Mr. CONNESS. I was a little astonished to bear the honorable Senfrom Massachusetts make the statements that he did. I am well persuaded that if the Senator understood the case closely by his own investigations, he would nothave made those statements. I know whence the statements come, because they have come before us in the same words but in another form. It is enough for me to say that while I believe the Senator was, of course, under the impression that they were correct, they are entirely incorrect. 1st, as to the execution of mortgages as alleged by the Union Pacific Railroad Company over its entire line. I cannot say, of course, that they have not executed such mort gages, but it has been shown by the chairman of the Pacific Railroad Committee that if they have, they have simply violated the law, and the securities they have given to any such cred itor or creditors, or securities obtained by that means, are very bad securities indeed. Mr. President, I only rose to correct one or 2 of the errors that the Senator has fallen into or been led into by others. He alluded to the Central I’aclific Railroad Company. I think the Senator might have consulted some of us who, erha s, know all about what that company have one and are doing before be under took to state what they had or had not done. That company, let me say to the Senator and the Senate, have been engaged, as gentlemen can ascertain from the Interior Dept, to which now all the information connected with the carrying on of the Pacific railroad and all its branches comes, with the most remark able energy, with an energy and means supe rior to any other company engaged in constructing any part of the Pacific railroad since they began, and the results that they have pro duced have won not only the admiration of the people of the State in which they are constructing their work, but the admiration of the Interior Dept, who superinteud that work. The Sierra Nevada mountains, than which there is no impediment like them on the whole route of the Pacific railroad and all its branches, and which were regarded as an insuperable objection for a long time to the construction of the Pacific railroad, have been not only successfully overcome, but, as I said before, the manner in which that obstacle has been over come has secured the admiration of all who have been witnesses of the great feat that has been accomplished. I hold in my band now a letter received this morning dated Sacramento, California, May 23, written by the SecyState of that State, containing a para graph relating to what that company are doing. It is a very short one, and I shall be excused for reading it: “ The railroad, " meaning the Central Pacific railroad, “is being pushed ahead with great vigor. They have now over 9,000 men employed. The cars will be running to Dutch at, 75 miles from Sacramento, in 20 days, ” which is before this time. Besides that, the work is being done n on their line over and across the summit oip the Sierra Nevada mountains. Enough for that. Now, I ask the Senfrom Massachusetts, and I know he isacandid man, whether, if the 2nd section of this bill shall pass. in case i the Central Pacific Railroad Company should not be able to build as fast as I say they will, it will hinder the Union Pacific Railroad Company, in any respect whatever, from going with their road to the State line of California? I am sure I know the answer of the Senator, because it must be thatit will not. The section provides that the Union Pacific Railroad Company shall build until they meet a completed continuous line of the Central Pacific Railroad company, and then it provi hat the Ceritral Paci c Railroad Company nlifornia shall build until the shall meet a continuous completed line of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. Does the Senator not want that? Does the Senate not want that? Does the country not want that? Have we passed a Pacific railroad bill and made these mighty appropriations of the public treasure that a line across the continent shall be secured to a company, none other being allowed to build the road over it? Certainly not. And in the act that give these eat bonuses to the Pacific railroad companies or constructing that great work, it was provided that the Union Pacific Railroad pany should not only construct to the eastern State line of California provided the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California had not reached that point, but that they should construct through the State of California until they should meet the Central Pacific Railroad Company; and that was the law until in 1864 a change was reduced in the law of this kind, namely, that t 10 Union Pacific Railroad Company should build continuously westward, but the Central Pacific Railroad Company should build no further eastward than 150 miles east of the east line of the State of California. Mr. President, I ask the attentionpf every Senator in the Senate to the statement I am now about to make, and I challen e contradiction of it. How did that provisron of law obtain? How did it come to be the law? I will tell you, Senators. In 1864the Senate passed a Pacific railroad bill; I had a copv of it before me this morning. The HoRep passed another. The Senate refused to pass t to House bill, and the House refused to pass the Senate bill; and the matter was referred to a committee of conference upon the questions of disagreement. In neither of those bills did this arbitrary condition that I have named, confining one of these great companies to 150 miles east of the California line, occur. It was not in either bill; there was not a word or a tittle of it in either. I was a member of the conference committee. We met in the room of the ComPubLands of the Senate. The honorable senator who is now SecyInterior was chairman of that conference. I sat there pending that entire conference. Point by point the differences between the 2 Houses were ar ranged and agreed upon, and I undertake to say here that that arbitra condition now in the law, and in the law when it was printed, never was considered in that conference. It was stolen in through the corruption of some parties and the cler who eventually made up the report. The report of that conference committee was presented here on the last day of the session and compelled to be adopted without examination. W hat I state cannot be contradicted, and the Senate and Congress ought to justify itself by a close inquiry as to who dared to make laws for the Congress of the U.S. Now, we propose to correct that, and how? By an infliction or denial of any right to the great Union Pacific Railroad Company? No, sir. There is not a man, woman, or child in the State of California today that would not be glad that the Union Pacific Railroad company should construct the linc into the State of alif'ornia, because their great want, need, and desideratmn is the construction of the road; we want the road, and we want to confer as much of the line on either side to each of these companies as they can possibly construct a road over. This is the purpose of thqsccond section. Now, I submit in all candor to my friendfrom Massachusetts, is there anything wrong in it? Is it not to right a great wrong? Is it not to give the country a Pacific railroad? Who will refuse to do that? I apprehend no senator will.