Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-09-25

the annual sum by get the total amount aread
gislated away making $I6,667 ITO It's frghully
NOUS but only the commencement. Whoever saw q yul-
ture light upon dead animal without seeing flock Of
the same voracious birds collect upon the prey
90 OF these ocean steam lines upon treasury. A
The success Of the first squadron has upon Con-
gress another and larger At the late session there
were no less than seventeen applications for lines
nine Of them with estimates Of their demands the other
eight In blank The nine required sadranceT Of
assist in building the vessels and SO 800 900
annually to sail them making for years flor none of
these enerprising gentemen-as persevering
prsmg-wi be content with shorter siege at the
sury than the Greeks had Troy the sum Of 39 000
and as the other eight be estimated at less than
these nne the present applications in this line Of
pluAder may be computed another sum of about
poVoOOOo0! and all this the slender pretext Of
rying letters to foreign countries (Which the corespon-
dents have to pay for bcsdes and which private
prise or foreign lines would carry good to
the people and better for the Government and carry
passengers, who would be better cheaper and COM
fortably carried in private lines; and the further
preext 10 turn them to the Government when about
worn out for combats when we shall have warl
and If we had no naval officer would deliver much less
receive broadsde in Of these racing vessels, for
less than he would take for making voyage the bot
tom Of the sea-
Seventy-sx million six hundred and sixty-seven
thousand hundred and seventy dollars already secured
eighty millions OF dollars demanded and not cent
for road from western frontier California The
public lands now bring in about two millions per
little one-fodrth enough pay these
ers Think OF that people of Missouri While farmers
stntng their expenses to hard money to give
for public and-while all graduation of price is refused
when homestead bill is rejected-when nothing can be
got for home road to California the whole pro-
ceeds OF oil the lands and three times much
OF the treasury is given to these lines
and whose cry still that Of the grave and Of the horse
leech--mere, more give give!
Less than the part of the annual sum now
4 squandered upon these ocean steamers would open q
wagon way from the frontier Of Missouri California
and three hundred good aborers directed by practical
country road makers, and guided by mountain and
bufao-paths, would open it in year and make it passa
bic for stages in twenty days, for horse etter-ma in
ten days. and by telegraph in tmetaking the Kanzas
route and crossing the mountains at the head of the Ar
kansas or Del Norte between ATTITUDES SO and 49, Then
people could communicate, could have intercourse and
could 60 and come without paying enough
line to set up small farmer, taking the chance of
death from disease starvation and Indians the exposed
and neglected inland Then people of small
could travel upon their conyeyances without other
expense than the provisions consumedthe equipment Of
animals and vehicles being worth their cost either
for use or disposal after their arrival
The pen cannot stop ut the treasury rayages Of these
ocean hnes but must on to repeat what is currently
rumored here that there undue influence brought
bear upon Congress favor of these applications
side machinery of deception and seduction playing its
double batteries upon members that many of these bills
only carry themselves through by undue means but
embargo good bills until they themselves passed that
some are mere obbing specuationsa traffic in Congress
legislation in which company Of projectors coming with
500 900 to procure the passage of act and
then selling at hundreds ofthousands profit ad
ministerng at salaries of 900 and SO 000 OF
these OUTLAWS be reimbursed in the encrmty
of the appropriation; and instance reported of
direct refunding the of bill whose expenses
Sl00OO0 and $4,000 year for ten years added in
amendment to refund that of course preexed by
some necessity.
A member of Congress from North Carolina, Mr..
venabe, in public speech at Richmond Va, his re-
turn home from the late session. reported and thus far
without contradiction, to have said;
The Congress OF the United States is the corrupt body
81 men the face IF the earth and added systematically that
10Th money enough any act Of Legislation Ohater might Be pro-
Terrible these expressions are they about such
may have been often heard towards the close Of the
late session, and which the visible exterior operations
and the results Of the line bills and others of
different kind, to justify though doubtless mis-
taken views, proclivy to be deceived and inability to
sist Importantly may account for much that has been
done without the imputaton of impure motive There is
doubtless exaggeraton and Misrepresentation in the
rent rumors this point; but equally doubtless that
these have sunk wide and deep into the public
mind and that the honor Of Congress- and the security Of
institutions require inquiry be instituted and
conducted enttle its results the confidence
the people And here feel bound say that the boun-
dairy between deception and seduction is often invisible
the public eyetha in every assembage Of men there is
large per eentum bound be deceiyed-mnds cons-
tuted to be caught with novelties and prone be
deceived that the proclyity becomes propensity, and
whose frequent decisions asonsh their friends. Such
Il cOuSlderauOne, very
unsafe legislators And with this qualification under
stand Mr. Venables expressions and that the greatest
part Of this money VIGOROUSLY expended in procuring
Congress legislation is spent in deceving than in
corruptng there may be instances Of the
latter But be that 1t may the necessity for inquiry
stern and MEMORABLE remains the less in my esa-
ton The body is charged, and the body defend
itself; and inquiry is the mode The Senate has began
it, Gen. Houstons committee but the House Of Repre-
sentatves is the place That House is the Grand Inquest
of the Nation.
confne myself, in this letter, to the subject which
Immediately concerns you--the opening home road to
California and the Territoresand TO its opposing inter-
ess, the Garay grant, and the steamers-and TO
the threatened and the millions lavished in favor of
foreign communications while neglecting the road upon
soil which the rights Of the people and the
rty Of the Union requires and which be longer
delayed without alternating the affections and endangering
the adhesion Of far distant sister and orphan
Territories. Your obliged fellow-citizen,
THOMAS II. BENTON.
WASHINGTON CRY, SEPT. 20, 1852.
tn TUr rDTTOpG