LESTER BURRELL SHIPPER

92

Whole House reported it to the House with the amendment that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude (should) ever exist in said Territory, except in the

the Committee of the

punishment of crimes."

By

a vote of 108 to 43 the House

accepted the amendment and passed the would not act.

bill.

11

But the Senate

were the chief of those all. Among the Orein each house, on one committee activities two reports, gon the question of a railroad to Oregon deserve a few words. In the House a memorial from George Wilkes and others pray-

While the measures

just described

before Congress, they were by no means

ing Congress to appropriate the means of constructing a railroad from some point on Lake Michigan or from Fort Independence was referred to the Committee on Roads and Canals.

The committee

12

that while it found no constitutional whole scheme was too gigantic and impracticable at the time. In the Senate where Eli Whitney again attempted to get a hearing for his Northern Pacific Railroad, Senator

reported

obstacle the

Breese appeared as a supporter of the proposition. He introduced the memorial, spoke in its favor, and, for the Committee on Public Lands, reported a bill. When the bill had been read Senator Benton interrupted to say that it was entirely improper then to take the time of the Senate for such an absurd in part

matter; here was a person who applied to Congress for 90,000,000 acres of public land and agreed to build 3,000 miles of railroad, in the face of that he would not be surprised if

some one came along and offered to take over the whole government. The bill was not only the most ridiculous and absurd ever presented to Congress but it was impudent as well. The Senate, however, was less outspoken in its scorn, and allowed the committee to have

Oregon came up petitions touching

its

report printed.

from State legislatures, in sides of the controversy, as well as

in resolutions

upon

all

in requests for grants of land

widow

the

among

ii Ibid., 1200-3. i

a

the latter

was one from

of Captain Gray, the discoverer of the Columbia

Ho. Rep. No.

779, agth Cong.

ist.

Ses.