu the speechless cities of the dead, can any man, with the intelligence of an oystec, except he be a wilful defamer, a public caluminator, a daily man ufacturer and dispenser ol that, "whose edge, ac cording to the great poet, "is sharper than the sword, whose tougue outvenoms all the worms of Nile," have the audacity to assert that "my course in the Senate of the United States prevented the passage of the bill for the ex tension of time to the Northern Pacinc Rail road Co." If anv such man after understand ing all these facts and after understanding this history as it really is, will still have the audacity iu his public press to PERSIST IN THIS OROUSDLK89 CHARGE, Then I for one would turn him over to his God with a prayer for merey, admonishing him at the same time to remember the terrible fate which centuries ago overtook a couple of persons whom I could name for persisting in an offense not wholly unlike his own. Now, fellow citizens, I propose to call your attention as rapidly as I can to the position I occupied in the Senate of the United States in regard to this railroad question and the true nature of the bill which hnally passed the Senate. And right here, before I proceed I will state that I have at no time had auy desire to conceal from the people of the State ot Oregon my views, and the position i. have occupied and held in re gard to this whole matter, on the contrary I have always been anxious that the people should understand exact'y where I stood. Now the act of Congress first passed in aid of the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad Co., provided for a grant of laud down the Columbia river and tbeu on to Puget Sound and also a branch as afterwards ameuded, across the Cascade mountains from somewhere, according to the location of the company,near Pondoreill lake to Puget fou nd. lliere were included in this grant about five million acres of land. Nearly three years ago a bill was prepared aud passed the Senate of the United States, giving the company an exteution on their main line down the Columbia rivor. but no extension was given to the brauch across the Cascade mountains, and the company, bear in mind. did not insist upon anv extension for that branch, and why? Because I believe that the company were firmly of the opinion at that time that it would be a physical Impos sibility to run their ROAD ACROSS THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS, That they believed tint in order to reach Puget Sound at the point where their interests were interests were greatest where they owned large tracts oi land, ana w here they expected to build up a great commercial city, that they would necessarily be compelled to come down the Co lumbia river, and then, via Kalama, to Puget bound. o the bill was passed; at that time I believed that that was the necessity of the case. so at that time, I insisted on no further restric tions than was incorporated in that bill that Lull passed the Senate theu, and I call your at tentiou to this fact, that two years aio I voted for the bill which passed the Senate, but never passed tho house. I have always been in favor of the N . P. R. R., and I am to-day in favor of it. I believe it would be one of the greatest en terprises of the age, but 1 am opposed and l always win be opposed to the passage of auy bill extending the time for the buildiug of the road that will totally ignore the people of Ore gon (Applause) Shortly after that time, the N. P. company conceived the idea of relocating their branch line across the Cascade mountains to Puget sound from the terminus of their coal road in Washington territory, to the Columbia river near the mouth of the Snake riverj and let the say, that the very nomeut they conceived me idea, that their managers, in my liidgmeut. it not the stockholders, made up their minds to give, not only the city of Portland, but the whole State of Oregon, the go-by. When Congress met in October last, knowing, as I did. these facts. I was of tne firm conviction, as I am to day, because I have 6een or heard nothing to change my mind, but on the contrary, 1 have seen much to strengthen my conviction, that unless the N. P. R. R. company were compelled Ly legislation, to come to the city ol Portland, they never woulJ build a tingle, solitary mile of road within this State. Iherefore, when Con gress met, I was of the opinion that a bill some thing like this would be n proper bill for the extension of time to the N. P. Co. I believed that in lieu of the five milliou acres surrender ed on the Cascade monntain branch an equal number of acres of land should be given THE PORTLAND, SALT LAKE AND SOCTU PASS CO. For a branch from. Umatilla to Salt Lake. I believed the road from Umatilla to Portland should be a common road for the use of the trains of both companies, and I believed the work should be commenced within a reason able time at Portland, and that provision shotiln be made for tho protection of settlers within the limits of the grant. These, in brief, constitute the character of the bill which I introduced iu the Senate in the first place, and I . believe it ought to have passed, and I lelieve would have passed had, unfortunately, the OrvgDu delegation not been divided. That bill received the approval of eight out of eleven members of the Senate Com mittee ou Railronds; aud let me tell you that the great questiou before that committee was the question of unlocking the Columbia river, and breaking up the monopoly that now con trols it, and opening it up to free navigation. (Applause.) On that question Senators Mat thews, of Ohio, Dawes, of Massachusetts, Bar ntim.of Connecticut, Dorsey, of Arkansas. Sana -ders, of .Nebraska, Teller, of Colorado, Arm. strong, of Missouri, and myself 6ix Republicans and two Democrats ivere united while opposed, not all in the committee particularly, but they joined in opposition afterwards were Wiudom ot Minnesota, Lamar of Mississippi, and Ransom of North Carolina. Now theu, let me tell you this, that -up until the time that that bill was reported from the Senate Railioad Committee I had entertained the belief and the hope that the N. P. R. R. Co., although 1 knew they did not like mine of the provisions of . the bill, would waive their opposition, aud give to it their assent. In that hope I was mistaken. I found not only that they were going