Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-03-28


Being at Ct. Louis, three and ore half degrees
north Of the proper latitude, why not come down By
the railroad aud river to the admitted latitude and
then start it At toward the point Of destna-
ton?
The argument throughout is in favor of the S5th |
parallel rouie EEL, why not start that parallel !
and keep upon it By Little Rock, Fort Smith, aud
Albuquerque? Why start three and half degrees
north Of the 35th, and thus Gnd defeat its Whsle
symmetry and proportion?
saThere is 10 solution Of this strange anomaly in
logic but in the fact that unfortunately St. Louis
is not where Memphis is, on the Both parallel
The DEPARTMENT has not sought to compel the
States lying on the upper Mississippi to come down
to Memphis over this three and half degrees, nor
attempted to force the Southern States TO 60 up to
81. Louis for a starting point to California. Il has
chosen to select point Of junction west of the river,
and to branch the road sending it out to meet the
convenience Of all the States north and south at two
great points at which the rivers and railroads Of
every section concentrate on the Mississippi.
Look again on the map How the noble States
lying along the Ohio are accommodated at Cairo -
Look at the net-Work Of roads concentrating at st.
Louis and Memphis and then cast your eye at the
grand junction at Fort Smith on the Arkansas
Fort Smith is the grand junction. If the route is TO
be sent BY Albuquerque, and neither st. Louis
Memphis need be obliterated from this contract by
the fat Of Messrs Butterfeld Company.
This brings US Gown 10 the consideration OF the
true and indeed, the only question which has been
raised to the route selected. The department has
made a terminus at st. Louis and Memphis, with
Cairo lying nearly midway between them. The two
ternni are admitted to be such as viii accommodate
the largest number # States north and south.
Il is further admitted (in letter addressed to Ger.
tain citizens Of Van Buren,, in Arkansas by a dis
tinqushcd citizen Of Missour) that these branches
should converge At a sltablo point on the Both
parallel in the beautfu and fertile valley Of The
Canadian, where, forming common stem, the Union
route proceeds west up the valley and along the Both
parallel Of north latitude to Anton Chico; thence to
Albuouerdue SC, Well, we have already permitted
thes contractors to start at St. Louis to 60 if they
choose by railroad to jefferson City aud there start
out their stages, and TO 20 within fraciion) to
that very latitude he contends for and by that very
town Of Van Buren,, whose inhabitants he was ad-
dressing aud calling them to help him, and only
a small distance below that very beautiful and fer
tile valley which be was describing. Fort Smith or
Van Buren, for they are very near each other, and
on opposite sides Of the Arkansas river) may be,
therefore, considered a point Of intersection
against which not much, if any, complaint is to be
made.
It may, therefore, be fairly stated that, so far, we
are agreed. All people and States who would End
it most convenient to go to st. Louis may do so, and
proceed on theirjourney by JefersonCiy and Spring
field TO Fort Smith on the Both, IOrnearlysO, where
and they will be met by all the people from the other
States, who might tmostconvenienttO 60 to Mem
phis on very nearly the same parallel Of latitude The
only question: then is whether this general mass, so
assembled from all the States Ehall still 60 further
south by the overland mail route, railroad, if one
is to be built shall they 60 west from Fort Smith
up the Canadian by Albuquerque, sc. If it be
wrong to 20 further south in the direction of Pres
| ton ard Fort Fillmore, some forty miles above Ell
PasO, then it is wrong to allthe people both north
and south, for they assembled at that point and
are entitled to 90 from it by the nearest and most
! practicable route to their place Of destination.
We have now come to the precise point where any
we'll founded controversy about the location which
has been made Of this route fairly arise Ought
! it to have been located from Van Buren, or Fort
/ Smith up the Canadian or ought it to bear still
farther south in the direction Of Preston, in order
that it may pass the Rio Grande about 40 miles
above FL PasO, and thence by Fort Yuma, &C., to
| San Francisco?
The relative advantages Of these two routes, re-.
