The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1859-01-28
Congressional.
w AsIIlNGroN, j an. 30.

" ASliiNGlpN, ~ tu. ~.
SENATE. The House bill, for the
relief of the Mobile and Ohio Rail.
road, was taken up and considerAb bic
debate ensucd upon the question
whether to pass it, or retor it to the
Committee on Public Lands.
Tho matter was subsequently, laid
over.
The Invalid Pension bill was ta-
ken up and passed.
Mr.. Ben amin, of Indiana, report.
cd substitute tor the bill introduced
by Mr.. Mason, authorizing the Pres.
idcnt to usc tho public forces Of .he
United States.
The substitute was ordered to be
printed.
The first section gives power to
the President Whenever he has rca.
son to apprehend that any Of the tran
sit routes will be obstructcd or closed
by lawless vessels, or that an attack
is threatened against the persons or
property OF our citizans, to use the
land and naval forces to prevent the
threatened injury, on condition that
the forces used are withdrawn as
soon as the ohjact is accomplished.
The second section gives power in
case OF actual violence to the persons
or property OF our citizAns in any OF
the Central American states or in
Mexico, TO nae the land aud naval
forces in eXacting instant redress,
the forces to be withdrawn as soon
as the redress is granted.
Tho third section requires an inn
mediate report to Congress by the
President of all he may do under
the first and second provisions oi the
Act.
The Pacific Railroad bill, AS
amended, was then taken up.
Mr.. Davis, Of Mississippi, moved
10 strike out all after the enacting
clause, and adopt his minority re
port, the main features of which arc
RS follows:
To appropriate ten millions OF
dollars, and ten sections OF land per
mile, to construct the road. the mon
cy appropriation to be refunded in
the torn Of the nett proceeds into the
treasury.
No termini are named, nor mo-
nopoly given to any special compa
ny, and the road to run from the At
lantic to the Pacific states. He be-
liovod that the road could b. built
over certain route on these terms,
and made long speech in support
Of his views.
Mr.. Davis spoke for three hours,
strongly advocating tho Southern
road, and gave largo details Of the
topography Of the route, to show that
it is the shortest and cheapest, and
from Texas to California can be con-
structed ior the sum named,
It may here be stated that Mr..
Pugh's amendment to terminate the
road at the Eastern boundary of Gal
ifornia was not lost as erroneously
stated in some paper, but is still
pending, although it was tcmporari.
ly withdrawn to enable Mr.. Davis to
offer his substitute,)
Mr.. Green, OF Missouri, in reply
to Mr.. Davis, deprecated tho tenor
Of the Senator'S speech, which he
considered tended to cxalt the ad-
vantages of tho Southern road at the
expense Of the route.
As to the Senator's proposition,
his road would commence nowhere
and end at similar place, aud there
would be no assurance that q road
would be built to connect with the
Eastern terminus, any more than
with tho Western. Who could agree
to vote ten millions for any such
doubtful link? He, however, did
not consider that the road would
not be built. When we arrive at
the point where all parties will con
cede a portion Of their prejudices,
under the power of public sentiment,
40 as to unite on q road to suit all