The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1854-07-01

LY l854 ...ss s..S, {
endured by those who were appalled,, and VII
died on board the ll-fated San Francisco9 TIL,
heart siekens and bleeds when contemplating
encountered them by order of Government
and the women who shared them by the com
] mands Of affection. And, SIR if, by. "roBbiht
the exohequer sof every. dollar in itssvaults
II could have prevented their sufferings ant
Preserved their 1iYesrimy vote should never
'fhaye prevented their salvation.
TERMS AND, ,seospITIoNs. q ~,
Having satisfied myself that Congress has tho
constitutional power to make donations o.
lands which lie in: the Territories, and that, in
the case under consideration, it Is expedient te
make them, the remaining Considerations have
reference to the terms and conditions of the
relinq quishment. The bill provides as follows
THAT for the purpose Of aiding and securing
tho construction of q railroad and Telegraph
line from The Mississippi riyerat a point not
north of the 37th parallel of north latitude, to
1 the city of San Francisco. in the State of Cali
fornia, there shall be, and hereby is, nppropria
ted and set apart quantity of land, equal to
the alternate sections to rtho-width of fifteen
miles on each side Of such road from the termi-
mus thereof, on tho Mississippi river,yto tho
106th degree Of longitude west from Green.
wich and from thence westerly to the eastern
line Of the State of California alternate sections
to- the width Of twenty-five miles Oh each side
of such road; and from thence through the
said State of California, to the western termin:
us Of such road, alternate sections to the width
| of ffteenmiles ON each side thereof; such lands
to be selected from the sections which shall be
designated in the public surveys of said land
(when made by odd numbers, and to be held
and conveyed as herein provided"
Now, sir, my principal objections to the bill
arc 70 be found in the passage ofit which have
rcad, though there arc minor points in its de-
tails to which my assent could never yield.
My first objection then is that no reasonable
conjecture can even approximate the actual To-
cation of the road. Iwould not ma an individt,-
al, and Icannot as an agent, make any bargain
SO loose and indefinite. thayc said I take It
rs granted thatthe most direct practicable route
would be pursued but bythe terms Of the bill
there is nothing to prevent this road making a
clvilizing sprawl from thekmouth of the Ohio
river, via tho great American desert. down to
the Camanche settlement, and from thence back
to that point in the Rocky Mountains where the
senior member from Missouri (AIr. Bcnton) in
sists that "Col. Frcmont's mule died, but not his
men, and not Of cold"
Again, it is very well understood that the
city of San Francisco and the point where the
Ohio empties into the Mississippi river arc to
be tue termini of the road, should it eyer be
buIt underthis bill. Now, sir, it so happens
TINT line run from San Francisco to the mouth
of tho Ohio riyeeis the very longest airline
which can be run from the city of san Francis
co to the Mississippi river, any where from St
Paulsin tho Territory of Minnesota, to Baton
Rouge in the State of Louisiana. tW hat will
justify me, ns one of the trustees of tile public
interest in granting administrations Of land
upon thisEyory long line estimated to be ut least
two Thousand miles in length, when, by giving
to the road a different location T can reduce
its length, and hasten the completion of the
|s#6rk, secure route which. isz Comparatively
Observation-Disclosures 30 by ice aud snow
and ut an infinitely. less cost Of: Government
lands, than are to be transferred. and rein
quished by this bill I hold that, in SO great
an enterprises as O connection, between the At
lantic and Pacific ocenns it is true patriotism
TO disregard oil sectional interests and suppress
tbe bane national, as inddiyidnai ieaiousies ies
are; Of local adva65am mept..- From the opcr-
afonEo OF sSTpnd to the Pacific good enough will
accrue to every State in thels Union to. propiti-
ate the fayor Of each and it is : unmanly and
illiberal to wrapgle over the relative value of
king, our choicss sofSa route should; be deter
mined by no other .consid derations than its
feasibility and cost, togetHef with our authori-
kty to aid in its; completion in a way, and by
the means proposed. - sx.:;
Z have ren,aIEe / that n,myjudgmcnt, there
was q material difference in the powers OF Con
gress over such parts Of the public domain as,
|fie within States ;and Einn Territories and it
strikes me that the power. TO donate alternate
Esectionss6f the publica lam whioiEtlie in the
Territory OF New Mexico may besderived from
Eths tenth elton. first article Of The Consttu-
Msa ssps de flor flor
United have Hownthat the rapid
eonimttn cation Dgersthis Road, with the most
sdistanE portion tof dnrs cHnntry, would add
more TO thes eeonIionS Sdefance than forts, mag