to tight the bill, but that the Oregon delegation was not united upon it. and while 1 believed that that was the kind of bill which ought to pass, I at once determined to propose to the friends of the N. P. R. R. Co., like this : If you will CONFORM TO SUCH TERM3 As I believe the people of the State of Oregon de sire and to which they are entitled in regard - to the opening of the Columbia river, and in regard to fie commencemhnt and completion of work within a reasonable time at the Cascades and The Dalles, and in reference to the protection of set tlers within the limits of the grant, then I would allow that bill to stand upon its own merits. On my proposition considerable negotiation was had, aud the sum and substance of the whole thing was that the bill as finally reported from the Railroad committe of the Senate finally passed the Senate without a dissenting vote. N ow, fellow citizens, not only so but it was also agreed that the bill for the P. D. fc S. L. R. R. should be reported as a separate measure, receiving the vote of every member of the Railroad committee of the Senate, both Democratic and Republican and stands to-day upon the calendar of the Senate for action when it shall come up in its order. (Applause.) And now, fellow citizens, a few words, and I will be aa brief as possible. It has been said that the bid as passed thiough the Senate, was passed in opposition to the wishes of the N. P. R. R- Co., that they did uot want it, that they would not accept, and that I did all this mischief myself. Now a few words in regard to whether they did or did not agrea to tliat bill: the first place kvesy mehbhs of the ball road COMMITTEE OF THE SENATE AOREED TO IT to start with. Every member of that commit tee agreed to it enthusiastically; then my colleague in the Senate, Senator Grover jfc-reed to it because he voted for it. He offered one or two amend ments which were agreed to in the Senate, and which I approved, and as amended the bill passed the Senate by my vote and by my colleague's vote, not only so, but it passed the Senate as I said be fore by the vote of every Senator in the Senate, Democratic and Republican. (Applause.) And not only so, but I want to read you what Senators Matthews and Windom said in the Senate as to whether or not the company had agreed to it, and I will only read a moment. A question was raised in the Senate about GIVING A LONGER TIM-E For the construction of the road around the Cas cades and the Dalles. Senator McMillan of Min nesota wanted 4 years and the bill as reported from the committee required that it should be done in two years at the Cascades and in two and a half years at ihe Dalles, aud Senator Windom, who was at one time a stockholder and director in the company, and that company has no warmer or more honorable friend than Senator Windom who made this statement: " This is an old question in the Committee on Railroads. It was considered for several weeks. A great deal of discussion was had there upon it; there were consultations back an forth between those who represented the interests of the com pany and those who desired to restrict them as far as possible; and after a great deal of thought and careful consideration the proposition contained in the substitue reported from the committe was unanimously agreed to, as being one that could be practically carried out. I hope that the Senate will nernivt the bill to pass as the committee has recommended it. I think that such a course would save a great deal of time. 1 believe that the com pany can carry out these conditions. Even if, as my colleague states, they are onerous, they are such as have been accepted by them, aud 1 hope the Senate will not change them." . Lvery one knows that Senator Windom was a warm advocate of the N. P. R. R. Co., and a per sonal friend of its principal managers, yet it will be seen from this, he not only gives approval tot lie bill, but asserts that " the conditions are such as have beeu accepted by the company." But what does SENATOR MATTHEWS SAY On this subject as to whether the company bad agreed to the bill as it was reported from the committee. Hear him while this bill was under discussion in the Senate: 44 Mr. Matthews. Mr. President, this particular feature in the bill was a matter of very considerable discussion in the commit tee. The railroad company applied for an act of Congress extending the time within which they might complete their road and save their franchises and land grants. Al though Portland by their own act bad be come the western termiuus of the road, they desired to build a portion of the road that was intermediate betweeu the termini, com mencing at the head of navigation on the Columbia river and psnetrating to the inte rior in a northeasterly direction for a dis tance I thick of about two hundred and eight miles, for the reason that the construction of that portion of the road would be the most profitable to them immediately, ou the ground that the line so constructed would pass through a very fertile region of country, the settlement of which was imminent, in reference to which they already had appli cations for the purchase of large quantities of the lands belonging to their franchises. 14 The committee was confronted with the fact that the navigation on the Columbia river as now necessarily pursued was in the hands of a monopoly, a navigation company owning a line of steamboats, and which bad constructed around its two natural obstruc tions, portages, which enable them to handle as against every competition, all the freight that was required to be transported, and all the travel that sought to pass to and fro over that river, at any price that they saw fit to exact, and who, in point of fact, holding this monopoly, were doing just as others do who hold monopolies, they were improving It to their advantage but to the detriment of the public, by charging excessive rates for the transportation of freights on that great high way. Inasmuch as this very line along the bauks of that river was the chosen and ulti mate line for the location of tnis railroad, and inasmuch as this railroad company were seeking to enlarge their privileges and ob tain new franchises from the public, it was thought no more than right, and fair, and just and equal that they should do something to relieve the public by way of compeujia-