Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-07-15

The fact is cannot be disguised it must be recog
Missed that with the present Of communication the
Federal Government cannot furnish federal protection to
lCAlifornia
What have said about the want Of the military arm
OF the Government in Calorniais almost equally appli-
TO every one Of its departments There pro-
administration Of the public laUs Of the United States
lin California, for which, for of me will
not undertake to specfy but the evil is primarily atri
butabe to the want Of facilities for communication with
the Government at Washington.
The furnishing Of postal facilities has always been
garded as Of the beneficial Offices Of the Govern
ment Although the Government is at large expense,
yet we have but little than the Of postal IA
clides In California The mail business of California is
times as great that fixed by law The mails fail
the necessities of the country because those
ccsaes not understood by the head Of the Post Of
l6ce Department at Washington
Cur public lands those demanded now for present
Element, are unsuryeyed and under the system adopted
the Department here they will not be surveyed for ten
to come For ten years our people will have 70 wait
age 10 California The dHeulty again Is, our
necessities are not understood - i
There is one and but one, Office Of the Government ven
understood and well performed We have excellent
tom house They will permit smuggling. They
will faithfully see that every cent of federal mpost paid
| into the fieral treasury.
1t will e perceived that these are evils against most
of which he cannot legsate They grow out of the ad
mnisrstbn rather than out of the constitution Of laws
Yet somebf them evils Of legislation How ere these
evils to bl avoided?
With tie present obstacles intervening between the
Atlantic ates and the Pacific how the interests and
necessiti Of the Pacific be understood appreciated
by the by of Representatives this floor The action
of this pdy must depend upon the faith Of representa-
ves in tie local representation the degree of that faith
must subject to thousand accidents of procliyity
and opinion, in the confusion Of which we can hardly
hope forhny thing like complete legislation.
hayamade these remarks principally as the prerii-
nary toe statement Of the propositions or rather the
conclusion that the establishment of railroad communi-
cation across this continent is political necessity, and
that without it this Government will continue to be ut
tery unable to perform the Offices imposed by the Fede
raj Constitution.
IfI had time would discuss this proposition in
detail. will remark, however here that this attempta at
goynment in California costs the Federal treasury nearly
00 900 per for the single item Of Transports
tiol including the military naval and postal service
sun equal the interest Of the entire cost Of complete
dojble track railroad from the Mississippi to the Pacific
Incase Of it would cost the Government each year
an amount sufficient to construct single track Ii no
wir transpres in the same time it would take to build
tie road the Government will it undertakes to fortfy
coast expend more money on those Notifications than
the road would cost; and railroad would be worth
more for the defence of that coast than all the ortca
ons that could be constructed from the sea OF Cortez
TO the straits of Fuca.
have but glanced at some Of the considerations that
make this enterprise political necessity will now
can your attention to its commercial Importance. In
doing this shall not deal in magnificent pictures OF re-
suits in perspective, but with present facts
commercial ana ccOHOHttcCt .COHStueTuttO!tS.
And first Affirm and will undertake to show, that the
want of railroad to the Pacific operates direct loss
the people of the United States in time, property and
money each yeer equal to the annual expenses Of the
Federal Governments Loss that in two years would be
than equal to the eHtre cost OF complete railroad
4 to the Pacific
Iw endeavor give the and 6sures During the
year 1865 there arrived in the port Of San Francisco from
the Atlantic ports 44 with 42s 2So tons Of
chandise the merchandise having value, | hav,
n stated Of not less than $l000000O0. Most Of thes
eights arrived by clipper ships and the average cost
freight was not less than thirty dollars per ton Th
average time consumed was about five months During
this time the merchandise dead capital and properly
chargeabe with interest which call five per cent It il
well understood that the injury and loss not covered by
insurance upon almost every article Of merchandise tha
the of long voyage has to pass twice through
the tropics amounts to very considerable per cent on
it's value Flour pork, beef sugar. moasses cotton and
woollen fabrics clothing, and indeed almost all articles
of merchandise from variety Of causes incident to the
VOYAGE arrive San Francisco either less in quantity or
injured in quality This loss has been averaged oy our
most intelligent merchants at seven per cent on the value
4 of importations.
These charges and losses the shipment Of merchan-
disc by the way of Cape Horn may be thus stated:
i Insurance on 500, 900 merchandise, at
4 four per cent; ..... "a 0OQ 0OO
Interest on $lOO 900 O0O at five per cent?. 5oooO O0O
4 Losses on 800, 600, 900 merchandise (not COW
cred by insurance. 600 OoQ
Freight AZ, ,230 tons, at $3O....... l., ,o96 9OO
Making aggregate %, ,6s6 SOC
II is estimated and fairly estimated that during the
last year 10000 passenger ansits were made to and
fro between the Atlantic and Western States and the Pa
cifc coast including travellers by and land. The
cost to each has not been less than $780, the
average Of time consumed not less than forty days. and
IL the value Of time consumed is estimated at 81 per day
Il the following statement may be made:
Cost Of transit for 10000 passengers, at S S2So M
i Time, forty days each, Of 10000, at So per
e,ooooVo
ii 8 E .
Making an aggregate of....s~.......... 36,oOo,OVo
There is besides what has been stated the Isthmus
Of 600 Of gold dust and not ess
than Of other freight Gold dust pays two per
cent freight and per cent Insurance. and the cost Of
other feights by the Isthmus route is $500 per ton
| making
Freight on seo,ooo,oOo Of gold dust, at two PEI
cent .....Si,l ,leu,VVe
Insurance one per cent? ooo0ot
4 Freight $780, 600 tons besides gold dust, at L
sou l,zoV,Vu'
j Making an aggregate of.............8 Of. 8, ,050, ,00t
There still remains the amount paid by the Federal
Government for the transportation Of its mails military
and naval stores officers and troops which have already
estimated at So, 10000.
| If these aggregates be taken together we have
Charges and loss merchandise by Cape
Charges and time Of passenger transit.. So,3ooo wv
Isthmus freights. o,VooVVo
Government transportation. o,io9,VVt
4 In
This enormous amount is the tax now paid by the
people Of the United States for transportation and travel
between the Atlantic and the Pacific and it is to be con-