Mr. HENDRlCKS. The Senator is not aware of anything about it. I do not question it, because the Senfrom Kansas states the fact that the State of Kansas has divided the 500,000 acres granted for internal improvement purposes, under the act of 1841, among 4 railroad companies. So I understand. We had nothing before the committee on that subject except the statement of the Senator, which is satisfactory to me, that in the Legislature there were 4 railroad companies repi'esented, and they divid d it up, and this particular company that ist be benefited by this bill was one of the companies to whom it was divided, the Legislature giving 125,000 acres to one, 125,000 to another, and so on until the whole 500,000 acres were granted to 4 different companies. But, Mr. President, the Legislature of Kau sas has not asked Congress to make a grant of land to this company. I believe that in one case a Legislature in advance of a grant of land by Congress conferred the great upon a particular company, and the GLO regarded that as a transfer of the grant by the Legislature; but the'policy of Congress is to grant to the State, that the State may say what coincpany shall enjoy the benefits of the ant, an throw the responsibility upon the ‘tate, Congress taking no responsibility of saying whethera particular company is solvent and responsible and enterprising or not. But here if we make this grantto the State, can the State control it? You may just as well make it direct to the company, because when you make a grant to A for the benefit of B, A is but a trustee for B; the real interest passesto B. So here the rant is to the State oip Kansas, for the use and benefit of a railroad corporation that we know nothing about. But, sir, with the entire surface of Kansas thus covered by grants of our lands, she now comes and asks us to make a grant to a railroad company where there is scarcely room upon the map of Kansas to locate the grant. tor what purpose? The Senator says there will bebut 5,000 acres of land altogether under this grant. I do not know that. The Senator does not know that. His opinion is entitled to great respect, but we have not the statement of the ComrGLO to that effect; we have no map before us showing that fact. At one time, as a guidance to Congressin its legislation on the public lands, Congress kept a cor sof clerks who were to keep up the maps is owing the sales of the public lands, and thus Congress, by glancin at the ma, could tell in an instant how muchlland would be granted by any particular proposition; but that system has been abandoned and we have no such map before us, and we have no information from the ComrGLO as to the amount of land that will be granted by this act; but the Senator says but 5,000 acres. Is Congress then going to make a grant of lands in order to given company 5,000 acres of land, 7 or 10,000 dollars' worth of land‘! For what purpose, I ask senators? Do Senators say that that is a substantial aid to build an important railroad? What purpose can it serve? I said the other day that knew of but one purpose that it could serve. If this corporation is Willing to go into the mar ket and represent itself as bein a land at corporation, taking this bill into e NewYork market, it can say, “ Here Congress, fora distance from Kansas City to the southern bound ary of the State of Kansas has made us a land grant corporation; the State of Kansas cannot take it away from us because we are the beneficiaries under the bill; we come before you and seek to sell our bonds.” Thus this compony may get a credit by the action of Congress which will enable it to impose upon the business community; and for no other purpose can I see appropriety certainly no propriety in that view in assmg this bill. If the Senator be right that tiiere are but 5,000 acres falling within the limits of this grant, why will Senators vote for the bill? Here is a route to extend from Kansas City to the southern bound ary of the State, a distance of above 100 miles, I believe. Are Senators willing to vote for a bill which, upon its face, purports to grant alternate sections for that distance when Senators say in advance that there are but 5,000 acres that can pass. Why will you vote for such a bill? Senators know that that will not build a road. Senators know that it will give no substantial support in the building of a road. Mr. President, if the Senator be correctly informed, I will state to the Senate what is the real purpose of this bill. It is to go down into the ndian country to secure the right of way from the southern border of Kansas to the northern boundary line of Texas and make the connection which Congress 3 years ago agreed might be made by another road; and upon that subject I will call the attention of the Senate to the act of the 3d of March, 1863. A grant of alternate sections for ten miles on each side of the road was made on the 3d of March, 1863, “to the State of Kansas, for the purpose of aiding in the construction, 1st of a railroad and telegraph' from the city of Leavenworth, by the way of the town of Law rence, and via the Ohio Cit crossing of the Osage river, to the southern line of the State in the direction of Galveston bay, in Texas.’ I ask Senators whether there was any committal by Congress when that grant was made. Certainly Senators did not expect that road to terminate in the wilderness, on the southern bounda of Kansas; certainly it was the understaning of Congress when that bill was passed, that we were to aid in the construction of a road which was to be a through line irom the Missouri river to the Gulf of Mexico, because we said “b the way of Lawrence to the southern boun ary of Kansas, in the direction of Galveston bay.” It was known to Congress that Texas was building a road from Galveston bay in a northern direction, with which this road would connect when finished.