The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-09

my for the govsrnment this Improvement would still
have strong claims our favorable consideration The
saving "a mall service alone would be no incondetAb,e
item we now pay for this service To YAlsiofa and our
other points the Pacific oSet Two million one hundred
and eighty Thousand dollars year BY the railroad at
the highsst rate claimed 10 the BILL $500 per mile Der
snnnm the cost wouidbe bat about million daas II
Is true, sir that single railroad could not furnish the
mail to all the points Dos supplied by the expenditure
OF which ann s.'Ang but il would not require mil
lion toiias 20 furnish daily through line on this road
uoupt not that IN this single item we should save
81 900 600 annually and have far more efficient mail
service In addition the receipts o. the treasury which
are now but $500 o0o weuli be greatly enlarged But
sir, this income Is small In ooapaii.o on with what would
result 20 the treasury from the increased population and
consequent consumption Of foreign goods which would
follow. The treasury would large incomes from
TINS quarter What IT might do agent of peace
and civilization no can foreses but we all know
that the expedition TO Utah Is likely 10 cost as uch Ia
money is claimed IN the credit Of the government of
the purposes of this road and VIZ shall Is very FORTH
nate indeed II have no other occasion for spi-
Lar expeditions towards the Pacific prior to the
eonstrncton of the proposed work hope we may
not, but all the probabss are against such a con
cusion. am su.se convinced that if such agency
OF htesourse had been In existence years ago should
never have had serious trouble with the Mormons The
authority of the United States government would meyer
have been resisted had the goyernment posessed acil
ties of sending army with pfo ttude to the Terrific
~ in order TO sustain the assertion of its authority and
10 execute the laws.
am not the advocate of prodgal of the public
money of public property but, sir governments, like
individuals, may be 'penny wise and pound foolish =
and refusal TO aid in the construction of this road
the public lands the ground OF economy Would be
striking illustration of the truth Oh the adagc BY at
tempting to save twenty or thirty fifty millions
may involve the government in an expenditure of a
much larger We may do we may bring
upon the country the degradation of lat least for time
losing power and lowering flag the Pacific side
of the Union.
Nor in favor of the exercise of doubtful constitu
tional powers. i hold the constitution sacred above
everything but go for this consistently with
these views because believe necessary to provide the
of repeng an invasion providing for the pub
lie defence and therefore, there Is to doubt
authority to the public property and credit
the money for such purpose Nor sir need any states
man. il seems to me- have appehensions to the
sequences of this precedent 1t viii form
precedent for this any other country The world
has witnessed the like before and probably
will agana government aiding in the construction of
railroad nearly two thousand miles, unoccupied
region FOR the purpose of uniting sovereign States and
providing for their defence. We shall have
sion fol- the exercise of such power under similar crcum
stances, and statesman need apprehend evil cose
quences from the precedent,
The remainder OF the speech devoted to sugges,
tons as to the pending bill and amendments Mr. b. de-
clarng that he would favor any connecting the
government with ownership or control of the road.