Mr. HENDERSON. As is stated by the Senfrom Michigan who has charge of this bill, if the 1st section is stricken out there is nothing remaining in the bill. I presume the Senfrom Iowa has made this motion in order to test the strength of the bill before the Senate. If it is stricken out there is nothing remaining. It seems that Senators are not acquainted with the object of this bill. I originally introduced it; I presented the proposition to the Senate. It is true the committee have made, in my judgment, some material changes, and with all due deference to the committee, I do not. think they have carried out. all that I designed by the original bill. But it. has been reported back here as the voice of the committee on the subject, and therefore I shall sup‘ port it as the best I can get; I cannot do anything more. But, sir, let me say, before the Senate comes to any vote upon the proposition, that ifthis bill is to be voted down in its present shape, I shall a peal to the Senate to repeal all laws providing or any branch of the Pacific railroad from the State of Missouri. I do not intend to present an comlaints upon my part ainst the action 0ty this ody or of the other house jn reference to the condition of legislation for the buildhig of the Pacific railroad. This is not the proor time to do it. [H were disposed to do it, could present, I think to the satisfaction of every Senator, very serious grounds of complaint so far as my State is concerned; but this is not the proper time to do it. The Senate has not time to hear it, and perhaps they would not take the time to go ack and examine the law of 1862 and the law of 1864on the subject. It is a long story, and would require a great deal to be said. I stood on this side of the Chamber in 1862 and appealed to the Senate not to do a.great many things that they did do by the bill of the 1st of July, 1862, a few days before the adjournment of the session. They passed the Pacific railroad bill, and they said, we will start the road at the 100th meridian, that is, we will start a main trunk there, and build it out to the California line, leaving other companies in Miqouri and in Iowa to construct their roads up to that point, and there unite with the main road. I have the map before me, and I hope that any Senator who desires to do so will take it up and examine it. The 100th meridian is marked upon it. I appealed to the Senate then to leave the question of the point at which the main Pacific stem should commence an open question. The Senate ruled me down; and in fixin it, you will find by one of the 1st sections of the act of 1862 that the initial point of the main Pacific 'road was to begin on te100th merid iun between the southern valley of the Republican fork of the Kansas river and the nortern part of the valley of the Platte river, and all the other branch railroads that were to be constructed from the States were to unite at about that point. I said, “ Let us submit this question of the bevimiing point to a survey.” I think the Senfrom Itansas will bear me witness to that, for he now finds that if he had taken my views then he would have been out of the trouble he wanted to avoid this morning by his amendment; but I could not get gentlemen to listen to me. Those chickens have now come home to roost. I said, “Let us fix this thing by absolute survey; let us find where is the best route; let us find where is the best initial.point, and let us leave it to be selected between the Smoky Hill valley on the south, and the Platte river on the north.” The Senfrom Kansas voted with me on that subject. I wish he had stood with me in all my propositions; but we parted company on this StJo. branch, and now he wants to get back where I wanted him to be originally. But, sir, Iwas voted down, and they said, as the bill was originally reported, that the Iowa roads might build 2 branches from Iowa, one from Sioux City and one from Omaha; the Omaha route to be fixed by the President. The President did afterward fix it at Omaha. It was to be in that vicinity, and the President fixed it at Omaha. There were 2 branches to be built from Iowa, and 2 from my State; but Senators will recollect that when they came to give bonds to the branches from my State, they would not give bonds to but one ot the branches. They said the other branch might have bonds for 100 miles, but there it should stop; and they gave the Kun sas branches bonds all the way outjust as far as they might want to go. But just before the bill passed, a distinguished Senfrom Iowa, who is now SecyInterior, offered a proposition which destroyed the whole original intent of the bill and said that the Pacific Railroad Company proper, the one that was to start at the 100th meridian and build west to the California line, leaving the Cen tral Pacific Company of California to build up to it, should build the branch to Omaha. That was not the intention originally. The intention was to let the Pacific railroad commence at the /100th meridian, and other compa nies from Iowa and Missouri build their roads out to that point; but this amendment was put on requiring the great Union Pacific to build that branch to Omaha; and afterward the legislation of 1864 required that they should forfeit all their privileges as the Pacific railroad if the did not build the Omaha branch, thus ma'ing, as far as legislation could go, that Omaha branch the main Pacific road, encour aging that road, when it was constructed, to bring passengers, freight, and everything across that line to the neglect of all other lines. Now, Mr. President, one of the most ener getic men of the West undertook the construction of the line from Kansas City out to the 100th meridian. In the mean time, before 1864, a survey was had along up the Smoky Hill fork; and it turned out just as I had predicted in 1862, that on the Smoky Hill there is the greatest abundance of timber, the finest farming lands in the world, just as rich as they can be. The Senfrom Kansas, who was interested at that time, will remember what I said to the Senate; and actual survey has demonstrated that it is the easiest