/ garding Fort Smith as g great stand point from
which the subject is to be considered is too fully
discussed from page SO to the conclusion Of my
/ port to justify repetition of the arguments and
facts there relied upon. l especially refer you to
the extracts taken from the explorations and reports
of Captain Marcy. He was stationed at Fort Smith
/ He was ordered TO explore both routes The most
ample preparations were furnished. He went west
ward by the Albuquerque route and returned by the
Ell Paso and Preston to Fort Smith, from whence he
started and the extracts furnished show decided
palpable preference given by him to the latter route
So does Captain Pope and Mr.. A. h. Campbell, who
is now at the head Of the Pacific wagon road Office
in the Interior Department. He accompanied Cap
tain Whipple over the Albuquerque route and Lieu
tenant Parke over the Fort Fillmore or FL Paso
route as principal engineer in 1858, "a and SO.
In relation to distances, climate, Wster, arabic
and pasture lands on the respective routes the de-
partment cannot but commend him to your commit
tee, fully competent to give you every desired in
] H.
showing the most triumphant success Of the stage
line now running semi-mOnthly between the Rio
Grande by Fort Yuma to San Diego, which, as sOcn
as received, shall be laid before your committee.
1t may be proper, before closing this communica-
ton to suggest that, if the establishment Of this
overland mail route is to pioneer the way Of the
future railroad IN my opinion 1t is every way desira-
BILE to pass from Fort Smith still further south on
the Preston and FL PasO route. This department
has nothing TO do with the railroad, and has never
therefore felt called an 10 express any opinf
iOn for or against one but it is vain and idle to
pretend not to see that it is the effort of rival rail-
road interests that are now asssiling the line of
mail stage coaches which the department has estab
lished.
The Postmaster General is therefore, not only au-
thorized but constrained to consider the subject in
slight degree, in the further aspect Of future
railroad In this light he refers to the fact that the
very shortest distance anywhere to be found between
existing States is on the Ell Paso route. From the
western boundary of Texas, on the Rio Grande to
Fort Yuma-the western boundary of California
is only about 400 or 40 miles. On other route
is the distance through United States lands terri
tory, by several hundred miles, so short. Four
hundred and sixty or seventy miles is, therefore,
the whole distance that the United States would be
called on to make the railroad outside Of existing
States
All who deny the power Of the general govern
ment to make such road only through the Terrific
ries as lord proprietor of the soil must give this
route the decided preference. Especially so, when
it is remembered that the value Of the lands to be
improved by it, and to be appropriated to its
structiOn, is VIGOROUSLY great, If not likely to be
far greater than on any other.
The COMMITTEES can ascertain the great fact here
relied on, by measuring on the map from the Wes-
tern boundary of Texas to the California line near
Fort Yuma, and also, by measuring from the Wes-
tern boundary of Arkansas of Missouri, west, to
the California line. Even when Kansas is admitted
into the Union, its western boundary will exhibit
vastly wider space than on the southern route.
From the eastern boundary of California, ct Fort
Yuma, by q straight line, it is one hundred and fifty
miles, and by the travelled route one hundred and
ssventy-fve miles, to San Diego, on the Pacific
Here is a most excellent hsrbor, and terminus Of
a branch road there would furnish to the new State
of South California a commercial emporium second
only, on that cOsst, to the city Of San Francisco
The great commercial connection by sea between
Dan EIduCAsCO anu DleBOJ Win Juab u 1hAA-
way on land, would make the whole coast Of both
CALIFORNIA; the most highly favored region on this
continent.
But must fOrbesr This letter is, perhaps, al
ready too long, and conclude it by expressing the
confident belief that, the route established,
and by the contract made, the service required
by the act Of Congress can and will be performed.
The contractors and their agents now busily
gagged in exploring the different routes; and under
the discretionary powers retained by the depart
ment to make such notifications between the main
designated points physical obstacles may render
necessary, have no doubt Of complete success.
Very respectfully
your Obedient servant,
AARON V. BROWN.
Hon. Mr. ENGLISH,
Chairman Of Post Office COmmittss,
House Of Representatives.
SUMMARY OF THE ARABIA'S NEWS.
The London money market was rather dull, owing