Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1849-03-01
Speech Of senator Ben ton,

On has proposition for great Central
Road from st. Louis to California.
On the 7th ult. Mr.. Benton introduced
into the Senate his great project for con-
Meeting ST. Louis with the Pacific Ocean,
by great Central National Road. He
prefaced the bill by speech, Of which the
following is report:
Mr.. BENTON Mr.. President, the bill
which propose TO introduce provides for
the location and construction of q national
central highway from the Mississippi river
70 the Pacific ocean.
The idea of communication across our
part of North America is no new idea.-
1t has belonged 10 every power that has
ever been dominant over this part of the
continent.
In 1850, when La Sale took leave of
his friends at Montreal TO go upon his dis
coveries West, the last word he uttered at
parting from them was China-La Chine
and the spot has retained the name ever
since.
When the Spaniards were afterwards
masters of Louisiana, the Baron de Caron-
delet, governor general Of that province,
with the appreciation and sanction of
Charles w undertook this great project
the discovery of practicable route across
the continent by the way Of the Neri river.
He employed an enterprising man don
Jaques Clamorgan, and a gratuty of three
thousand dollars was promised TO the first
man who should see the Pacific ocean. 1t
miscarried, although an hundred men sat
out upon the expedition.
The British pWnipu lnr0e Doccecsi0pc in
North America, having in vain endeavored
10 find northwest passage to Asia, turned
their eyes inland in the hope that they
would be able to discover some route across
the continent, and Mr. Alexander McKen.
zie, who was afterwards knighted for the
energy and faithfuness with which he con.
Quoted an enterprise for that purpose, was
the successful undertaken. He traversed
the continent over that portion of it be.
longing TO Great Britain in high latitudes,
reached the sea, but pointed 10 the Colum-
bia river as the only desirable route on the
other side of the mountains; and that was
the cause of all the long efforts made by
the British government, first to make the
Columbia boundary between US, open TO
the navigation Of each, and afterwards to
obtain its free navigation. An inland COM
mercial route across the continent was
what she wanted.
When we acquired Louisiana, Mr.. JEFF
ferson revived this idea of establishing an
inland communication between the two
sides of the continent and for that purpose
the well known expedition of Lewis and
Clarke was sent out by him. Practica
utility in the business Of life, as well as
81. E.I
TO answer the purpose of Commercial
communication, as well as enlarging the
boundaries of geographical science, was
the object; and so the instructions declared
The expedition was successful in finding
a communication: Mr.. Jefferson did moi
remain in power TO carry out the practica
design and no President since his day has
taken il up.
About thirty years ago l myself begar
10 turn my attention to this subject, anc
conceived plan for the establishment of {
road extending from the right up the Mis-
sissippi river, and down the Columbia.
followed the idea of Jefferson, La Sale
and others, and endeavored to revive at
.fention 10 their plans. The steam car wa
then unknown, and California was not ours
but believed that Asiatic commerce nigh
be brought into the valley of the Mississip
ri on that line, and wrote essays to supper
that idea. The scope of these essays wa
10 show that Asiatic commerce had beel
the pursuit of the Phoenicans down Il
the present day-a space of three THOUSAND
wears; that during all this time this com
merce had been shifting it's channel-an
that wealth and power followed it, and dis
appeared upon its loss; that one more chan
mel was TO be found-a last one, and on
America its seat and ! then expressed tn
confident belief that this route would Gel
tainly be established-immedately, wit
the aid of the American government, an
eventually, even without that aid, by tn
progress of events and the force OF Gil
cumstances: Looking to practical Issue
sought inflammation o, inc .c c1un n;rs az