The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-30
gsufsTY-THIRD CONGRESS-.
FIRST SESSION.

WASHINGTON, June %, 1854.

WASHINGTON, June %, 1854
PTr1IoS REPEAL OF THE ruGrTIvR srAvE Law.
Mr.. FHssEnpEs, (whig) Of Maine, presented petition
from New Hampshire praying for repeal Of the Fug-
tive Slave law He said that the petition not open
to the objections Of locality, which had been urged
against the memorial Of the men Of Boston. 1t came
from town whose population about 900, and vas
signed by 500 voters which he supposed com rsed
all its voters. Moreover the town was Milton which
was the birthplace of the President. Referred.
THE SEw LINE OF STEAMERS IN PACIFIC.
The bill tn establish line of steamers between Cilfor
MIA and Shaughae was taken up.
Mr.. SEWARD (wtig) Of N Y, addressed the Senate as
follows;-Mr PresidentThe summer solstce is passed
the Thermometer indicates 90 degrees-me Is becoming
precious III The Senate-I shall therefore, condenss the
ex PLANTATION uhch the Committee the Post Office aud
Post Roads instructed to make. The oil directs
the General to contract for Eve years. with
the lowest bidder, fair competition, with security for
California, and Shangbae in China, by the way of the
Sandwich Islands and Japan in steam vessels OF at least
1000 tons burden in the best manner with
regard to speed and safety at cost of not than
$500 900 pr annum, and directs also that any def
cheney Of th accrung postage to oeray the of
United States viii the Senate please consider that
We have in operation very perfect postal system which
pervades and penetrates all the inhaoted regions of
country while IL is connected by mail vessels with
similar European postal systems beyond the Attain
tic; and that by this national agency letters, news
mmupicstons of all Sorts, are regularly
changed amsng the people Of the United States aud
q Western Europe. Senate
slider Also that efficiency has recently given
these postal systems by the establishment of electric ee
graph companies One hundred millions of letters
through post Offices annually Now will tue Senate
consider that since postal system thus des
crbed cstab she'd have ceased merely
Atlantic people, and that the contrary have added
to the Union ourishing state d.
mensions and also territory which is to become
State the Pacific coast and that being engage in
hlling up the territory thus rounded Off have be-
a continental American power, holiing the
attitude Asia that do to Europe and sustaining
relations to the countries each of those cont
nents What is proposed is simply to extend
existing postal system westward the Pacific Ocean
as 70 exchange intelligence with the nations dseng on
with the nations that dwell the isancs and coasts of
the Atlantic Ocean The very statement OF the case In
this form seems to complete demonstration Never
theless will briefly uetrate-first please to look at
the subject in its relations to the people of California and
Oregon Those people morally and by virtue Of the
stituton have rights in all respects equal with those
which enjoyed by their fellow citizens resing the
Pacific cost c the latter Justly enjoy the ni Of * iar
and speedy public mails In their intercourse WITH the
countries accessible over the which ashes their
shores, then, unless for some reason thai mast
be essigped, the former have the same right
to the aid of regular ana spcedy public mails
in their intercourse with the countries accessibli to
right should be absolutely denied them they would he
abroved frGm obligations of 10y atty and would 10
regain eqralty by separation md independence am
that injustice will not be racsed long give
excuse for cirioy atty But this confidence the
hand, does net OF itself justify ponement rho
proposed IL not premature W the extent of lhe na.
tonal Pacific cosst bears any fair proportion so the
length OF the national Atlantic cnast-if there IT, Cali
fcrnin and Oregon sufficient population with adeauate
and capital for foreign trade and
and there the Asatic coasts markets open and
inviting such intercourse AL these conditions xist
Our Pacific coast stretches from the thirty st TO
the forty ninth parallel length Of sixteen hundred
miles without including the sh Of tae Straits on the
side spending with the Gulf OF St. La sreucs on
the Eastern side Of the continent This Goa Z il but
little shorter than Atsntc shore before Florida
annexed to the United States. The population of
California and Oregon already exceeds four hun ired
thousand while San Francisco the chief seat OF their
commerce. numbers fifty thousand. need not expati-
ate on the commercial resources and capital OF a
people whose mines, besides the domestic slpply,
yield eighty millions of gold dust and bullion for
exportaton; to state the fact In another way,
q people whose mines have in six years given
currency, end enhancing sensbly the value OF all pro-
perty throughout the civilized world. As little u 1t
necessary 70 enlarge the commercial of the
ancient East, snd the attractions II offers the
-chants Of Western coasts They have been for four
hundred years the inspiration Of human activity Ia t8
grandest dovelopement British steamers all the
principal ports Of the Pacific and Indian oceans from
Australia 10 the Cape OF Good Hope and thus afford
cess TO the places where eSchanged the productions
of half Of the population Of the globe Great Britain also
carries tradei these ports Of two hundred millions
trsde unknown to 6reat Britain. With wide ions to
reduce to cutvatisn and gold bearing mountains be
rendered productive they need cmigrant labor, while
ehina and other Oriental countries have population
osercrovded, and impoverished by ages OF cespotism,
@eking escape to our newly discovered continent Bat
me inhabitants Of our Pacific rely
Camille people Like all other American cirens, they