route to build. You have fine agricultural lands, the best that can be found anywhere; you build over a country that is full of coal. It'you build over the other route, the republican fork, it is a desert; it is u Sahara, without coal, without timber; is mere sandy plain without vegetation. Mr. Perry, who is the president of this road, finding that he could reach Denver City 134 miles nearer, over an easier route.with easier grades, less curves, and could make infinitely a better road, came here in 1864 and proosed to the Senate that they should crmit him to build up the Smoky Hill for instead of the Republican; and what. did the Senate do? Senators seem to understand that this is changing the route of the road. It is not so by any means. This is no proposition to change the route of the road. As the distinguished Senfrom Michigan, who has charge of the bill, will bear me witness, and as he has already stated, the only effect in the world of this bill is to permit Mr. Perry, now to file his plat instead of filing it by the 5th day ofJrily next. The origins act gave him 2 years within which to file his plat. That act was passed on the 1st of July, 1862. The 2 years expired on the lstof July, 1864. In 1864 the Senate will remember we extended the time 2 years; and now the time will expire July 1, 1866. Mr. Perry has not quite completed his surveys, and wants now until the 1st day of October next. That. was the way I introduced the bill. Senators will see by examining the bill that I proposed to give him until the 1st of October to file his plat; but the committee have extended the time to the 1st of December, which is much better than my proposition' but I did not know whether the Senate would grant Mr. Perry that privilege. He is an energetic gentleman, one o the most honest, high minded, and ener etic men ot the West, and he is buildinga mo in all smcerity, all is building it rapidly to connect us With the Pacific coast. The legislation of this body in 1864, as read by the Senfrom Michigan, gave Mr. Perry the right to 0 up the Smoky Hill fork because it had been demonstrated even then to be the better route. Senators will find it in the 9th section of the act of that year, on page 371 of the Laws of 1863 64: "And providedfurther. That any companyauthorized by this act to construct its road and telegraph HHE'Ilrom the Missouri river to theinitial point afore sai That was between the Platte and the Republican fork“may constructits road and telegraphline so as to connectwith the Union Pacific railroad at any point westwardlyot'snch initial point. in case such companysball decinsuchwestward connectionmoreprac ticable or desirable; and in aid of the construction ofso inucb of its road and telegraphline as shall be a departurefrom the routeliercinbefore provided for its road, sueb commanyshall be entitled t oall the benefits and be‘su Jcet to all the conditions and restrictions of this act." But in 1864 the Railroad Committee did what I thought was very unjust, butyet our company from Missouri had to submit to it. What was it? “Provided furlher, however. That the bonds of the U.S shall not be issued to such company for aareater amountthanis I1Cf 011 1bEpfroo|v'0ided.it tho somehad united with the Union Pacific railroad on the 100th degrecot'longitude: nor shall such companybe entitled to receive any greater amount of alternate sectionsof public lands than are also herein provided." Now, Mr. President, does this bill injure anybody at all? What injury will anybody sustain in consequence of it? We find that by the Smoky Hill fork we can build a road on a line 134 miles shorter; and yet gentlemen insist that we must build over the route. Why“! It. does not cost the Government anything to allow the Smoky Hill route. Here are gentlemen building a road from the State of Missouri west, and they say they can build it by an expenditure of money from their own pockets over a particular route and make it better than to receive $16,000 a mile more and build it over the other line; and yet this senate deliberately fixed that line. Mr. President, there are agreat many things about railroad building out West. I know that we squander the public lands here. The Senfrom Indiana, [Mr. Hesmuexs] who has given much attention to these subjects, very properly said the other da that it is very hard to have a couple of roads uilt almost parallel to each other. Here is a company now to which, by the legislation of this body, you are offering $16,000 a mile to build a road over a certain route, but they say they would rather build it over another route, if you will let them do it, without one cent of your money; and yet the Senate is hesituting about it. That is the sort of legislation here. We are now absolutely trying to say that a company shall not build a railroad from the borders of my Stat'e to california without receiving a dollar of Government aid. They ask to build the road over a route on which they will make more money, which will pay better, a shorter line, and over t. good and fertile country; and gentlemen are saying they prefer not letting them build at all. You required by your legislation here that the main Pacific railroad should build both the Iowa branches, the Sioux City branch, and the Omaha branch. In 1864 the Iowa branch had become strong enough, and they came here and begged ot the Senate to let them 06' from building one of these roads. The Senate let them otf; the HoRep let them 06'; and they now require that the Sioux City branch shall be built y an independent company, going across Missouri, provided it is ever nilt; but they make it even more obligatory an ever in 1864 over this main Pacific railroad to build the branch from Omaha out. I know it is a very wealthy company now; but I dare say that Mr. Perry will build a road that will accommodate this Government, and he will build it sooner than this wealthy company will build it. He only asks you to give him liberty to build it; and yet some Senators are hesitating, absolutely, to give him the permission out. of his own pocket to build a road for the accommodation of the public.