Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 25.djvu/292

 254 JOHN TILSON GANOE The history of the question in the legislature is an in- teresting one. Gaston started the struggle by asking Dr. J. R. Bayley, Senator from Benton County, to introduce Senate Joint Resolution No. 14 which said in the preamble "in order to remove all doubts, in the public mind, it is hereby resolved by the Senate, the House concurring, that the Oregon Central Railroad Company of Portland, Oregon, is and was the company designated, and intended to be designated by said House Joint Resolution No. 13 of 1866, and that this Legislative assembly does hereby re-affirm them the said Oregon Central Railroad Company of Portland, Oregon, to receive all the benefits and lands granted by said Act of Congress so far as the same re* lates to the State of Oregon." 30 Senator Hendershott moved that the resolution be made the special order for Friday at 11 o'clock, but the motion failed to carry as did a motion by Gen. Cochran to refer the resolution to the Committee on Railroads. Senator Hendershott then presented Senate Resolution No. 14, which provided that the Secretary of State should furnish the Senate copies of the entries and filings of papers of the Oregon Central Railroad Company. This was amended to read that the Secretary of State should bring into the presence of the Senate the original papers of this company. This the Secretary of State did. By Senate Resolution No. 15 the companies were in- vited to bring into the Senate their attorneys who were present to present the cause of their respective com- panies. This was followed by Senate Resolution No. 16 which invited the companies to produce their stock books. The aim of the Senate seems to have been then to really delve into the matter and allow each side to present its Cause. The Senate was placed in a position of a court judging between two claimants to certain rights. The 30 A certified copy of the proceedings of the legislature on this point is given in the "Statement of Facts Regarding the Incorporation of the OregonCentralR.R.Co." inO.&C.R.R.vs.U.S. Vol.X.