Mr. GARFIELD. The rounds on which this bill is based are almost i entical with those which gave rise to the Pittsburg and connellsville bill that has just passed to its 3rd reading, and is now on the Speaker’s table awaiting engrossment. I desire to explain, in a few words, the points involved in both these measures. In 1851 the State of Ohio, before we had a general railroad law, chartered the Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad company, and authorized it to construct a railroad from the city of Cleveland to Youngstown, and‘ thence down the ltIahoning valley to the Pennsylvania line, and in the year 1853 the State of Pennsylvania chartered a company made up of the same corporators and authorized them to construct a road from the State line, and connecting with the Cleveland and Mahoning road, to the city of Pittsburg. So that in 1853 the company was authorized by the Legislatures of the 2 States to build a road from the city of Cleve land to the city of Pittsburg on the most direct route possible, making a hne of 134 miles between the 2 cities, 16 miles shorter than any existing road, and Connellsville line, through Cumberland and almost in a direct line with the Pittsburg connecting thence to the Point of Rocks, an making, when the roads shall be completed, a continuous line between Cleveland and Washington, 84 miles shorter than any existing line and the shortest possible route between those 2 cities. When 67 miles of this road were completed and the remainder of the route surveye and the money raised for its construction, the Legislature of Pennsylvania in May of 1864, repealed the charter of the Pennsylvania portion of the road, and we are thus shut out from this direct have nue to Pittsburg, and the value of the investmenthas been very seriously diminished. Thus, if I am correctly informed, by the overwhelm in influence of a railroad corporation in Pennsy vania, acting through the Legislature, the 1 Pennsylvania end of the enter rise is overthrown, and the company, with all)its expenses, with its paid up stoc, and everything ready to complete it, has had its charter knocked out from under it. Our people have up lied to the legislature of Pennsylvania to do t cmjustice and allow the work to go on, and thus secure the o)ening of a direct communication between tlm fest and the Atlantic sea'board, but they have never been able to get either sort of relief or justice. The have been referred to railroad committees, an railroad committees have referred them to railroad presidents and man agers, but to no purpose. After repeated efforts to secure their rights from the legislature of Pennsylvania, they have now appealed to Congress and ask to be defended in their rights and privileges and allowed by authority of Congress to go forward and complete this line of roads, which is a work of great national importance. The road contemplated in this bill will open up one of the richest mineral valleys of the country to direct communication with the Atlantic sea board. The Mahoning valle abounds in iron ore and coal, and is vitally an intimately conuccted with the Lake Superior iron interest. Vast quantities of Lake Superior iron are brought to that valley and mixed with our Ohio ore, and when melted by the use of our coal makes a quality of iron equal to the best Swedish iron, and according to the test of the Navy Dept the finest iron produced in the U.S. The great interests thus proposed to be opened are in some measure paralyzed by the action of the Legislature of Pennsylvania. That State sits between the Atlantic and the West forbid ding transit across her territory except by the route already provided, which is in tchands of a gigantic monopoly. No member of congress from the West can reach this city from the lakes unless he shall go 84 miles out of the way through Pittsburg and Harris burg and Ba timore; and the people of the West, as well as those of NewEngland, demand that there shall be free communication between these 2 sections of the Union, and that no State Legislature shall obstruct or hinder it.