as a second mortgage upon the road and its
franchise, and the company was empowered to issue a first mortgage
for the same amount for each mile--for $16,000, $32,000 and $48,000,
according to the character of the country through which the road
was to pass. Mr. Washburne of Illinois and Mr. Holman of Indian
made an earnest fight against the provisions of the bill as needlessly
extravagant, and as especially censurable in time of war when our
resources were needed in the struggle for our national life. Mr.
Washburne had sustained the original bill granting the aid of lands
and of bonds. He alleged, and produced a tabular statement in
support of the assertion, that the Government was granting $95,000,000
to the enterprise, besides half of the land in a strip twenty miles
wide from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.

PUBLIC AID TO THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.

So earnest however was the desire of the Government to secure the
construction of the road that the opponents of the bill were unable
to make any impression upon the House. On an amendment by Mr.
Holman declaring that "the roads constructed under the Act shall
be public highways and shall transport the property and the troops
of the United States, when transportation thereof shall be required,
free of toll or other charge," there could be secured but 39 votes
in the affirmative. On an amendment by Mr. Washburne to strike
out the section which subordinated the government mortgage to that
of the railroad company on the lands and the road, but 38 voted in
the affirmative and the bill passed without a call of the yeas and
nays. In the Senate there were only five votes against the bill.
Mr. Ten Eyck of New Jersey was the only Republican senator who
voted in the negative. Whatever may have subsequently occurred to
suggest that the grant was larger than was needed for the construction
of the highway to the Pacific, there can be no doubt that an
overwhelming sentiment, not only in Congress but among the people,
was in favor of the bountiful aid which was granted. The terrible
struggle to retain the Southern States in the Union had persuaded
the Administration and the Government that no pains should be spared
and no expenditure stinted to insure the connection which might
quicken the sympathy and more directly combine the interests of
the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. A more
careful circumspection might perh