Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. President, this road is the road the stock of which General Fre mont at one time became possessed of in some way; but it is now in the ands of a company of practical railroad builders who have contributed their own money and undertaken to build the road, with the aid and assistance, of course, of the Government rant. The President of this company broug it a letter to me from StLouis out West they sometimes mistake me for a railroad man. He explained the whole subject and their organization. I find that I have a friend in the organization, a Mr. Shoemaker, who is the engineer of the road, and is engaged as one of the contributors to it, and is a very excellent engineer and practical railroad builder. He explained to me the route up the Smoky Hill fork and the advan tages of it to them as a company. I came to the conclusion that that was the only route the Government of the U.S. ought to let them build a road upon. The other route is a line where there is no timber or material to construct a road, no timber or material to operate a road; it is through a desolate country. Up the Smoky Hill fork they get through a fine wooded country; they reach through fine coal beds where they will be able to get. the material to operate the road in all time to come, and operate it cheaply. Then Mr. Shoemaker represented to me that it is shorter to Denver City by more than 100 miles. Of course the Government would save the lands donated for that additional 100 miles, and the bonds it contributes to it to that extent; and then the road would be worth something and it could be operated after it was built; whereas if it was built upon the other route there would be no materials to operate it; and no through business that will ever come from California will pay for operating these roads unless they can get aid and assistance from the country through which they run. I thought it was very desira ble, too, in this connection. that they should get to Denver City 100 miles nearer than by the other route, because when they reach Denver City they reach the mining region, and we fliould begin at once to draw advantages from the expenditure that the government is making in relation to these roads. I came, then, to the conclusion, and I firmly believe it now, that the Government ought not to let this road be built on another route than up the Smoky Hill fork; an I am, therefore, against striking out the 1st section of the bill, which gives them further time to tile their plat; it is only a continuation of the privilege congress have given them to make the ‘unction west of the 100th meridian. am not as familiar as some other gentlemen here with the legislation of Congress upon the subject. I cannot tell what the local interests may be, but the great public interest is that this road should be bui t. where it can be operated and made of some use to the country; and if it is not made at that point, it is useless to make it at all. I do not wish to detain the Senate.