The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-01-19

land along the last division OF the road com.
pleted shall be retained AS guarantee for
the construction Of the next section that is,
you will retain the title to 10000 acres of
your own land as guarantee that the COM
this time forward the land granted will he
perfectly worthless and the cost of the road
greatly enhanced. Ky looking at the reports
OF the engineers it will be seen that the re-
maiuing part Of the road, afse/ reaching the
ninety meridian, is estimated to cost
across long districts from forty TO tfty and
even one hundred thousand dollars per mile.
But in the next place We should adopt some
such amendment as the one now proposed
! because Congress is, or ought to be, better
qualified TO pronounce An enlightened and
impartial decision ON this question. | know
that In this opinion | differ from many of
those around me. know il is said that We
are divided by locality: that we are divided
IN this respect by interest, and consequently,
that there is great danger of the loss of tie
bill, although large majoritv of the Senate
and OF Congress is believed to be in favor Of
q Pacific railroad, on route to be voted for
IN the dark, and thereafter TO be located by
some other party; the responsibility being
thus shifted from their shoulders | have
/ already intimated my opinion that the mem
bers OF the Senate, and of the House of Rep
resentatlyes, have no right TO evade the dis
charge OF the discretion with which they have
been intrusted by the people OF the United
States. They have no right TO evade the re-
sponsibilty OF their present position. They
have accepted the Office; they have accepted
the trusts aud they are daily drawing the
pay with which it is accompanied. If We
admit ourselves to be Incompetent to the en-
lghtened and impartial discharge of the trust
that is involved In the Office which we have
received from the people and the States, it
seems to me TO be our plain duty TO vacate
our seats here, and give place to those who
are sufficiently enlightened and sufficiently
impartial TO give just decision. All things
else being equal, it is true, doubtless, that
Senators and Representatives would give the
preference to their own States but ii a ma
jority of the members of the Senate believe
the construction of railroad from the East
ern States TO the Pacific ocean necessary to
secure the great ends contemplated in this
bill, can hardly think it possible that local
interests could influence us to sacrifice the
great demands of the nation. Each Senator
is the legislator for the nation at large.
rather than of even the State in which he
lives.
1t may be said, however, that the members
OF the Senate are not sufficiently informed to
give an enlightened opinion on this subject
Such proposition, several years since, would
probably have been just in relation to a ma
Jority OF the members Of this body; but |
lind that Congress passed law, approved
March 8, 1888, appropriatiug $3.50 900, and
May 81, 1854, appropriating SAC, 900 more,
and August 5, 1854, $3.50 900 in addition. to
be expended, under the direction Of the See
rotary OF War, in an exploration and survey
Of all the routes then proposed. In all, $780,
600 have been Withdrawn from the Treasury
oil the United States, by Congress, for the
purpose of securing the requisite information,
These laws have been faithfully executed. -
The corps Of engineers, appointed on the va
ri0us routes, have laboriously performed
their duties. They have made their reports
to their superior, the Secretary OF War. and
they have been ordered to be printed and
elght large quarto volumes have been laid on
the desks of Senator's. These reports arc
! not the brief field notes Of the surveyors and
| Typographical engineers jottcd down while on
duty in the field, but they have been written
OUT mt length, in beautiful narrative style !:
they have been printed in clear type on nure.
clear paper, exhibiting not only the general
| topography of the country, but its mineral
ogy, It's geology, its fora andi its fauna, from
the forty ninth to the thirty second paralleI.
and from the Mississippi and Missouri rivers
on the east 10 the shores of the Pacific ocean.
These reports have been made insthe language
OF science, and are clear and perspcuous.
But lest some Senators and. members of
Congress might not be able 10 read and com
prehend them, they have been illustrated
Every unusual swell of land, every unexreo,-
ed or ananticipated gorge in the mountains
has been displayed In beautiful picture. -
Every bird that flies In the air over that inn
mense region, and every beast that traverses
the plains and the mountains, every fan TINT
s@iias IN its lakes and rivers, every rentiie
that crawls, every insect that buxzcs in the
summer breeze. has been displayed in the
highest style of art, and in the most brilliant
colors. This printing, as have been in.
formed, has cost the Senate for the twenty
thousand copies ordered for it's use and in.
formation, Seu0,o0o; ninth volume, I'M
hound, is now Mt your disposal for the ask.
ing, costing S9O,OOU more, which added to
the cost OF the exploration. will amount 70
more than million dollars, expended BY the
Senate Of the United States, To QUALIFY ,ts
A''N'''','r w JpNEN "ieCIGctIN us 10 the rr0npr
route Tor the Pacific railroad aud vet mem
bers Of the Senate shrink from the exercise
OF the discretion with which they have been
clothed by the constitution oil the United
States, on the plea OF a want of information,
All OF this immense sum Of money has been
spent IN VAN; We have taxed the talent and
energy of our best and most scientific civil
engineers for three or four consecutive wears.
IN collecting the requisite information in
VAN! Congress 10 still uniformed The
Congress Of the United States is still unable
TO give an enlightened decision!
] cannot, Mr.. President, with this i'm.
mense mass Of information before me. de.
eide that am incompetent to give an on
llghtened opinion. No member OF thi. Sen.
ate, who has read these reports, can do so.
No member OF Congress can do so. Then
what pretext have We for transferring tho
discretion, not to the President, not to the
Postmaster General, not to the Secretary OF
War, not 70 the Secretary Of the Navy, not
to the Secretary VI the Interior, but Ia n
mail contractor and an army contractor-an
Official hitherto not known to the history 81
this countrys This high legislative trust
must be transferred to mail contractor. that
members of this body perchance may avoid
the opprobrium that may be cast on them II
their particular locality should lose the great
d.. A.. N