United States Senate Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard


The United States Senate Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard, was a Senate committee, initially authorized by Senate resolution as a select committee on December 16, 1872. The select committee, also known as the Windom Select Committee for its first chairman, William Windom, submitted their significant report regarding current rail and water transportation on April 24, 1874; it was ordered to be printed the same day. The committee became a standing committee on March 19, 1879, with little documented activity, and continued to exist until 1921.

Select committee

Originally composed of seven members, it was enlarged to nine on March 26, 1873, during the special session of the Senate held after March 4; the Committee underwent further personnel changes the following year and was ultimately composed of William Windom, of Minnesota; John Sherman, of Ohio; Roscoe Conkling, of New York; J. Rodman West, of Louisiana; Simon B. Conover, of Florida; John H. Mitchell, of Oregon; Thomas M. Norwood, of Georgia; Henry G. Davis, of West Virginia; and John W. Johnston, of Virginia. When enlarged, the Senate adopted a resolution authorizing the Committee to sit at such places as they might designate during the recess and to investigate and report upon the subject of transportation between the inferior and the seaboard; it also authorized the Committee to employ a staff and provided for actual and necessary expenses attending such investigation upon vouchers approved by the chairman.

Investigation and report

The Committee visited various portions of the country and collected a mass of useful information relating to rail and water transportation in the United States at the time. Viewing the movement toward developing the inland waterways of the country, 35 years later in 1908, the Inland Waterways Commission considered the select committee's report the third epoch in this movement, but notes, "although the plans and recommendations of Senator Windom and his colleagues received less attention than was anticipated, of course by reason of the rapid growth of interest in railways." It goes no to say: "Perhaps the most notable result, albeit rather an indirect than a direct one, appeared in the improvement of the Passes at the mouth of the Mississippi with the development of navigation in that river through the Eads jetty system, which opened an era in river control by engineering devices. The Windom report, too, is of both historic and practical interest, although the appended matter pertaining to special localities and passing conditions is of less value."
The committee's report was submitted to the Senate April 24, 1874, and on the same day was ordered to be printed. The results of its investigations were published in two volumes containing more than 1,400 pages, including an appendix of 232 pages. It contains a report by Henry G. Davis as a committee of one, in regard to the James River and Kanawha Canal; minority reports by Roscoe Conkling for himself, and jointly by members Norwood, Davis, and Johnston. Both Conkling and the three named members appear to have concurred mainly in the Windom Committee report, but did not agree with the report as to certain matters of law which are indicated in the Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations. It appears that members Sherman, Conover, West, and Mitchell concurred with chairman Windom.

Summary conclusions and recommendations

The Committee respectfully submitted the following general summary of the conclusions:
Adroitly phrasing their initial conclusions on such contested historical issues as the Commerce Clause, the need for internal improvements and their funding, but with the continuing lack of political consensus, and insufficient data, the committee recommended the following "for present action", then continued with their conclusions
In the discussion of these four existing and proposed channels of commerce, we shall, for the sake of brevity, designate them respectively, the "Mississippi route," "Northern route," "Central route," and "Southern route." The report then goes into more detail on each.

Following events

The select committee's analytical report, which recommended a Bureau of Commerce, would have all the basic elements of the Interstate Commerce Commission, as created thirteen years later, in January 1887.

Chairmen of the Committee (Select), 1872-1879

NamePartyStateYears
William WindomRepublicanMinnesota1872–1876
John H. MitchellRepublicanOregon1876–1877
Angus CameronRepublicanWisconsin1877–1879

Standing committee

According to historian George H. Haynes, it was said in 1917 that its standing committee had the dubious distinction of never having met in its 38 years. There is no evidence to show that the Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard ever convened before its termination in 1921, and, not surprisingly, few papers were ever referred to it. According to the National Archives, official records of the committee consist of little more than a few printed reports, petitions, and memorials.

Chairmen of the Committee (Standing), 1879-1921

NamePartyStateYears
James BeckDemocraticKentucky1879–1881
Benjamin HarrisonRepublicanIndiana1881–1883
Nelson AldrichRepublicanRhode Island1883–1887
John H. MitchellRepublicanOregon1887–1889
Matthew S. QuayRepublicanPennsylvania1889–1891
Jacob H. GallingerRepublicanNew Hampshire1891–1893
John L.M. IrbyDemocraticSouth Carolina1893–1895
George McBrideRepublicanOregon1895–1897
Thomas C. PlattRepublicanNew York1897–1899
Joseph V. QuarlesRepublicanWisconsin1899–1901
William P. DillinghamRepublicanVermont1901–1903
Robert J. GambleRepublicanSouth Dakota1903–1909
George T. OliverRepublicanPennsylvania1909–1911
Ellison D. SmithDemocraticSouth Carolina1911–1913
Porter J. McCumberRepublicanNorth Dakota1913–1919
Duncan U. FletcherDemocraticFlorida1919–1921