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-