The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-01-24


the of the countryhsre would not be speech
made against the measure, but every would readily
contribute accomplish object eonessedly impor
tant not only TO the commerce OF the United States but
the commerce OF the world.
Mr.. WELLER. regret very much that shall be com
PEELED TO vote against this BILL rs have been in the habit
of voting with my friend from Texas in regard TO all meas
which he reports to increase the mail facilities of this
country but If our government has now $4,000 year
to invest in the magnetic telegraph in my Judgment they
had better spend that amount in constructing line to the
Pacific ocean, where have immense possessions. We
within ten days of Great Britain, and you
within thirty days of your possessions the Pacific You
not satisfied with getting intelligence from England
every ten days and you desire to have il daily
and at the time you will take no steps to bring
California and the Pacific coast to the federal gov
Mr.. RUSK. My friend is mistaken. introduced bill
here and voted for appropriang $2ooOOOO for that
MI. WELLER. win show the bill that was passed in
1855 by Congress Here IL is;
That Hiram o. Alden and James Eddy their associates
and assigns, hereby authorized and empowered
ruct at their expense line Of telegraph from such
point the Mississippi Missouri river as they may select
through the public lands belonging to the United States
for that purpose hereby granted to San Francisco, in
California, in as direct line practicable"
There is what you have done for the construction of
telegraph from the Atlantic to the Pacific You have SIM
ply authorized these men, at their expense to go
through public lands and construct that telegraph
Mr.. President need not say, that in my Judgment it is
much important that should be brought into clo
connection with the Pacific coast than with Great Brit
ain If this country involved in war, California
and the whole Pacific coast must necessarily be detached
from the Union until could obtain the ascendency Of
the ocean, and that might take time. When the
bill to which have alluded pending proposed to
give the company certain quantity Of public
million five hundred thousand acres, believe of land
that is wholly unoccupied and worthless to the govern
ment to aid in the construction of that telegraphc line
and the Senate voted it down They were perfectly will
ling that the company should construct the line at their
own expense, and in generous fit OF hberaity allowed
them to have the right way the width Of two hundred
feet through the public lands.
Now here is proposition urged by The senator from
Texas and reported by his committee to enable us TO
hold closer communication with Great Britain. In the
event of war; that communication will be invaluable
the British government but wholly valueless to In
state of peace grant you there will be many commercial
advantages resulting from iii and the tax for 1t should fall
the commercial interests Of the country Let those who
propose to use it pay for it, In the time you have
spare money in the treasury suggest to you the
prety of appropratng it for the construction of tee
graph your possessions the Pacific At all events
shall not vote for this submarine telegraph until you
shown some disposition to give me closer connexon with
my constituents.
| Mr.. THOMPSON, of kentucky 1t was not my purpose
originally Mr.. President to say anything this bill but
as it has provoked very general discussion deem it
to It - ~
In the first place, exceedingly doubt and very much
dstrust the practicabity of this experiment least
the durability of the undertaking if the shall be laid
down. The soundngs which have been made may develop
the rise and fall of the and the character of the bottom
but We as yet know nothing to the practicabiy of
maintaining submarine line of teegraphic communica
ton OF this length. 1t be interrupted the wires
be broken by storms accident know it is said that
the bottom of the is hardly disturbed by storms
Whether this be not do not know have great
confidence in the progress and advancement of human in
genuity and science but doubt extremely whether this
line can be maintained if it be put down. III it were Of
ered to without price, it would be detrimental to
that think we should not take it grauity.
As measure in which view this bill has been pre-
sented have confidence in the project 1t
idle to talk of likely to benefit in of As
for 1hpt
in any war in which she may be engaged That "bloody
old bruser" that has boxed the Of the world for
thousand years. will need assistance of this kind in
war with u.s. Within my memory have known her to be
engaged in many contests whether it results merely from
fondness for fighting or not cannot say. When was
boy she joined France and Russia and sent feet against
Turkey for which she has lately been fighting. Admiral
Codringon at Navarno blew up the Turkish vessels and
England set up Greece with King 0ho Afterwards by
the sort of interference she the Belgian Empire
and got nice little arrangement fixed up there At the
time when she sustaining the continent of Europe
against the aggressions Of the Emperor Napoleon when
she carrying the peninsular war; she, sort of
bypay blockaded ports her troops here burned
down this Capitol, and took this very city Old jackson
checked them little at New Orleans the 9Th of Janua
1916 but she fought the battle of Waterloo the 18th
Of June afterwards No reverses to put end to
her power Lately she has joined Napoleon Ill to whip
the Russians just she joined the Russians to whip Ma
poleon l. By this mornings paper perceive she has been
bombarding and burning Canton as she did in 1912.
Then it to that the idea of talking of this
| war measure in connection with Great Britain is a
the people OF the country who afraid of redcoas and
Britishers 1t does very well for newspapers and stump
speeches. but think there is sense in it. England
wants such aid this for war. She whip with
or without She has navy more than ten tmes larger
than ours Her Canadian possessions borders,
though not remarkable for fertility resources, form
liable in extent of territory There she has every facility
| for attacking us. a r.#
object to the partnership which this bill proposes 1t
will be like the treaty. the cause of quar-
rel We shall have Cass against Clarendon, and Claren
don against Clayton over again | speak, allow me TO
say with great of the latter gentleman that
he has been reduced to the of the tomb OF
him may say that hope, in the phrase Of his pro-
fessipn cus est soH est usque dd clum We know that
those gentlemen have had almost nterminable quarrel
that treaty appealing not only to the present day but
to postery to have the quarrel settled Since
have come here it has seemed to sometimes if
making treaties for the purpose of quarreing There
quare, about the Northeastern boundary and you
had the Ashburton treaty Then there the quarrel
your Northwestern boundary, the time of "a deg
40 min funk or fight until at last gentleman from
Ohio, old Gov Brinkerho sad "You gave part of the
territory to the bloody old bruiser."
am against partnership between this government and
the British government for laying down line of telegraph
c communication between two British provnceslreand
and Newfoundland, Will it not be nice investment for
us2 The British government will haye the control of it.
Having both ends of the line they will have the manage
ment of the work 1t will be beyond control Gentle
men say that in time OF war we 60 up to Newfound-
land and take possession of this end of the line That is
well enough to talk about but the reality might be differ
emit Remember thai when England engaged in the
continental in Europe she could spare troops enough
to fight us and although did good fighting at
the Thames and at New Orleans the rest of the every
thing considered down to the disaster Bladensburg did
not show that we were in very good condition for war