The daily Butte record., 1858-05-11
Letter from senator Hart--Wagon
HaiirOsl Act. Ae.


Haiirosd Act, AEc. II
Ma EDiroR-on arriving in oroyille on the morn
" OF the eth inst and taxing mp the Butte RE- CORD
that and previou' date, found that you had
een calling the railroad aud wagon road act by
ONE very hard names, aud account OF my con-
setion with the passage OF that act by taking the
um OF your epithets and expletives. you make me
guilty Of n deliberate and premedt tated attempt to
,srpetrate an outrageous, Gisreputable, So indisg
private speculation, fraudulent ire
.rivaby ruinouS, inAultng aud seslpng crusade |
against the county treasury and citizens OF poor old
Butte.
No, you remind me Of the man once read about,
who fsnelsd that he saw something In the dark /
and became greatly frightened, but who upon being
TO the natnre OF the monster which
had gwen him such alarm, could not tell what u
was, what II resembed, but IL so forcibly remin-
ded him OF Incident IN his past histor, that he
thought II must be something very awful
ffthere Is 80 mnch mystery about the matter,
will penetrate IL with you, ana endeavdf to show
that there is nothing in it to be much frightened
about after all, aud at the prove that have
not Intentionally, Or weakly and foolishiy shown
saeh utter disregard for the interests of Butte
county and that there IL bearing in this act to-
wards the interests Of individuals. fdon't say that
one person would be no more benefited than
another, because some would be more fortunate in
respect to location than Others, rs must always be
the In the location of ROADS Of any kind. But
are the citizens or Butte county prepared to say
that they will do nothing III the way OF improving
roads becnuse the interests Of your friends or eno-
mics, my friends or enemies interested in bridges
Are the citizcns of Butte county prepared to say
througha regard for public Interests tn loan the
bonds OF the county TO the amount of s20O,OO0, or
100 for the parpose of helping 10 build rail.
road would beN'Bread and bntter," Typical Of
something essential and indispensablel, to US yet
to loan the loan the h0Dds to the amount of SevO-
900 and asne bonds TO the am,nht OF Sio,OoO. TO
open up and improve the leading wagon roads OF
the county while in the dscre mary regard for the
public good somebody's bridge or ferry privilege
may be improved o injured, the whole would act
like dose of deadly poison, and nvolye,the county
h, irretreyabls rain believe the ctize of Butte
will be governed by reason and not prejudice, and
will derive different conclusion from these prem
ises, -
You ask me TO inform the voters ofthe county what
Ia the meaning Of that portion of the act which
speaks of Mendenhal Ranch, the south east side OF
Middle Feather river and improvements ana invest
| ments whch have been made to accommodate the
travelling public, This will certainly do for here
is where the mystery Is Involved Here - the Key
TO the whole thing. Let Us subject this to process
of analyLaton. and zee what are the component in-
eredisuts Ingredients of this railroad and wagon
road project Let Us see 1t there is any positive
Fvia Bidwell'i. .. ars.nicn--among its parts, or
| whsther. after all. 1t may not be vertihie bread
| and butter. something essential and impor liant.
Mendenhali Ranch IL on the original surveyed
route fora wagon road between Oroyilie and o
junction of the North AMI Mdile Feather rivers II
this survey was not made by honest men, and for
honest purposes was not aware OF the fact. did
not know TIL very recently, that any other survey
had been made or that the building OF road upon
any other route was contemplated
1t H. in my opinion, the shortest best, and most
feasible rou IT, to the Junction, ii take into view
| those consideration which govern men Of discretion
| ia locating roads r- .. 81
| Tine FEATHER river Tor a distance Of about two
| AMI ono halt miles tom tho Junction, runs nearly
south From this point for few miles its course
is westward and then nearly south to Orovile, max
| Ing a large bend to the westward,
| The present road, passing by Mendenhall Ranch
towaras the JUNCTION, to low gapln the hills Dor.
