The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-03-15
REPORT ON ESTABLISHING A LINE
OF TELEGRAPH 8
TO THE PACIFIC.
Mr.. JoSEs, of Iowa, made the following
REPORT r.

= REPORT.
r The Committee on Ierritories, TO achom pt
referred The memorial of Hiram o. .3id.
and James EDDY, csking for the right of sca
: for a telegraph to The Pacific, and grant
l iand in aid the construction Of such teit
graph, hacing coasids cd TIE same, beg teal
70 report:
The proposition 10 connect the eastern an
western shores of this continent by magnet
telegraph is one of such vast importance, il,
volving alike the highest consideration of pu
bic and private interest, civilization and powe.
that il is almost impossible TO do il Justice witt
in the limits usually assigned to an official con
} munication 10 Congress 1t is proposed, there
fore, to divide the subject and to conzide
chiefly
lst. The necessity, uses and advantages O
the enterprise 10 the government aud the pu
bic.
I'd. The feasibility Of its execution.
ID. Its comparatively small cost, in vies
OF the advantages to be derived from it,
That there is an absolute necessity for lin
OF telegraph, connecting our Atlantic and LAX
cites with the cities on the Pacific coast, is APP
parent to the hulnblest capacity. The variou
business relations Of Boston, New York, Phi
ladel phia, Baltimore, Washington, Charleston
ST Louis, and Cincinnati, with the cities o
our new Pacific empire, must nee, ssarly par
take OF the nature of chance, and involve in
Vulnerable loses, till the wants Of Calforni;
and the means OF supplying these shall b.
known to our merchants, flour and provision
dealers, in time TO make profitable shipments
A commercial telegraphic correspondent at San
Francisco, inforn.ing his friends on the Allan
tic coast, on the Lakes, or on the Ohio, Mis-
sissippi and Missouri rivers, OF the state Of the
markets, the arrival from foreign countries, the
abundance or scarcity of provisions, the accum
ulation Of the precious metals, &c, would
annually save millions of properly, and give to
that which is now considered hazardous specu
lation, the reality and substance of hesthy
trade. Capital, which is now misapplled OF
lost, would find profitable investment, aud
help 10 develop and multiply the resources
OF the whole country. And the business
people OF our Atlantic and Western cities would
be the first TO receive all this valuable ntorma
ton, SO would they also be the FIRST to profit by
IL, even to point which would enable them TO
import into San Francisco, direct from Europe,
the goods which canno! be supplied by our own
domestic markets.
So tar the necessities Of commerce.; let US
now consider those of the government The
acquisition Of California secures TO the United
States the most favorable position on the entire
globe for world ld.cnplre. Bounded east and
west, respectively, by the two great oceans
which divide the continents, its northern eA2
panse only limited by barren wids or sparsely
settled colonies OF distant country, and to the
southward encounterng nation yielding at
every sep 20 oGr sGpstscr energy and progress,
nothing is wanting IL render the machinery ot
cus gov rn!:sent rertt CT, but safe and rapid in
tercomnunication between the heart and the
extremltles. In proportion TO the distance of a
State or Territory from the fedora! government
is The necessity of protection, especially when
the wealth and resources of those States and
Territories apt 10 invite the cupidity OF
strangers. Our Pacific seacoast is as yet entire
ly uuguarded, and must necessarily remain so
tor number of years; though vast emopnt OF
government property may, IN the meanwhile,
be accommodating in the ports. There are
wharves and docks, government stores, custom
houses, assay Offices, barracks-in short, pro-
perty amounting to millions, entrusted TO othc.
ers with whom the government must be in
respondence at all tunes, but who might require
double the care and attention in time of
Our California gold fleets might require con-
vpys aud the commanders of our men of war
in the Pacific, fresh instructions from the gov
ernment which could not be conveyed in season
except by telegraph. Troops may be ordered
10 march, or be conveyed from one point on the
coast TO another, reittorcements may be de
manded or annonnced-in short, the action Of
The gnyernment invoked id a thousand ways,
when success may depend on pr9nptness OF
execution. In ali these cases the telegraph
would be an instrument of poacer, either fsr
offensive or defensive measures.
On the score ct economy, il would save
the government the employment of expresses
and the multiplication of goyernmen! officials
in the civil and military service. 1t would
cause The business of the government to be
done almost as soon as the orders may be issued
from the respective departments in Washington,
and thus prevent the waste of means oonse
guent on delay. 1t would add strength and
efficiency to every executive act, and preserve
that faith and reliance ON our federal govern
ment, in citizens separated rom US by snow
capped mountains and vast deserts, winch
would animate their hopes, and sustain their
courage in times of trial.
Blu, there yet other advantages to be de.
rived from the use of line of telegraph from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. We have fleet of
some six hundred whalers in the Pacific ocean,
the captains and crews Of which ever an
xous TO be put communication with their
friends at home, and the merchants in our east.
ern cities They are naturally des rous to bring
the product of their daring industry to the best
markets, whether American or European, and
the telegraph is the best means of impartng to
them the iniermation needed for that purpose.
In addition to this, our carrying trade in the
Pac tic has quadrupled since the discovery OF
the precious metals in California and Australia
amounting now to some 100000 tons, and EN-.
ploying a capital Of more than hundred milf
ons of dollars; while the revolution in China,
and the prospect of opening the ports of Japan
promise a field of enterprise to our merchants
and navigators, which must make San Francis
CO and New York the emporiums of the world s
commerce, and the Atlantic and Pacific teie
graph, the great source of commercial informa
lion to all trading nations. When Pac fic
! steamers shall carry the mails from San Fran
cisco TO Shanghai and Canton, intelligence will
be conveyed from lndia 20 China, and thence
through the United States To Europe in less
time, and with more safety, than by the over
land route, requires, on an average, sixty.eighi
days to reach England, and twelve days more
to reach New York and Boston-in all, eighty
days. When the Atlantic and Pacific telegraph
shall be built and line of steamers run from
San Frlncisaoto Shanghai, news from China
will be received in New York in seventeen
days, fifteen of which will be required in tn,
Transmission of the mails from China to Sa,
| Francisco, and one Two days, at furthesr
] from San francisco by telegraph to New York
Adu 10 this distance o! seventeen DAYS, twelve
days for he transmission of the mails from
| New York to Liverpool London, and til,
east IN news, via the United States, Will feaci
| England in less than half tie time now re
qured for It's transit by the overland route
/ The news from linda, the Sandwich Islands
the Dutch East Indies, Australia, aud New
Zealand " i'll all be conveyed by the Unite,
| States until, when the Pacific railroad shah b,
built, commerce itself viii follow in the trail
of commercial Intelligence.
That the Atlantic and Pacific elegrapl
would BE- the so@rce uf Ultimate satisfaction t
thousands OF our hardy western pioneers who
through 1t, would be enabled to coumunlcat
with their wives and children, friends an
relatives at home, need scarcely be men
toned. Many a heart would be glad
dened, many an expense saved, and man
comfort added to scanty means, by ca,
ly tidings OF the emgrants new favorabl
location and success. In whatever light tn
subject may be considered, whether i'll reiereuc
to the interests of the government, the pro.
perity of ccy merchants and navig itors, III
; happiness and comfort Of the citizens at larg,
the enterprise is eminen!ly calculated 20 pr,
mote the power, wealth, and general progperi
ty of the country.
As regards the feasibility Of the enterpris