Mr. CONNESS. I will not detain the senate long in what I shall have to say on this subject, and will endeavor to make myself as well understood as possible. The subject matter of this bill and the question to which it relates received more continuous consideration from the Pacific Railroad Committee of this body than perhaps any other single question that has ever ecu referred to that committee. Parties interested on both sides of the question were heard at many successive meetings. They were heard chiefly on the question of routes the relative advantage of one route as against the others. This company that the POTUS has designated, as has been stated by the Senfrom Iowa, has been organized and issued stock and taken steps of that kind, a disturbance to which would lead to a great deal of injury to private parties. I wish to disabuse the mind of the Senate upon that point. This company is an organization of other railroad companies running through the State of Iowa, and perhaps Wisconsin and contiguous States. They organized together to construct this branch for the purpose of giving a western connection to all their roads with the Union Pacific Railroad Company. The act of 1864 has been read from. The 17th section of that act gives authority to the president to make the designation of acompany for building this branch, and such authority is to be found nowhere else. I will read from it a very few lines; it provides that "Whencver ii line of railroad shall be completed through the State of Iowa or Minnesota to Sioux City. such company.now organized or asma hero aIler be organized under the laws of Iowa. inne sotii. Dakota or Nebraska. as the POTUS by its request.may designate or approvefor thatpurpose, shalloonstruutand operate" this branch of the Pacific railroad. This act was passed in 1864.nearly 2 years since, but the connection predicated in this section has never yet been made. No line of railroad has yet reached Sioux City. I ask the Senfrom Iowa whether I am correct in stating that no line of railroad has yet reached Sioux City from the east.