The Placer herald., 1858-11-13
The Overland Mail Debate in the Senate.

The Overland Mail Debate in the Senate
On the 9th February, 1856, the Senate
having under consideration the House Post
office appropriation Bill, the following de-
bate occurred:
Mr. RUsK. | now offer the following
amendment, by authority of the Committee
on the Post Office and Post Roads, as addi-
! tional sections:
! SEc--.and be 1t further enacted, That the
! Postmaster General be, and he is authorized, to
contract for the conveyance of the entire letter
mail from such point to the Mississippi river as
the contractors may select to San Francisco in
| the State of California, for six years, at cost
not exceeding 100000 per annum for semi
monthly, $450,000 for weekly, or 100000 for
semi-monthly, weekly, or semi-weekly, at the op-
| tion of the contractors
| SEC.--.4nd be it further enacted, That the con-
tract shall require the service to be performed
with good four-horse coaches, or spring wagons,
suitable for the conveyance of passengers, as we'll
US the safety and security of the mails.
SEc.-.4nd be it further enacted, That the con-
tractors shall have the wright of way, not ex-
ceeding hundred and twenty feet wide,
through the public land during the continuance
of service, and the wright of pre-empton to three
hundred and twenty acres of land at each point
necessary for station, not to be nearer than ten
miles from each other.
SEC.-.And be it further enacted, That the
said service shall be performed within twenty
five days for each trip, and that, before entering
into such contract, the Postmaster General shall
be satisfied Of the ability and disposition of the
parties bona fde to perform the said contract,
and shall require good and sufficient security for
the performance of the same; the service to COM
mence within twelve months after the signing Of
the contract.
Mr.. HUNTER 1t seems to me sir that
this is large amendment to be put on this
bill with so little notice-an amendment
which proposes to establish at once a semi
weekly mail overland to California, and to
enter into contracts [ am free to say that
if thought, by adopting this amendment,
we should supercede the ocean mail service
to California, which is costing US some $780,.
900 year, should be for it; but my fear
is that we shall be charged with both in or
der to make up those communications, and
that we shall have constantly on appropria-
ton bills ust such cases as the Giddings ap-
preparations to add to the compensation for
which the contractors agreed to carry the
mail. Such has been the result of attempts
to carry it for much sholter distances in that
any rate, am afraid of it as an amendment
to this BILL If we can have satisfactory as
surances that, by establishing such a route,
we shall supercede the ocean mail steam SER
vice. would vote for it as separate and in
dependent bill, but not here.
MR. GwIN. How can we ever supersede
the steamships unless we have a mail across
the continent? and how can we get such a
one until we make the experiment? California
has been in possession Of the United States
more than ten years, and yet we have no
communication across the continent within
our own territory. We are entirely at the
mercy Of a steamship company-a gigantic
monopoly that never can be broken down
unless you give us a mail across the contin-
ent. now announce that if you will give
us this route, and give us that liberal patron
age to which we are entitled from the Gov
ernment of the United States, so far as | am
concerned, will never 90 for another steam
route, nor will go for renewing the con-
tract of the line now in existence. When
ever we can establish the fact that the mail
can be carried across the continent, as |
know it can, if you will give us proper aid
by this measure, we want no steam routes;
we need none of them.
There is no question in which the people
of California take such an interest as in that
Of mail route across the continent. BY
very large vote which think indicates the
policy of the Senate, bill was passed few
days ago giving us telegraphic communi
cation across the continent. Now give us
mail. You have agreed to give us wagon
roads; but they will be of no use unless you
put mails upon them. The Indians will burn
up the bridges if they are not kept in con-
slant use; and what you have done will be
of no service to us unless you give us mail
communication. | indicate no route. Let
money find the best route to California.
hope no sectional question will spring up on
this proposition; for sooner or later we must
have communication across the continent
with the Pacific coast, and the sooner we
commence the better.
This contract with the Pacific Mail Steam
ship company, and the New York and Chag-
res Company, expires in October, 1853
only eighteen months from this time; and it
will take eighteen months to ascertain the
fact whether it is practicable to carry the
mail across the continent overland; and if
this measure does not now pass, it is guar
antee to the country that those who oppose
it intend to force us into additional contracts
to carry the mail through two oceans to Cal
| ifornia. A war with one of the most insig-
nicant nations would stop all communica-
ton between the Atlantic and Pacific States
of the United States. Every ship that goes
to California and carries mails or brings
them back, passes in sight of Cuba, and one
ship of war there could stop all communica-
ton. We are at the mercy of any nation
with whom we may be at war, SO far as that