Mr. SHERMAN. What I desire, what the people of the country desire, is some powerin the General Government to prevent a State from lying in the path of a rest public improvement demanded by the nite States. I can state a.case. Ohio is an agricultural State; the chief value of its products depends upon getting a market on the sea board in the cw England and middle States. By the policy of the State of Pennsylvania all the railroad power of that State is concentrated in one great cororation, with an annual income now of from 15 to 17 million dollars. The State of Ohio has thrown open its territory, and all the western States have thrown open their territory, to the building of vast nets of railway, intended to benefit the West and the East also. The greatstate of Pennsylvania, stretching from Lake Erie aline stto the southern border ofOliio, lies there in the we, controlling the commerce of and tpreventing t 5 great country from going to the seaboard. We had almost a little war there at Erie about the connection of 2 railroads, until finally, I think, somebody in Pennsylvania was either bought offor coaxed offand a connection was made which enabled us to pass along the lake shore to the State of NewYork. Recently an effort has been successful in the courts of Pennsylvania to prevent a corporation from building anew line of railwaythrough that State, and now the great corporation of Pennsylvania to which I refer is engaged in preventing a connection between Washington city, the capital of the country, and the great West. A line of railroadwas chartered at one time from Pittsbur throu Connellsville to the Baltimore and bio rai road, which would "shorten the distance between this city and Pittsburg for every one traveling to the West perhaps 100 miles, or it may be less than t at; but this corporation lies inthe way of this improvement and prevents its construction. Now, I believe there is power lnthis government somewhere, under the authority to regulate commerce, or the authority to regulate the postal service, or in some of the great powers conferred upon Congress, to preVenta State from lying thus in the way of the commerce of this country. It is manifest thatthis bill in its present shape, which requires the consent of the State to the construction of any work through that State, utterl defeats the object of the framers of the hi i. It will be ineffective; it will only deceive the public; it will only deceive the friends of the bill. I do not see, therefore, any object in passing it. If, however, the friends of the bill think there is any virtue in it, I am still willing to vote with them for it; but I cannot myself see any, because the nmendment that has been adopted requiring the consent of the State to any authority exercised within the limits of the State, by any railroad company, destroys any virtue there is in the bill.