The Placer herald., 1858-11-13

telegraph bill. Now give us this mail. 1t
will show that we shall be connected with
our brethren on this side of the continent
by route within our own territory, without
being dependent on any foreign nation. Why,
Mr. President, the Panama Railroad Com
pany, only forty nine miles long, now charges
Sl25,OOO to carry the mail across semi
monthly-a close monopoly; and yet we are
forced to give them anything they charge,
or have our mails thrown out and have no
communication.
Mr.. SEWARD. What is the cost of the
railroad transit there for passenger
Mr.. Gw1N. TWENTY-FIVE dollars 1t is a
close monopoly, and it is breaking up emf
grafton to that country. We must build
up the country by emigration across the con-
tinen:; and if we cannot do it by steam lines
no doubt of its success know men of en-
terprise in that country who have established
mail routes all through California, who are
prepared with such a measure as this to
open this great communication. Let it be
from Independence to Sacramento, or let it
be on the southern route, or any route that
an enterprising contractor will undertake to
build the road, and | know it can be built if
this measure be passed.
Mr.. Briggs and Mr.. Benjamin raised some OBJ
jections and Mr.. Rusk ably replied and advocat-
ed the amendment After this Senators Bell and
Johnson spoke in favor of the amendment and
Senator Crittenden made lengthy and elaborate
argument against it, during which he was tre.
quently interrupted by Rusk, Gwn and Weller
oil tho n1 10 Nv Critt
follows:
Mr.. Weller. / think Senators will bear witness
that it is very rarely that obtrude myself on the
attention of this body. Indeed. my repugnance
to speaking here is 50 great that it is very seldom
that | can obtain the consent of my judgment
even to discuss those questions in which the peo-
pie represent are Immediately interested. But,
sir after the remarks that have been made here
toni ght in opposition to this measure, could not
remain silent
The Senator-from Kentucky, who has just taken
his seat, has assumed that he understands the sub
iect much better than who live upon the Pac
fc; and that he, too, is alone prepared to deter
mine the practicabity of the proposed route
Now, Mr. President, allow me to say that if did
not regard this as practicable route-as one that
could be easily carried into operation, should
be among the last Senators on this floor to advo
cate it. | do not desire that this Government
shall engage in any wild or visionary schemes
! do not desire that single dollar of the public
Treasury shall be expended unless there can be
returning benefits to the people.
The Senator from Kentucky-I do not desire to
interrupt him in his discourse-has assumed that
you will receive for the six hundred thousand
dollars which is proposed to expend, some fifty
thousand dollars in the way Of postages Surely
my distinguished friend from Kentucky had not
turned his attention to the subject. or else he
would have expressed no such opinion. For the
year ending the 30th Of June, 1851, being the
first year the postage statistics are furnished for
the State of California, the whole amount Of
postage paid in the United States by population
of twenty three millions, was $6,345. 900, about
twenty cents per inhabtant; while Caifor-
MIA with population of less than two hundred
thousand, paid 100000 equal to one dollar and
fftyone cents per inhabtant. During that year,
although California was the youngest State in the
Confederacy, she paid S3O2 900 by way of her
postage-morc than the State. the venerable State
represented by my honorable friend on this floor
paid into the Treasury in the way of postage.
Sir, that is all we ask. We ask that the
system which has enabled you to become a
mighty community shall be extended to your
brethren who are now upon the far and dis
tant Pacific. We ask for the privilege of
communicating through our own Territory
semi-weekly if we choose, with our brethren
in our ancient homes. The Senator from
Kentucky denies it to us. He will force us
to travel through the tropics; he will force
us to pass through a foreign country, when
large number of our people have already
been slaughtered, both upon the Nicaragua
and Panama route, by refusing to enable US
to transport the mails through our own coun-
try. Is that justice? Is that liberality? Is
this the policy which will strengthen the
Union and bind us more closely together9
need not tell you that during the last
two years the fact has been demonstrated
that it is utterly impossible to rely on the
transportation of your mails through a for
eign country. In carrying your mails by
Panama, but few months since, a large
number of Americans were slaughtered by
an infuriatad mob. Less than a year ago
some twenty or thirty of your countrymen,
peaceable citizens seeking their home on
the Pacific, were killed in passing through
Nicaragua. Is this to be continued! Are
we, because of our remoteness to be denied
postal facilities? Are we to be shut out from
the benefits of this Union because we hap
pen to be in far and distant country! Is
that the policy of the distinguished Senator
from Kentucky | trust, sir, that none of
that old fogyism which is so much spoken of
in this day, has ever found a lodgment in
the mind of the Senator from Kentucky; he,
l have no doubt, removed to Kentucky when
that was frontier State, occupied by In
dians and with sparse settlements, who were
compelled to rely on the protection of the
Federal Government against the hostile
tribes and now their descendants have found
their way to the Pacific and are asking for
the same protection there.
We regret that we cannot give the whole
remarks of Mr.. Weller, but they occupy too
much space for our columns