The daily union., 1852-09-15

he is hostile 10 both proposiuons As he Is not friend
To the amendment, OF oughi not TO 90 for his
proposition, for must be intended 10 destroy the original
amendment
confess SIR am astonishei that there should be any
opposition 10 this small appropriation. Senators who
were here during the past wnter and saw the lneon;
venienee to which every member OF this body, and oil
the other House, connected with any part OF the south
portion Of the United States put in consequence
OF the want of such ice boat will the necessity
for this al II the cold here extreme that
the river could not be kept open except at very great
expenditure might be good for not attempting
lt Bnt small outlay OF money will keep the nver at
all times clear, and enable 10 have regular com
muncaons. hope that the Senas will adopt the
amendment.
| Mr. DAVIS. would suggest that the other day there
estimate made for keeping the Potomac bridge in
repair pass travel comfortably and safely across
it, and il said that could be done for Sl2 900 Now,
so far this city is concerned and the mails
cerned il would be evidently more for the accomnoda-
lion OF the public to repair that bridge than to lay out
the money boat.
| Mr.. DOWNS. fhe mails do not go by land.
Mr.. DAVIS. II would be very easy 10 have them go
Mr.. DOWNS. This portion OF this mail-route. on
the Potomac river, is BY very rapid steamers and not
by land.
have an ice. boat 20 down 10 Acquia Creek
| Mr. DOWNS Certainly.
Mr.. PRATT. During the period last winter when the
Potomac, by reason OF ice, incapable OF being nagi
gated arrangement made for week or two with
| the company running line OF boats from Baltimore 10
Norfolk, and the mail was carried, as the Postmaster
by the Potomac route. II first carried from hence to
Baltimore, then directly down the Chesapeake bay to
Norfolk where !, connected with the whole southern
lire OF mails. The only which induced The Post
master General, as understood him, TO have this mail
conDexion by way of the Potomac, to carry the
great southern mail in that way. by force which is
put upon that department by The railroad company, who
believe the Of the line OF boats from Bali-
more There is doubt, from what | understood. that
the mail could be carried expeditiousy and
lanly by the Baltimore and Norfolk route than by the
Potomac route There is therefore. for the
expenditure OF these 100000 to keep the river open,
when the mail be carried less expense from here
to Baltimore, and from Baltimore down the Chesapeake
bay 70 Norfolk and there connect with the whole south
ern line OF mails
/ Mr. BADGER. | see at once why my friend from
Maryland thinks this proceeding unnecessary He says
there is in keeping open The Potomac, because
you go by the way OF Baltimore The says
the mails from the South be sent from here Bat-
more, and eight ten hours of time will be saved.
Now, the information have the subject authorizes
me TO state that the senator is entirely mistakenno
matter from whom he obtained his infoTmalion-and
that the mails cannot be carried by the Baltmore and
Norfolk within fifteen hours OF short time as
by the Potomac route But if my friends argument is
good for thing, il is excellent argument to show
that this route should be discontinued altogether for il
you can go eight ten hours sooner by the magic of
going through Baltimore, there is no reason why the
government should pay tor transporting the mails down
the Potomac at all. Bot as long as the government
deems il necessary and proper to carry the mails down
that river, think II is proper to make small appro
priaions to keep the river open
! Mr. DOUGLAS shall vote against this amendment,
because il is the commencement OF system which will
involve immence expenditure OF money Ii you ap-
proprae $50 900 for ice boat the Potomac do
you suppose The people OF the Ohio valley and the Mis-
sssippi valley will be without having ice boats
there keep their rivers open So the New York
rivers and on the lakes This little appropriation OF
$4,000 now will grow up into SYSTEM involving an
expenditure OF millions in few years and my impress
sion is, that, unless you prepared TO 90 into
system for this purpose-uness the government is pre-
pared to take the control OF upon all the rivers and
lakes in the counywe ought not to adopt this
We hal better encourage the people TO make railroad
from here 10 Acqula Creek, only about sixty miles, and
save the necessity OF this ice boat
Mr.. DAWSON wish TO make suggestion 10 my
friend from Illinois By amendment which has been
added by the Senate 10 the post-road BILL believe II has
been provided that the mail shall be carried down the
Ohio during the summer in steamboats,. There GER
tain understand, when boats cannot travel
up and down that river.
i Mr. DOUGLAS. Sometimes three or four days, and
sometimes two or three weeks al time
i Mr.. DAWSON. When that occurs is there not some
mode 10 transport the mails by land
i Mr. BRIGHT. | will answer the gentleman The
mail has been carried by contract on the river from Gin
cinnat to Louisville, for the last twenty. five years
Whenever navigation is suspended the Ohio, there is
no regular mallroue either side OF the river Last
aud Louisville for about SIX weeks, and we had reIu-
Ter mail Ii IL true there side mails by land,
Meeting at different points
/ Mr. DAWSON. Whenever The Potomac is frozen up
the Post Office Department has To make believe, what
j. called special contract TO convey this mail By land
Now, the question is one OF economy. When the river
Was CiOstu curing lne past winter between
Alexandria the Post Office Department bad TO employ
line of stages, for which they had make extra al
lowance They called upon in an emergency, and
the contractors for limited period in that way OF
required larger sum than for regular service. Besides,
we have to pass over one Of The worst roads in the
southern western country, perhaps in the world,
TO get by land from here TO Acqua Creek. II then be-
comes question OF economy whether every winter we
shall be put TO the expense OF hiring extra stages 10
that distance or shall keep ice-boat. | venture the
prediction that II the chairman OF the Committee on
the Post Office and Post Roads would inquire into the
amount OF compensation paid annually for this extra
wee between these two points, he would find il TO be
three four times the OF the cost OF ice boat
| | view this as an economical question
Bot il is said that this is The commencement OF sys-
tenn of expenditure which will involve the treasury very
largely Why II II be so, and the emergencies OF the
country require H. and The interest OF the transportation
oI the mails requires il, all OF know that ought to
make the appropriation. IL is said that this mail can
becafred from here Baltimore, and thence down the
Patapsco river and the Chesapeake Bay Admit that TO
be so but can letters be carried around with the
speed 10 Richmond and Petersburg and all through the
inland rouiei Not at all Genemen should look TO all
sections OF the county and not feel alarmed al this little
foundation Of large appropriation, they must recoieci
that when the railroad service commenced It's cost
considered alarming but yet the increase OF mail acli-
ties has afforded such great satisfaction to the country
that there not murmur about the compensation
paid 10 these companies, and the department Is now bet
ter able pay them out OF its than before
informed. from entitled 10 credit that the
cost OF the day transportation OF the mail from the city
OF Washingion when the Potomac is closed up, is $500
This is necessary for three four weeks Why in that
time il would amount TO the cost OF ice boat Why
a baro