Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1853-06-09
REPLY.

H' iLLhbN' Jul NSly aCCeptdOle lllNI-
tation has been duly received, and will be
complied with, but not at this time. A
long absence from home leaves me no time
to turn to the right or left, or stop day, IN
this voyage to the West, undertaken solely
to see small pioneer party set out to ex-
plore the route TO the Pacific which is re-
commend by Fremont and Lercux, and
which the map shows to be the shortest and
most direct, and most central between the
United States and the Pacific ocean. Your
invitation comes, as such one should do,
from the citizens generally-from the dody
Of the community-without regard TO politi-
cal distinctions. Happily we have a sub
ject to occupy us which is independent of
party. and above party, and in which all ci-
tizens may unite heart and hand, and work
together cordially and zealously, to produce
a grand consummation which is to rebound
to the benefit of every section of our coun-
try, and TO the whole Union and even Eu-
rope and Asia, and to the latest posterity.
1t is now 50 years since l have been at
work upon this subject, that of commercial
communication between the Mississippi-
the mode of communication varied only to
suit the progress of events, but the object
always the same. began with water COM
munications on the line of the Missouri and
Columbia rivers, when we owned nothing
but Oregon beyond the Rocky Mountains,
and the steam car unknown: now when
California is acquired, the steam cars al
ready run over more miles in the United
States Gall made by States or individuals J
than would make six different roads to the
Pacific ocean from our frontier. | change
the mode and the line, and go for the car
and San Francisco, and that upon the route
closest 10 the PARALLEL Of thirty-nine degrees
which the nature of the ground will admit
of. | caught the idea from Mr.. Jefferson,
who, in his message to Congress proposing
the expedition Of Lewis and Clark, pre-
sented the ctmmercial communication as the
leading object, and the one that gave Con-
gress constitutional jurisdiction of the case;
and the extension of geographical science as
the incident to the pursuit of that main OBJ
ject. That was before we acquired Ore.
gon, or set up any claim TO territory on the
Pacific ocean; now we have both Orezcn
and California, and besides the commercial
object have another in the duty of coinmu-
nicating with the citizens in these distant
possessions, and stretching ligament ol
u ion from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
When first wrote upon this project, it
was a subject of ridicule with great many
but that had no effect upon me. 1t is nv
preogative to disregard unworthy opposi-
tion, and to vanquish it. have continued
steadily at my work for above thirty years,
and now see success in view.
But had something more than ridicule 10
encounter, and that was the mwise action
of the Federal Government. In 1918 it
made treaty Of joint occupation of the
Columbia with the British for ten years. !
was not then in the Senate, but denounced
that treaty as unjust and injurious, as it
would postpone our settlement for ten years.
and give the British a foothold which might
require "rigorous e oH Of policy or OF
arms 10 ren,ore." In 1928 that treaty Of
joint occupation was indefinitely renewed.
| opposed it to the uttermost in the Senate;
but in vain. The administrator, and the
enemies to the growth of the West, were
too strong for me. In 1886, under the ad-
ministration of Mr.. Polk, this unfortunate
treaty was abrogated after it had nearly pro-
duced war between Great Britain and the
United States; and | had the satisfaction tc
give it the last lick in that year, as ! had
given it the first in l8lS-twenty-eight
years before.
In theyenr 1924 l began another work il