Mr. GRIMES. Mr. President, bein one of the Senators from the West to whom the Senfrom Michigan has made his appeal to properly protect and represent the interests of their constituents, and differing from him slightly as to what my duty is in this regard, I wish simply to say that I think I shall be representing their true interests when, with the Senfrom Ohio, also a western Senator, I shall vote for the motion of the Senfrom NewYork to postpone this bill. Every person who is familiar with the legislative history of Congress must be struck with the wide departures that are now being constantly made from the former practice in regard to questions of this kind. Until within the last 2 or 3 years, I think, no great work of this description was ever undertaken without a regular survey having 1st been made and a report predicated upon that survey by Government officials in the employ and under the direction of the Government. Why, sir, if my recollection serves me aright, we spent more than a million dollars in making what were deemed to be necessary surveys of the Pacific railroad. I think that the Government did not embark in the construction of even the “national road, ” socalled, a common high way, until after surveys hatl been made of it; and the surveys always progressed as the work proceeded far in advance of the construction of the road. Now we are asked, without any survey, so far as I know, certainly without any Survey authorized by Congress, without any survey made by anybody under our official sanction, to pass a bill for a vast internal improvement which, if I do not misunderstand it, appropriates $0,000,000, and according to the statement of the Senfrom Ohio, may require untold millions to complete it. Iwis it to be understood, and I think I stated to the Senate before, that no man is more anxious to have channels of communication between the West and the East than I am, although I confess that I am not so anxious to have them as some gentlemen seem to be for the purpose merely ofrnakingthe westnn agricultural country, for the purpose of continuing as merely as an agricultural population, as the producers of heavy articles for export. I may be mistaken about it, but I think I am representing the interests of that section when I decline to vote for this bill today. The tendency of all corporations now seems to be to consolidation. I would ask the Senfrom Wisconsin to look to the railroads in his State, how they have been consolidated within the last 2 or 3 years, so that they have almost acquired a monopoly of all the transportation in the State of Wisconsin. I do not know that it is possible for a citizen of Minnesota to get his produce to Chicago from StPaul by any of the lines of railroad without aying tribute to that immense monopoly, the orthwestern railroad; and I understand from the newspapers that it is attempting to engross the trade further south, and is negotiating in order to secure even the RockIsland road, in the State of Illinois. It already controls the traffic that passes over 2 lines of road in the State of Iowa, and is attempting to engross another. Now, I have the fears which the Senfrom NewYork has expressed, that if we pass this bill for the benefit of a company the time is not far distant when the company to whom you grant this subsidy will sell out its franchise to the parties that own the lines of transportation across the State of newYork. Why, sir, I am credibly informed that the NewYork Cen tral railroad, the Harlem railroad, and the Hud son River railroad are now run and controlled in the same interest. They have been attempting to secure the Erie canal. Whenever you construct this ship canal so as to make the support of the Erie canal a.burden upon the people of NewYork; if it shall be in some future years as it has been, I understand, in the last year, when they were compelled to tax the people of the State of NewYork $2,000,000 in order to keep up the Erie canal, how long do you suppose it will be before there will be a public scu timent in the State of NewYork that will compel the Leg'lature of that State to put its canal up in the market for sale, just as Pennsylvania put up her canal? Not long. What will be the result? The result will be that this immense monopol that now owns the NewYork Central, the udson River, and the Harlem roads will get possession of the Erie canal. Then how are you going to be benefited? The Senators who advocate this bill say that the will have an outlet into Lake Ontario throng this proposed Niagara canal construction; but that leaves you with no means of getting any further unless you are tributary to the monop oly by going through the Oswego canal to the Erie canal. You are still tributary to this great monopoly.