The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-03-22

wo9l DC practicable TO pass from ocean within
s hours ana u would be conveyance. for all prac
last unhl permanent road should be built II better
route should be proposed, could be adopied hereafter
was Of vast mporiaace q, ,hs ana quickly made and
was SO well understood that he felt il entirely unneces-
sary to enter into any argument whatever.
Mr.. CAMERON Mr. President, have No ob.c,;on
10 the amendment of my friend from Mississippi have
offered my amendment because believe that the public
interests mperavey demand that Congress should do
something TO facilitate communication between our At
anc and Pacific coast The project proposed time
since contemplated an expenditure OF two and half mil
lions OF money. The plan which have proposed con
templates expenditure comparatively OF very small
sum OF money, and nothing is TO be paid until the road
shall be completed that the passage from one end
OF the sthmus to the other may be made in twelve hours
and when completed it will be conveyance good for
all practical purposes railroad II is wanted Every
one knows that some mode OF comnu nication, which
can be completed IN very short time, necessary The
people cannot wait ten, five, three years for the
mode of communication, WHICH be completed as
speedily possible and this is Just what they want
This road which can be constructed in very short time,
will answer all practical purposes, and will not interfere
with railroad across the ishmus OF Panama, or with
the project OF the senator from Mississippi for road
docking to the Pacific in such numbers that all pres
ent modes OF travel completely blocked up, and tn
people are put to vast expense In order to reach those
points to which, II this road constructed they might
travel for comparatively Insignificant This is but
Temporary measure, and we'll understood that will
G'f cfARKE Mr. acs ss t. for
railroad the sthmus OF Panama first pre-
scented to the Senate, have been impressed with the
cessity of direct communication with our Pa
chic possessions 1t appears to that the
of the United Statesthe Congress OF the United States
bound, only from political but from moral rea-
sons to furnish to the emisratng population of this
country safer, more direct, and better mode OF
ncaton than now possessed Ii is not necessary for
regard to the desabeness of direct communca-
ton between the Atlantic and Pacific We have now
to the of oregon
liable value The harbos that nature has formed in the
territory Of California not surpassed by the habor of
any coast in the whole world 1t must be perceived that
it cannot be long before the harbor OF San Francisco
must be one Of the most important in the world. The
population of this country is 1ockng to California with
rapidly which has been experienced in the emf
grafton from any portion OF the world to another
Not only are the people OF thus country locking hther
way 10 California in search OF what the world calls
wealth
The political obligation upon the government of tIle
United States is that they should at early day form
government able TO protect these emgrans from the
Iawless violence which we know is raging there, and
which might well be anticipated: There is moral OBJ
legation, in my opinion for the United States, pos
sessed of the country which they inviting emgra
ton, TO furnish the protection OF law to the people who
have gone and who may yet go thither Thousands OF
our fellow citizens have gone 10 California, thousands
are on their way there, and many thousands more will
proceed hither in the OF the next year and it
does seem to me that it is matter for weghty and
rious consideration whether not morally, well
zens who have left their homes for that distant land from
the lawess violence which must reign there, unless the
vicious. the unprncped and the reckless restrained
BY the strong of the law. Aud sir, it must be evil
dent to the Senate that there is necessity, actual
absolute necessity for some more direct and better route
from this country our possessions on the Pacific 1t
must be evident that, without direct and speedy
ncation with that country, cannot, except at vast
trouble and expense maintain that order among the peo
pie of that country which the well being of society de-
mands. We have a line of steamers running from
New York Chasres for which the government of the
Halted
porting the mails alone Upon the Pacific side we have
another line OF steamers running from Panama to San
Francisco, for which we annually pay 100000 These
OF this country to San Francisco in California; not
connected They are separated from each other by the
ishmus of Panama. 1t seems to me that stronger
proof than this of the necessity Of communication
across the continent is needed
We have had the proposition of Mr.. Whitney before us
that it will take long time befoEe that road can be
made. We have also the magnificent project lately
But Will S be g before that san executed
however desirable it may be to form direct communca
ton across our own country between the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts Every rejecting gentleman must perceive
that it will be long lime before that project can, any
shape, be executed. We wait for the completion
Of any Of these great and magnificent projects We want
Cape Horn requires far too great outlay of time. The
route by way of the sthmus of Panama is too expensive
The overland route dangerous, and must be undertaken
in military form, and is not calculated for emigration
We have project for crossing the shmus of Tehuan
tepec. BY examination OF the maps it will be found
that road that sthmus cannot be made less than
one hundred and sixy-fve miles in length, which, to-
geher with canallng and steamboatng, will make two
hundred miles in the aggregate. There is another road
proposed in that neighbohood, by way OF lake Nicaa-
gua which will be three four hundred miles in
length. The road the isthmus OF Panama will be
about fifty miles from extremity to the other. And if
you take neither of these between this country and
California you have other left but the route around Cape
Horn see, by the papers, that within the last sixty
ninety DAYS, less than hundred and seventy EIGHT
vessels, perhaps hundred, have sailed for California
These ships have taken not less than twelve thousand
passengers From the last accounts from Europe it APP
pears that ships leaving the wharvcs OF their cities
loaded with passengers, all bound for the modern Oph
We are all familiar with these facts They are spread
before us every morning We all know that the route
around Cape Horn is long one. The distance from the
port of New York to San Francisco, by way OF Cape
| Horn, is nineteen thousand miles By way Of the 18th
mus of Panama it is only about five thousand mes-aa
immense saving of distance and of time II seems to me
that important that the government Of the United
States should provide not only for itself but for the ct
zens of the United States, direct route by
which the citizens who focking into that country
could find direct passage, and those who chose
return, ready access to their homes Unless
something be done by the government of the United
Sates shall adourn aud leave that route and all the
routes between here and San Francisco, precisely
found them. The Senate OF the United States and the
President of the United States. in June last ratified
treaty with the government Of New Grenadas BY which
the government OF the United States alter long and
tedious negotiation, acquired from the government OF
New Grenada the right of way across the isthmus Oh
Panama, and that deemed important BY the Presl
dent of the United States. and the Senate OF the United
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