The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-07-11

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apart quantity of land &c.
The fourteenth section provides that for the purpose of
aiding the construction OF railroad ana teegraphc hhe
from point the westerly shore Of Lake Superior on
the Mississippi river in Minnesota to the Paeihc ocean
there shall be- and hereby is appropriated ana sci apart
quantity of land,' &c
Here sir is proposition to construct two roads smu-
taneousy, to which enter my protest Let no iriehl OF
this measure deceive himself the object of this 1t is
plain and papable to my mind that the intention Is to d
vert our attention from and finally defeat the central
route Not north of the thirty parallel means
the Gila, southern route and some point on
westerly shore of Lake Superior means the extreme
northern route 10 both OF which am opposed because
it seems to me- neither is the aatura nio'a route
Sir in the first place, after bestowng on this ques
ton all the attention which my time would permit
have failed signaly failed, to satisfy myself that the
commerce and business of the country require or VIII
require for years come, two railroads across
the continent Let the best the most natural ana ndfion
al route be selected and main trunk road be con-
structed upon it, to satisfy the present wants OF the country
Let admonish gennen not to go too tar not TO ASK
much but To conne their demands within reasonable
and just bounds the sret to Increase the chances
of Time and experience that one road
this character will the demands and wants OF the
country If not let this main trunk be laid with double
track and il that shall be found inadequate them sir
shall be the Inst nterpose Objection to the con-
struction of additional roads. Strong as my
faith in the enterprise and thoroughly convinced
that it will yield large profit when completed cannot
nevertheless shut my eyes the immense amount OF money
which will be required to complete it, The entire length
of the road from the western boundary of Missouri to the
Pacific will be than two thousand miles, through
uninhabed Wilderness passing through mountain gorges
and trackess deserts penetrating country where
but few years ago. it was supposed the foot of the white
would tread. 1t viii require more than one
hundred millions of dollars to construct it. All the aid
the government will furnish and all the private capital
which may be induced to seek as an Investment will be
required to complete this single rond Hence sir no bill
looking to the immediate construction OF more than one
road by the aid of the government can receive my support
This BILL sir is Objectionable in another respect II
understand correctly it coners upon the party par
ties who may contract to construct the roads full and dis
cetonary to locate permanently the lines or routes
upon which they to be constructed The question OF
is important to the interest of the whole country
4 to be conferred upon irresponsible contractors.
The duty OF determining this question clearly belongs to
the Legislative branch OF the governmentto Congress-
Congress represents every section of the conederac and
we have high authority for believing that in multitude
| of counsellors there is safety t..... .
1t may be said that majority Of Congress cannot agree
on any particular route. do not think but il mis-
taken in this would prefer to the work postponed
and my mind vital question of its locon should he
committed any individual company matter what
their ability, honesty, or integrity may be-
There other and important objections TO this BILL 10
which shall take occasion to REFER and endeayor to obyi
ate when shall have reached it under the veminue
| debate rtt 49,
Sir, in the remarks have already made have indi-
Gated the route of my choice Since this project has been
agated several routes have been advocated by their
spective friends each claimed possessing superior ad
vanages the other The most prominent OF these
routes first Whtneys route This commences at
point the akes-say at Chicagoand passing through
Iowa, the Rocky mountains Mt the South Pass in
latitude AZ deg thence to the headwaters of the Columbia
river the of which it follows to the Pacific ocean.
This route however may be regarded as abandoned and
the recently explored by Governor Stevens under the
direction of the Secretary of War; substituted frem the
headwacrs of the Upper Mississippi near st Paul to p
gets sound, the Pacific. This is properly called "the
northern route because it has its eastern terminus at
point accessible to the northern and northwestern States
and not to other parts of the Union II passes through a
northern climate exclusively and is therefore liable to all
the objections which be urged to railroad through
such climate account Of cold weather. deep SHOWS,
&c But the great objection to it is that great many
ttS ytrnYa
of the Union. 1t has not enough of nationality about it.
But there is another insurmountable objection to it. Pu-
gets sound, the mouth Of the Columbia river, is
too far north direct trade with Asin and San Fran
cisco is upon direct line Again San Francisco is the
commercial emporium of the Pacific coast and has rival
in Oregon therefore San Francisco is the point at which
this road should strike the Pacific Again: greatob
ect to be accomplished by this road is to bring the Allan
tic States in direct communication with the gold regions
This cannot be accomplished either by road down the
valley of the Columbia, to Pugets sound for it does
pass through them To reach these regions the
| road must be further south.
Secondly, the San Diego or Ga route This has
its eastern terminus at point in the southwestern part
Of the United Statessay in Texas-and passes the
Rio Grande Paso del Norte from thence to the
ia river the course of which follows upon the south
bank the purchase of which is provided for in the late
Gadsden treaty. to the point about ii deg OF west ongi
tude thence across to the valley between the Sierra Ne
vada and the Pacific and up that valley TO San Francisco
There is also another terminus proposed for this
routhat is at Memphis in the State of Tennessee from
which point it is proposed t. the road to Santa Fc, in
New Mexico across the plains from the Arkansas river
and down the valley OF the Rio Grande, to Paso del
NOrte from which point the route Will be the same the
lasnamed This the southern route While this route
free from the objections which lie against the northern
one account of SHOWS &C. it is liable TO precisely the
same account of its Of ndtionality 1t is far
SOUTH Between these two routes there must be of
more naiona character accessible TO the different
parts OF the whole country and combining all the advan-
iages that are to be gained by railroad to the Pacific
And this in my Judgment the route that has its eastern
terminus the mouth of the Kansas river and running
through pass in The Rocky mountains between the
two routes already mentioned and passing westward
through the Sierra Nevada San Francisco This the
central route 1t is not liable to the objections which
justly urged against both the other It is neither
at the other extreme of the Union but has its
ern terminus the centre whether look the geo
graphical or commercial centre.
u Sir, you draw direct line from the cities of New
York or Philadelphia TO San Francisco it will pass
the mouth of the Kansas varying in its whole
less than two degrees oflattude II you place your eye
upon the map and look Mt the lines of railroad already
constructed and in progress throughout the United States
and uniting the Atlantic seg-bon with the interior ii will
be that they almost all point the centre of the
northwestern States This is because this the great grain
growing rcgion-the natural grpnry OF the world Tho
laws which regulate trade and produce this
suit These roads built by private enterprise and cap-
tai because the heavy trade Of this section of the Union
and the constant increase Of its population and wealth
give the highest reward to both enterprise and capital
These facts being think, incontrovertibe the cou-
cusion cannot be resisted that the interest of the
requires that Pacific railroad should be in direct
possible from the Pacific to the section Of country where
these roads have been already and are now being built
and their results already produced And these remarks
sir apply to almost all the roads starting both North and
South for they all point To the common centre This
common centre is within the three great States of Ohio In
diana and Illinois with population Of than four