The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-02-07

oaiuon q" uisy furnish ia subscribers for, gratis.
the subject OF connecting the of the Gulf of
Mexico with that of the Pacific ocean, by means o rail-
road or canal, or both and proprety of authorizing
the construction of railroad canal by the united capital
| Of the citizens OF the two countries
Rfsoued, That the President requested 10 enter INTO
treaty stipuations with said government providing su
BILE guarantees for the protection of the interests of oar c,-
zens who may invest capital in the construction of such
railroad or canal.
Rsolued That President be requested depute some
officers of tho engineer corps survey any
route routes for railroad or canal connecting the Gulf
and Pacific provided said government thereto
There is plan sir, suggested many years ago. Our
government has attended TO i to some extent We have
treaty. and will not detain the Senate by calling al
tenon TO Its provisions. But thing. Sit, has been
wholly omitted far the suggestions of these resou
lions concerned that u.s. the having of the route
veyed for the canal or railroad There has been no in
formation upon that important branch OF the subject OBJ
tanned upon which the government citizens OF the gov
eminent can act dlscreetly.
Well, now sir the remarks which have already made
extend TO the whole hfty-two miles OF road. now
come TO that branch of this bill to which the senator
behind called my attention. Looking at this bill,
sir 1t is not stated that you are to pay $25000
per year when the road shall be constructed from
ocean to that the services be performed by
steam from ocean to Not at all. 1t says that
payment is TO be made, when by steam power you can
make your transportation from ocean to ocean. Now
look at the difference. by steam power you can carry,
according the information possess, munitions OF war,
&c. from Chagres to Cruces; and from Cruces to Pana-
only twenty tour miles, according 10 the present
road How far by railroad from Cruces TO Panama
without information and do not know whether a
railroad from Panama will pass by Cruces. That is
another matter we entirely without information upon
money Is to be paid when you can use steam power an
the way. You steam power more than half the
way by water-less than half the way how easy is 1t to
be made.
Now sir is the intention of the projectors of this road
to bring the road from Panama to Cruces aud then stop
if then use steamboats, down the Chagres river! Who
knows? who tell me That Is the information
have not had do not know what the design is; but
this know, sir, that under the provisions Of this bill
they may make their road from Panama to Cruces and
there sop and then have the benefit OF the steam power
all the way and in that point of view, what IS the re-
sut' Why, sir you give them S., 900 at Least or
3 800 900 under the other construction OF the bill tor
making some twenty five or twenty six miles OF railroad
In other words, you give them double the amount &C,
cordng to the estimate OF Mr.. Albert to make the road
half the way. will read the amendment, to show that
al not mistaken
Mr.. u then read the amendment
Mark sir, is wholly by steam power, or across
from ocean That not provided-not at all;
but transportation shall be effected by steam
power allowing you to carry IN steamboats, up 10 Cruces
and then by railroad the balance of the distance
Mr. WEBSTER There is provso attached TO the
end OF it, that the whole railroad must be built within
three years.
go from Panama to the other side.
Mr.. UNDERWOOD 1t is so the provlso does say
that il must be completed within three years. and that
is what | mean by ocean to ocean; and, sir, even II
you give It that construction. and you commence the
payment when the road finished to Chagres and when
you do by seam does not everybody perceive that
the argument is legitimate and unanswerable! 1t cannot
be denied. You commence the payment, according to
this bill, whenever you steam power all the way
are to finish it in three years. | admit But you finish
across this twenty Sax miles IN one year and you give
for carrying ~ RaTy BY T hsss
figures, they will see that if this company finish
these twenty miles in year, and seampower
the whole the payment OF will ,ha
they will get 100000 Sir nobody can mistake that.
The last proyiso of the section to which my attention
making this part of the bill know it does not con-
tnue throughout the whole time but from the time this
railroad may be constructed from Panama TO Cruces
before the three years exprebeore the whole road IS
fnshed-the effect will be just precisely have stated
Now, sir, to prove still further that it is gratuity,I
will produce some other figures upon that point and then
be enforced by the principle of this bill That tarii OF
rates begins with s passenger, and ends with 49, At
privilege Of ceasng 10 pay this s5oooo per annum you
leave the tariff 81 per passenger, and ~ per for the
transportation of freight For the purpose OF cacula-
ton, have taken the condition of your tariff at the time
your privilege reserved of putting end to this con,
tract might have taken the three-dollar tariff, and
that would have shown greater enomltes In reference
to that Il might have taken the eght-dollar tariff ana
shown greater estimate for the government But nave
chosen the our-doar tariff the intermediate sum- :,
Now how many men DO you expect hns Will
That is less than 10 900 men-about 5000, believe 10
you want to transport additional number the SAIL
and marines If You do, it will not probably exceed,
in ALL 10000 which will cost at four dollars head.
$4,000 Well, how many tons OF munitions OF war &C.
will you have to transport Let it be thousand tons
that would be large estimate presume not hall OF
that amount would be tansporedpehaps not quarter
But take thousand TONS That would cost $4,000
more the rate of four dollars per This added
to the first makes only $4,000. And yet sir, when ac
cordng the tariff that you recognise upon the lace OF
this bill you may have your whole army transported Tor
10000 and ten thousand tons OF freight tor $iOOO0
more, you propose pay annually the sum OF $25OOOO,
giving the company gratuity of $4,000 per annum.
Does this prove that under this guise of contract
the real object is not to obtain for your money an equiv
aent in service, but to pay as gratuy to THIS company,
for their individual private use, rate OF *i'oooa
year? - -,
Sir if these are not the figures upon this BILL should
like to see any gentleman VINO advocates me ol gmu
them differently, and state how many men and how many
tons they estimate And let us what 1t Is we are 10
pay, and what it is we are TO receive, .
One other point, Mr.. President, ! will suggest; and
with few remarks upon that, will finish what nave
to say All the remarks which have heretofore maze
poses to render to the government alone ! have
not vet included the services which they are 10 rem
der to Individuals | have not noticed any compen-
saton which they to receive for the transportation
of the thousands of emigrants vending their way to
the Edorado of California have not estimated the
account the soldiers and sailors and their supplies and
not those housa and of thousands going to the
shores of the Pacific to make their individual fortunes
have brought these into the calculation Let us look
at them.
There will be, if the present information that we obtain
through the newspapers can be relied upon shpmenl
after shipment making their way to the shores OF Calf
forna-company after company OF emigrants forming,
which, instead of doubling Cape Horn, will take as ther
nearest this route across the isthnus lhey arc
all to pass over this road i.
Blu, this is not all We have learned estimate pre-
- Al A. Ian n