The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-05-19
For the Unisn.



Many OF the most distinguished leaders in the political
have been emnenty stauneh and consistent
the Of their public lives and although
they hare been found in tie ranks Of parties whose pnc
Piles many respects anagonisc yet IL exceedingly
gratifying know that when constitution has ben
assaied when beloved Onion has been threatened
with dissolution by the insdous and reckless Vaccinations
of northern southern oigarches these have lost
sight OF the minor considerations of party differences and
rallied under the broad banner Of the Union and the
sttuton where they have manully eontended hand to
hand for the great principles Of repubcanism unforiu
naely however there have been exceptions to this rule
and and then who may perhaps have been
endowed by with talents Of the highest order who
has perverted them to the basest purposes.
have carefully observed the career of individual
who has long been in public life and whose has
been Of that character to ene him to any other appe
ton than that Of consistent politician true patriot
His sentiments have from time to time been heraded forth
the world in the form Of speeches. addresses and letters
but it believed that they have failed in most instances
produce the effect for which they envdeny designed
His theories have been based upon premises Facilitating
and unstable the sands Of the desert They consist Of
tissue of fallacies which sustained by him with
emulation Of the greater part Of which has its
origin in his imagination They conceived in
and brought forth from his prolific fancy with all the
semblance of legitimacy They may delude few who do
not take the trouble inform themselves but they do not
stand the test of examination On the contrary they have
every instance proved be miserable aborons
The that pervade these hallucinatons of fancy
are so numerous that have time disposition to at
tack them ALL shall conne the few observations which
propose to make at this time OF the salient
and glarng Inconsistencies which have noticed in his
stereoyped address the people in different parts Of the
country during the past winter In doing, expect to
show that the motives of this have been signay
characterized by the vndicve and uncomprcmsing
spirit personal bias which dstorts his Judgment 10 such
degree to render him incapable of seeing things in
their light of giving impartial and fair state
ent upon any Of the topics which TO absorb his
entire faculties.
The particular subject which for few years past has
been his vore hobby and has engrossed most Of bis at
enon s that of Pacific railroad His notions upon
this question: which almost entirely theoretical have
not accorded with we-established facts shall pres
entity show.
One Of the first which he gave his attention
that which passes through what's called the South Pass
his views upon this put forth with much ingenuity and
apparent candor that for time this was regarded
by uninformed the best route for the but the
great numbers of citizens hatom year year IMMERSED
this country placed the dc in possession Of
positive and reliable knowledge than he had given;
and finding that political capital to be made
in this direction he very suddenly abandoned it and took
prodigous stade the SOUTH lighting upon the Arkan-
sas-river route
Here he had country that but little known,
and he was thus enabled to humbug the public for con-
siderable period Here he found ample scope for his i'm
agnave genius and he exercised it to its fullest extent
Even where nerposed obstacles to efument ofhs
prophecies he was undaunted He only levelled lofty
and filled up spacious valleys but he called into
existence extensive forests and like Moses of old made
fountains gush forth from the rocks and he
verified deserts of sand into rich and fertile districts teem
ing with an exuberance of vegetation upon which he
tablished prospectively five agricultural States
In support Of his new route he published letter pur
porting to come from Antoine Lereux, who, byhe-by
one of the best mountain guides in New Mexico This let
ter corroborated all he had before asserted in reference to
the feasibility of the project
Although there are good reasons for supposne that
Lereux had but very vague idea of the nature of this
document yet there doubt but that he eagerly
braced the opportunity of comforting favor upon his
patron by axng his mark to it. the gentleman had at
that time claim of his in his hands amounting to some
$4,000 which he subsequently succeeded in getting al
lowed by Congress
When asked afterwards how it happened that the state
mens contained in this letter concted materially with
what had been understood to be his previous sentiments,
Lereux replied monsieur b. he say Mr. Lereux you think
this good route poor make railroad, ch? say
Monsieur cerainmen lie then ask for sign leete
lettre not read him mais sign him. Monsieur B. he
yer good friend spec all right, by gar"
In due Of time however this country under
the examination of competent men, and found TO be
utterly impraccable for the purposes of railway, not
those inaibe pioneer engineers of the gem
tleman 1.-THE buffaloes had marked it out with their trails
Instead of these pursuing smooth, level and arabic
country it was found after leaving the timbered lands
bordering the Missouri valley that they traversed for
six hundred miles expanse of PRAIRIE almost totally
devoid of wood water, after which they entered
gon of Iofty and rugged mountains, with deep and pre-
ciptous valleys intervening with only here and there at
long intervals oasis where the weary traveller with his
exhausted animals could barely find grass and water su
cient sustain them and instead of the country pos
sessing the elements for the formation of five agricul
tura States it was found be almost totally destitute of
any of the conditions necessary for the support of farm
ing community.
Upon the development of these startling facts in the
physical geography of the country what does the cham
pion Of the route do Has he the magnanimty and
to acknowledge that he has been in error does he
make another gigantic stride to the south in search Of
favorable routei Far from either he is that
the country south is already too well known for him to
any project regarding it. and he most pertina
cously continues put forward his notions ia the very
face of facts based upon instrumental and
the conclusions Of competent engineers made upon the
ground and he has the audacty heap the most
abuse upon the honorable and highminded
gentlemen who in the discharge Of their duties their
government happen TO disagree with him. This IL
offence and because these happened to
receive portion Of their education at West Point that
institution ALEC under hslash and receives the