derng on the river at a di -tance ot about two and
tl,.t tss.u Ia % In nnl
dton for the passage of vehicles OF any description
aud with trihing expense could be male one OF the
| best roads in the county. This road makes bend
To the eastward but there no material deviaton'
from A ifiract routa From this gap In the hills
you pass for two aud Que half miles, on gentle bu
descending grade along the slope Of tn" hill to tue
Junction. On this part OF the road considerao''
| expense IN labor would be required.
| by taking thi, route to the Junction, You pass
above the constant succession of ravines and RIDGE
which prevail near the river, aud increase IN sll'
and abruptness ~ they app oach It, to cross which
4 with a good wagon road, would require vast ex
pense in constructing embapkment and bridges, OF
a constant III iverson from anything Ike direct line
tneandering up and down the slopes oi ravines an(
ridges, thereby increasing the distsn,e fsF beyond
| what would be apparent ON mere casual obeserva
ton Besides IL road so situated would he liable L
be greatly damaged, If not destroyed every ram!
season.
| do not believe that any board Of commissioners
adopting the Junction route, governed W erope
regard Tor the interests of the county in respect
the tho expense necessary to construct the same
wonid Disagree with mo upon this subject; rhes
are the views have entertained for somo Time pas
| In cation to a Junction road
This Mend ,nhall Ranch then Is point by whie
a road should pass If the Junction route is adopted
| II Is also pont ncar whicha q road should diverg
> II any other route shou,d gain the preference.
lido not suppose that the citizens of Batte count
feel greatly Interested to the exa,t point vher
u wagon road crosses tue Feather river.
The next thing which you ask mo to explain u
yxI,a Ia bV thp
| THIS means nothing more tala ming as II may nav
ppeared than that the Legislature refuses To loca'
bridges and ferries on streams that are not naVg'
bic but leaves u altogether to the Board Of Sbp"
visors of ahe different counties at the state WI
have full powers To establish bridges aud ierrit
wherever the public wants demand then For IN
own part, bad no inclination to ttNe this out
their hands, neither had any inclination, by an
: means, To indicate the point where road shoai
D cross Feather river
BY taking into consideration inpro vcments an
Investments which have already ybeen made to accon
modatn the travelling public. Is ilesnt that whe
money has been Appropriated from the county tres
ury for the improvement of roads, or where iudiv'
! uais have expended thsir own money for such ap1
!, pose TO make their Investments In such property
public houses storehou seS, stables or bridges an
A ferries more valuable while this very property Is
be taxed for further Improvements, these thini
shall be taken into consideration, aud have just
i much influence in locating roads AS they are Just
. and properly enttled to, aud no more. THIS Is NJ
to apply to any ono case, or to any Que tndividua
hut gSncrally TO one as nuon as ah".ne'. ln''
not rule OF my own establishment 1t came tro
/ higher sou rec than any Legislative euact ctment.
Is stablished by the im,untable principles OF Ju
tce and right, aud II one which viii be appreciate
by tue citizens OF Bntts county. To be sure mu
Yield our owu private Interests for the promotion
n great public good, but not TO unnecessary exteu
dave Invested in houses and stables, o. ia brl lg
and ferries, amp in improvements on roads to mai
l ny pre- perty more valuable. Now II IL becames g
tial 10 aecomplisha great public benefit, that
interests be disregaried, then mpst yield them u
= but not otherwise That Is an ovetbearing aud "
anncal pubue that wound unnecessarily sacrifice Il
: interests of private Individuals,
Now, have done what could to remove Il
mystery fronisthe language OF portion OF this ac
must look TO your mathcmt ttiesl calculation
:, whereby you Austain your beirf that, 'thc ade
= ton OF this measure would plunge the coppty
}, utter ani irretrievable ruin. You sustain this b.
lel as see. by ,ring 10 an exercise la stInp
q addition and multiplication, AMI 81 Tar N this a.
erctse L. concerned, yuu done u admirably.
!. Their, is u,t mistake ta A. vet soa have preys