New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-01
THE PACIFIC MAIL ROUTE.

4
the General Post-Ofhce Washington for the most an.
porGnt mail contract ever let in the United States
the contract for carrying letter mail from some point
the Mississippi River in our-horse pos. coaches to
San Francisco, California No starting print or inter-
mediate station having been mentioned in the law Of
Congress authorizing the contrast it will be for the
Postmaster-General, or perhaps the President and
Cabinet TO decide what point on the Mississippi il
will start from Upon this point ofthe question. there
is good deal OF interest 10 petition relating to this
subject addressed 10 the President in which nearly
al the railroads in the Northern and Western States
are represented, the petitioners say:
We consider the location Of the route Of the over
land mail matter Of deep concern 10 the business in.
terests Of the United States. We hope that in no
event, will the eastern terminus be fixed at point
further south than ST. Louis a. that city south Of the
center line Of both population and business. And be-
sides your EIcellency will perceive by glancug at a
map, that the distance from New-Oneaus. and from
Mobile 10 st. Louis Is less than $50 miles and from
Galve,tOn and Pensacola, 80 miles whereas from
ST. Louis to New-iork, II Is 100 miles. Savannah
and Charleston are TO ST. Louis than are Rich.
moud or Baltimore or Philadelphia, almost as near
as Buffalo, and far than any part of New-En-
gland the eastern half Of New-York Eastern Penn
sylvanis, all Of New-Jersey and Delaware, or p0r-
ton Of Maryland. Being thus situated far south Of
the center line Of the population aud business of the
United States, should deeply regret the location Of
the route Of the mail stages along line commencing
still further south than 81. Louis.
IT. this we believe all the businessmen of the coun-
try viii most heartily concur; but there are strong
reasons to fear that politics will rule the decision and
make the startng-point New-Oreans, so a. to
CARY the route through Texas that is understood
to be the route upon which Senator Rusk has set his
heart and that Senator Gwnn the father of the road
ccncurs with Rusk and that the tyrants who rule the
country have determined that good share of the
g 600 year for the contractors shall be spent upon
Slave Territory and that in event shall the route
terminate upon any but Slave Territory 1t is to
be feared that St. Louis will be cut off and punished
for her late apostasy, far as it be done, by
refusing to make that starngpOnt of the greatest
mail stage route in the world To obyiate this objec
ton, one Of the proposals that will be submitted to-
day. will contain the following proposition:
TO start from both 81. Louis in Missouri, on the
Mississippi River via Springfield, Mo-, and from
Memphis in Tennessee on the Mississippi River, by
way Of Little Rock, in Arkansas, connecting at COM
mon point at east of Albuquerque in New-Mexico,
the point of connection to be selected by the contract
after careful examination of the country, and
thence west to and along the Military Road now being
built under the direction of the Secretary of War to
the Colorado River; thence up the valley of the
MOhahve River, TO and through the TETON passes of
the Sierra Nevada and thence along the best route to
San Francisco in California; agreeably to the adyer
tsement of the POstmasterGeneral, OF the 10Th Of
April, 1851 in good four-horse coaches spring
wagons suitable for the conveyance of passengers
well as the safety and security of the mails. Semi
monthly, each way, for the annual sum of - dol
lars; weekly, each way for the annual sum of -
doars; semi weekly each way, for the annual of
--- dollars"
This is a proposition of the strongest combined in
terest undoubtedly that made proposal for car
ryng the mail upon any land route in the world; for 1t
combines the interests of all the leading express COM
panes upon both sides of the Rocky Mountains-that
is. Adams & Co, Wells Fargo & Co., American EX.
press Co., and United States Express Coal of
which give sufficient guaranty to the public that If
they undertake the service it will be performed; and
performed too in to be Of some service to the
public as well as the contractors. 1t is service that
can only be undertaken by company of almost I'M
limited means because money has not only to be adj
yarced TO stock the road but 10 build bridges, sta
ons and create farms TO raise grain to feed the stock,
and furnish food for employees and passengers IN the
desert regions of the route II the contract should be
awarded TO the Express Company interest they will
have to employ a considerable force of armed men to
travel with the mail, because it il their intention to
undertake the transportation of all gold now brought
by express aeros. the sthmus and il is confidently be-
Geved that they can reach New-York several days
sooner than by the steamers, they will have rail-
road conveyance from some hundred miles beyond st.
Louis by the time they get the rest of the route
in operation.
There is no doubt that many persons will avail them
selves of the stage San Francisco, in preference
to the steamers and there is little more that one or
more railroads to the Pacific will follow closely upon
the track of the "four-hOrse mail-coaches to San
Francisco" provided that route is not established
through the swamps of Louisiana and the arid DESC
late uainhabitable plains of Northwestern Texas.