Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 2.djvu/365

Rh of railways, and particularly a line of railroad connecting with the Central Pacific in California, and with the same road at Salt Lake City.

House Joint Resolution No. 13, above-mentioned, was referred to a select committee of five, appointed by the speaker, consisting of W. W. Upton, E. D. Foudray, of Jackson; James Gingles, of Benton; Binger Hermann, of Douglas; and John Whiteaker, of Lane. The resolution was ultimately passed by the house and senate October 10, 1866, and thus began the contest in the legislature which did not end until the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution No. 16, relating to the same grant, which passed the next legislative assembly October 20, 1868; the result of which was to give to the Oregon Central Railroad Company of Salem an equitable title to the land grant, and to take from the Oregon Central Railroad Company of Portland, known as the West Side Road, any right which this company claimed to the same. The governor in his special message urged upon the legislature the great importance of railroad connection with the Central Pacific by way of Salt Lake City and San Francisco. In his message he recommended that provision be made by immediate enactment by which the Oregon Central Railroad Company should be able to reap the benefit of the liberal donation made by congress, and also by which provision should be made for the payment of the interest on the bonds of the company, necessary to construct and put in operation the first section of twenty miles of the road. There was a marked division in the legislative assembly; the delegations from Multnomah and Jackson strongly supporting these measures, while the delegations from Linn and other counties strongly opposed. Upon the invitation of the house, Senator Corbett, Mr. W. S. Ladd, Governor Woods, and I. R. Moores addressed the house upon the