Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1855-01-31

Intercourse between the Atlantic
and Pacific States; Overland
Route, &c. &c.
State of IoUd--in General Assembly.
The rules Of the Senate having been suspend
ed for The purpose. General SnrxLDs. Senator
from Dubuque, introduced the following pre-
amble and resolutions, founoed on the Memo.
rial to Congress from Henry O'Rielly--which,
after three readings. were unanimously adop-
ted-and the House Of Representatives concur :
red in the same-the Governor adding his ap-
provsl-as shown by the official signatures.
lJap. 25, 1855
PROTECTION OF INTERCOURSE BETWEEN
THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC STATES,
BY AN OVERLAND ROUTE.
Joint resolutions Of the General Assembly Of the
State Of Iowa:
Concerning the protection Of settlers and emf.
granite bettceea the Mississippi Waller and the
Pacific Demonstrating the establishment Of
Postal and Itle9v0phic correspondence seyoss
the American Continent.
'sHHAS"S9 uS 0iotutbk IuCTe0Se OF TOOO0s
ries and murders perprtrated on travellers
and settlers by the Indian Tribes BET cen The
Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean. added
to the difficulties ordinarily incident to the
journey across the vast regions between those
points, renders it Indispensable that immedi.
ate measures should be taken by the Federal
Government, to protect at least one line Of
travel between the Mississippi or Missouri
and the Pacific, by proper distribution Of
troops for guarding against the outrages and
horrors to which American ciiizens are now
constantly subjected ia travelling across Amer.
icau SOFT between widely separated portions
Of American Territory.
Aud Whereas. It is the duty Of all govern
ments to furnish adequate protection 10 the
People for whose welfare they were instituted
"a duty which all civilized governments, in
Guiding the American government, recognize
in theory and which The American govern
ment practices in reference Ia. persons claiming
irs protection in foreign lands, whether II be
in the rescue Of ship.wrecked sailors from ia
pan. or the rescue Of persons like lHxta from
the faBgs OF European Tyranny:
Aud Whereas, 1t Is believed that thu req ui-
site protection for travellers and settlers can
be- secured without additional expense) by a
proper distribution of comparatively small
numbers Of troops in subdivisions stool AIDED
along any one or more Of the routes between
he Mississippi or Missouri and Oregon aud
.
accomplish the journey safely, to establish y
continuous line of sett ements, and to quicken
the traits mission Of The mails between Inc At
lantic and Pacifc--and thus incidentally, ty
affUrd:ng adequate protection, ren, erIEg prac
ticable the compilation Of Telegraph Lines be.
tween the Atlantic and Pacific states oil tins
Coniederacy.
Aud Whereas, II il particularly due from thu
Federal Government tina, The r..lerprisiny sci.
tiers between the Missouri ard the Pacific shall
be protected in their lives and property, VIII .
encounttring the tolls aud dangers vi pioneer
ing in the civilization Ot those imn,e USE te.
gions-and that this protection il the more I'm
roTtant, from the fact that, White thus it.urd.
ing proper protection for settlers as we'll as
travellers. the proiec'io. thus aifrde, would
incden' ally facilitate correspondence by Mad aud
Telegraph be ween the American People dwell
ling on opposite sides Vi the conlnent as wei
as az shor err intervals apart, th,oug h tn. " hole
extent of the OF the vast line oi travel u,
tween the Missouri an Pacific, as at,,rrsa,d
thus bridging North America by posTAL a d
LIGHrNisG FaoiLiTILs ior qaickentny The cOrrespon
dence be,,ceen Europe ana TIE uniries dorderiny
on the Pacific Oce0G.
Be il therefore Resolved, That, in the op,n
ion of the General Assembly OF The ste : If
Iowa, The subjects III tue iuregoi Z Pre nbe
should claim the Immediate and favorable
action OF the Congress- of the United Sts,-s;
aud that immediate measures should be taken
for di. trt uiIugi he troops intended i,i pro
tectiug The western settlements against lnGl.
an depreda.ions; SO that parties If fifteen o,
twenty Dragons may be stationed in stock.
AIDES (buiit like trading posts twenty or :hirty
miles apart, requiring only trotr che 10 two
tbous nd OF the troops intended ior the protee-
ton Of emigrahts and settlers, along some
route across the Plains and Mountain, between
the Missouri and The Pacific, A. proposed in
n y. II.,', III
approved by he National Railroad Conven
ton at st. Louis in le49 and on which was
founded the bill for effec,ing the objects in the
United States Senate in 1852 some of those
troops from each stockade To pa rrl the route
daily between the stockades, and TO 5trarsu,it
an Express Letter Mail alcng the whole route
between the Mississippi or Missouri and the
Pacific, with greater speed aud lar less cost
than any mail carried off Railroad route IN
Amerca:-- and with Ibis great adconfoge. hat.
whereas the present mails betw,eu The Atlantic
and Pacific STAGES. iuuch only al the tWo por II $
OF New York and San Francisco, the Overland
Mad Route he,e advocated, would afford ito
benefits 20 the whole country along il, route
each stockade, or The town which would
speedily he erected thereat, serving as pos
tai station as we'll as telegraph d, pot Tor the
distribution Of intelligence among The people
settled and travelling through all those vast
egions, as well as for the tTansmiss. on of
governmental dispatches between the Allan.
Tic and Pacific sec,uns OF the Onion.
Be i, also Resolved, as The opinion Of the Gen.
eral Assembly Of Iowa, That such arrange.
mcu's Tor the protection Of life and prop
erty, if faithfully carried out uith miliiars
precision BY relays or patrols from each stock.
ade, would guarantee the transmission OF
Daily Express Letter Mails between the Mis-.
SOUL and the c'tic-a dist anee Of about two
thousand mles--in about half The time
now consumed between New York and
San Franc:sco-thus incidentally rendering
this line one OF the best aud quickest mail
routes in the word, and also the most econom :.
icaI, if ths mounted soldisry should, as they
might advantageously, transport light let.
ter mails, withou ex ra expense. While per-.
forming taeIr daily patrol duty along the
ruute--thns protecting and encouraging trav-
ellng and settlement in the most efficient man.
ner, and Offering inducements for the immedi-
ate cultivation uf lands along the route, for
Supplying emigranis and travsilers--anj az
the same time Incidentally securing the early
construction aud efficient protection Of 2ete.,
graph Lines, which would aannibilate time and
space by The rapidity Of their communities
tions between The Atlantic aud Pacific divi-
sions Of the United States.
Be il therefore Resolved, That the Senators
and Representatives Of the State Of Iowa in
the Congress Of the United States, be aud thew
are hereby requested to use all proper Fl.
forts to procure the establis hmept Of the DO.
lie, herein advocated-a policy which, If is
had been adopted when first proposed seven
years ago. would ere this have caused the
establishment Of continuous like Of settiemeats
-whereat einigranis and travellers could readi
" find sustenance and def nee, together with
postal AID Geographic facilities for .nmuni-
eating with their distant trends aud with the
business world. instead Of being debarred from
comfort aud protection and Correspondents
for months Gas at presently while travelling be-
tween the frontiers Of Iowa aud Missouri aud
the Pacific Ocean.
Aud be it further Resolved, That the
Governor Of the State of Iowa he aud La il