The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-01-27

non Of a Pacific railroad, lrith Instructions q
5riRg IN 6iH for tie construction of a Northern
and Southern road, and an reply TO Hon. 4. Irer.
I'm.
Mr.. President: am one of those favorable
10 the construction of a railroad to the Pacific
ocean, and favorable to the granting by the Fed
eral Government of whatever aid is necessary 70
accomplish the object. Ishall not stop 10 argue
the eonsttutionality of measure of this charac-
ter, which Is a measure to provide for the CON-
mon defence, TO promote the general welfare, and
70 secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity. 1t cannot be that a measure
designed to carry out the very objects for which
the Constitution was formed, is in conflict with
that instrument Nor shall undertake to point
out the importance of this great work. That
has been done by others, and it would be work
Of supererOgation on my part now to attempt to
point out the advantages in domestic point OF
view te our own people, and the great advantages
10 accrue TO this country in its foreign inter-
course with the other nations of the earth, from
the construction Of this great work across the
continent Ii would facilitate intercourse with
those eastern nations now for the first time
about 10 be freely opened 10 the civilized world,
and whose trade and wealth have excited the
cupidity of European nations from the earliest
times II would be the means of transporting
into the heart of the country, aud across the con-
tinent, the commerce and the riches of the East
which contribute so largely to the wealth and
importance Of the enlightened nations of Eu-
rope.
But as TO the construction of this road, if but
one road is to be built, has been justly said ii
should be a central one, road that will accom-
modate most Of the population and business OF
the country. We do not want a road where no
one lives, but where the business and population
Of the country are and all parties, it seems to
ne, from all sections of the country should unite
n favor of that great national route which will
accommodate to the greatest extent our popula-
ton and the business of the country. | am very
well satisfied to commence the road on the Mis-
souri, river between the mouths of the Big Sioux
and Kansas rivers, as provided in this bill. ]
think a road commencing between those termini
the east, and terminating the Pacific at
San Francisco, and built on the most direct and
eligible route between those points, would be a
central road, and ought to command the support
Of the country.
But sir We have assurance from this bill
that any such road is TO be built; and before
can give my vote, partial as am to the construc-
ton Of a Pacific railroad, to any bill, must
know something about where that road is to run.
! do not understand the bill under consideration
ms some of its friends do. The Senator from
California, who has this bill in charge, Mr.
GEIy, seems to suppose that the location of the
road is left 10 the contractors. Such is not my
understanding of it. The choice of the point
from which the road is to start is left to the con-
tractors between certain limits-the mouths of
r the Big Sioux and Kansas rivers-but they have
no authority TO select the route under this bill.
In looking AT the remarks of the Senator from
California, lind that he states that the commit
tee were careful, IN preparing this measure, to
confer no discretionary power on the President or
any one else Why sir, this bill confers all power
on the President. lie may carry the road where
be pleaSes, and we have had some experience as
20 low this power will be exercised on the part
81 the executive authorities; and will call the
attention Of the Senate in ii moment to the way
a. which power is exercised, for we have had
some tOretaste, III the past action of the Govern
ment, Of what may be expected under this bill,
if it should pass in its present shape.
The bill under consideration does not give to
the contractors the right to select the route, but
4 directs a contract TO be entered into between
the President aud such persons as may choose to
Di' Tor carrying the mail, from some point on the
Missouri river, between the mouths of the Bic
Sioux and the Kansas rivers and the city of San
Francisco, on the most eligible route, reference
being bad TO feasibility, shortness, and economy"
and Whose proposal shall be deemed by him
T (the Pre7ideutl most advantageous to the United
States for the iGil and complete performance of
the said contract Who is TO determine which
route is most eligible and most advantageous
TO the United States The President TO whom
fall discretion is left over the whole matter OF
/ the route by the provisions of this bill. litter
the contract is made, the party making it has
authority 10y the terms Of the bill to locate the
general route of the road, but that can only mean
the general route on the line selected By the
President, who viii doubtless refuse to make a
contract unless to take the road on the route he
shall deem most eligible.
Sir we have had little experience as to how
the executive authorities use discretion of this
Kind. lTecollect that, about two years ago, Con-
. ms sod Ia w ha
General to contract for the conveyance of mail
4" from such point the Mississippi river as the
contractors may select, (itwas a little more spe-
cifc than this BILL "to San Francisco, in the
State of California" and that act provided that
the Postmaster General should, before entering
into the contract " be satisfied of the ability and
disposition of the parties bona fde and in good
faith, to perform the said contract" We all I'M
der5tood, when that bill was pending and when
II passed Congress, that it was To be left to the
contractors 10 select the route by which they
would take the mail across the continent TO San
Francisco. Ii would seem that, at first, the Post
Office Department 50 understood the law for in
1he advertisement for proposals under that act
At was stated that, "besdes stating the starting
point on the Mississippi river bidders will name
the intermediate points proposed TO be embraced
in the route, and otherwise designate its course
as nearly practicable
Under this advertisement for proposals to
.
numerous bids were made on different routes.
out what docs the Postmaster General do He
REJECTS every bid that made for a specific
route, and adopts route of his own | have his
official report, made at the commencement of the
last session OF Congress, in which he states that
" the foregoing route" after stating what route
be had selected, " is selected for the overland
mail service to California, as combining, in my
Judgment, more advantages and fewer disad-
yantages than any other.n
Now, mark what he says further: " No bid hav-
ing been made for this particular route and all
the bidders whose bids were considered regular
under the advertisement and the act of Congress
having consented that their bids may be held
and considered as extending and applying to
ms route, therefore, he goes on to make a con-
tract Here the contractors were coerced, in de-
tance of an express act of Congress, into chang
ing their bids TO take the mail over a route indi-
Gated by the Postmaster General, or else they
could not have the contract at all. Their bids
we're made applicable to a route which he desig-
mated and what was that route? A route start
ing from the cities of St. Louis and Memphis,
conyerging in Arkansas, and running away down
nearly into Mexico, over barren deserts without
water, IN some instances, for more than seventy
miles, and wholly incapable Of settlement thence
around on to the Pacific coast, hundreds of miles
south of san Francisco, and up the coast to that
citF-a mail route as crooked as an OK bow run
ming south sin parallels of latitude, and then
back again six degrees Of latitude to reach the
place OF Its destination
To justify himself for selecting this circuitous
route, the Postmaster General reported to Con-
gress that the distance TO be travelled from Ful-
ton, in Arkansas, TO San Francisco, was 2.OI6
miles, and was about the same by that route
from the Mississippi river as by any other where
as the actual distance travelled by the mail on