The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-01-23
LATES + MAIL NE vi
WASHINGTON LETTER.
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FROM ouRsPEcfAL coRREsPoNpE I'll
Coneyess-7Re Pacific Railroad Hon .Joha
Y Masoa-lMr. iSoate and the AdmtasS
tration, DC.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 81, 1855.
The leading question before Congress du,
ring the past few days, has related to the
Pacific Railroad The proceedings in the
House yesterday were rather exciting on this
subject. The bill reported by Mr.. McDou.
gal. of California, called for one or two roads,
a. the discretion of the Secretary of War. Mr.
Dunbar, of Louisiana, moved to substitute
Senator Douglas bill. authorizing three
roads. IAN are to be made by means of the
wide swarthes of land to be given to compa-
Mes for the purpose. Mr.. Davis, of India
ma, has interposed Benton's Tor, more prop
erlv. Fremont's route, which ] think the
House will adopt 1t is as straight line as
can be made; running from San Francisco,
the only eligible point on the Pacific, to st.
Louis the best natural terminus on the east
hut giving out three branches, at something
less than one.third of the distance westward
from ST. Louis-say at the oath degree of
west longitude Open your map of the L. 5.
and trace these lines, as follows: The main
line from San Francisco eastward to this
point of radication, 1900 miles; thence north
eastward TO Lake Superior, 200 miles from
the same point, eastward to st. Louis, 500
miles from the same point, south by north
east to Memphis, 600 miles; from the same
p0int nearly due southwark. to the coast of
Texas, go miles. Thisis unquestionably the
true common sense route.
There are persons in Congress more deeply
interested in property at the termini Of the
several proposed routes than in the real in
terest of the republic in the premises. l
firmly believe the reports In circulation here,
that individual Legislators who are to aid in
determining the pending question will be at
fected by the result TO the tune of hundreds
Of thousands of dollars. And yet, if we pay
away our public lands for the construction of
d dozen roads, eleven ofwhich are soon to be
overshadowed by wilderness again, it will
no doubt be as well as to give away these
lands to actual and inactive settlers from
the prisons and almshouses of Europe.
have seen no tidings of Mr.. John Y, Ma
son in the late accounts from Europe, though
/ suppose some of his friends have been in
formed of his condition. The political
world here is of course concerned to know
the probabilities of his continuance in his
Ministers, but his many friends have deeper
anXleties.
Mr. S0ule will soon return; and it is said
that he will denounce the Administration as
variable in their plans and false to their pro-
misses But that is between him and them
We care nothing for it. We only know that
nothing but Filibuster Administration
would have sent him abroad. If the Presi-
dent soon changed his mind, that is nothing
more than ne is accustomed to do; and Mr..
Soule, of all men, should not complain Of his
fickleness. Mr.. Soule went to N. Hampshire
20 see for himself, before or soon after the
presidential nomination, and it was, ofcourse,
on his representations that the American
people took Gen. Pierce
But there is little fact the public do not
know yet. 1t is that, after Mr.. Soule had
made enough fuss about the Black Warrior
affair to show proper spirit at least, the GO
Vernment at Washington sent him despatch
of most gentle, pacific and conciliatory
character, with instructions to him to read il
10 the Spanish Minister Of Foreign Affairs
Mr.. Soule not only omitted to further this
amicable manifestation but positively refus
ed TO do so. The consequences are that am
Ity has not been restored between The two
governments, that Mr.. Soule has quareled
with the President, that he comes home in
glorious, and that MIR. Slidell, and not Mr.
Soule, has been unanimously nominated in
the Louisiana Legislature for the U. s. Sen
ate A. b. G..