Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-02-17
paCTr1C EkATLROAD.
...., a. Hon. andrew johnson, of TEN
messed, in the senate of the United States
january 25, 1853.


try. Encourage settlement; encourage the euiiiss-
ton of the soil; and ss your settlements advance,
carving along with them the arts Of agriculture NE
ehanics and science Of every description as they
want these improvements, they will follow So ls'
climate incident. Lei your settlements 60 On pro-
gressiyely, and as these improvements are Wabiei,
your settlements viii bHild them. Do not be affaiu
Of California. The Cahfornisns are brave ana
gallant people; and if you put the question 60 ihem
to-dsy-I think ! speak auihoritaflvely-they" WI,
ie you they can dtfsnd themselves; they VIII zen
YOU if you put he construction OF this road exoeN
tiveIy on the power, that they DO net ask II lor
that. When you leave out the commercial reasons
when you leave out the other reasons for the con-
struction of this road and put il the war power
California will tell you that she defend herself
If she wants fort, arsenal, or dock yard, give
il TO California as you have TO the other states
In many instances, when this question has come
m. the Onion has m INTRODUCED and We are told
This road is to be bond of union. California and
Washington city are nearly as close 10 each other
sseorsia aud Maine we're il the Revolutionary war,
in point OF tims aad closer than New Orleans Wonl
have been to Washington, II she had becn part
of the Confederaey in the Revolution rms roau Is
10 be coustFucie 81 bond of union-s road run
r;ng through DESERT road TO bring US little
Lea. 10 bring Us some silks. This is great bono Of
union; and one powerful reason heard gwen On
this floor why this rol1 shonld not be constructed
at this immense exp pse wss that the haYof OF iae
tea we get from China, passing through ne torrid
z1ue WAS not quite so good it ought 10 be, and
therefore we must have a railroad 10 cost two or
three hundred MILL DO Para TO get our tea with
Gtlle better d4vor / do no; think the people OF
this country will be injured much by the present
favor Of the tea. There is enough Of 1t used for
all useful and wholesome purposes. But II TINS
Union hangs together by no stronger tenure than
the construction Of a railroad which, as has been
demonstrated, must 60 through on arid desert, l
tell YOU will go AMI il Callfornia's remaining IN
the Union depends upon the construction OF this
railroad by the States on this side CT the CONT
Dent, say and say it in good nature, let Caiifor-
MIA 60.
do not believe any such thing of her. ! be-
Ieye she will stay 1t is her interest to stay aud
she will stay. Where will she go? Who would she
take for protector if she cannot protect herself?
| Tne Union-the Union is he constant cry, SIR. L
/ am for the Union but in every little speech have
to make do not deem il necessary to sing p@ans and
| bosanpas 10 the Union think the Union will stani
uninterrupted it will go on, as it has gone on without
NV singing lie ans TO il and this thing Of saving the
! Union will remark here, has been done so often
that it has got be entirely business transaction
! Every now and then, Addison used TO say, great
! men come up in clusters: aud there seems TO come
mn a cluster of individuals who are exceedingly
anxious for Immortality, either in this or the other
world: perhaps in both; sn6 theT must get up
| great crisis: the different portions Of the Union
must be arrayed against each other ami il becomes
necessary to save the Union. Hence there are Gem
promises on one side and the other; sDd they oil
! cana IN and seem to make sacrifice on the altar
| of their common country, and the Union is once
more saved.
Well. sir, have never considered the Uaion yet
in danger do not believe all the actionists in this
Government can pull it to pieces. do not believe
! they possess power enough TO dissolve the bands
that bind this Government tOgsther-the bands CT
mutual interest the bands OF patriotism, the idea
and association of q common suffering, the feeling
of interest," TO narrow il down to that sordid prin
eiple By which it is said most men are controlled
the sOrdid principle Of self-interest 1t cannot be
dissolved Il is the interest of the States 10 stay
in the Union it is the interest of the States to keep
the Union together and when it gets their inter-
est, they will 60 out, and you cannot keep them
here.
Mr.. President never intended till one day this
week, to say single word on this subject; and
have spoken in very dessntory manner. am
against this railroad, for three The first
| two | have enumerated; the last one is under
! stood.
come now to the proposition offered by the dis
! tingushed Senator from Tennessee, Mr.. Bell !
Tho Senate, l hope, will pardon me Tor making
| use of figure which used TO be very familiar in
| nv State, aud had name and credit and authority
! with the citizens of that State. When we look on
that proposition, it is to receive proposals for the
construction of three roads, and after they are
! ctiTed they are TO be opened and transmitted to
| the Congress OF the InlIeu States Ou6 BecllO0
provides that they must indicate in their bids how
! much money, how much lands or how much Of both,
they will take 10 construct these roads; and there
! il ends. We start out with bill to construct q
road absolutely. The Senator from Mississippi at
the very outset, reports bill in lieu of it While
| we work along upon various propositions, we con-
! sumo two sessions of Congress; and Low We I'VE
/ reached the conclusion-and this is merely with
held to test the sense of the Senate the PROPOSE
| ton of the distinguished Senator from Mississip-
| pi. 1t is now Withdrawn for the 1me being; but
We are soon TO have action it; ard what does it
| propose? Years ago it was thought necessary TO
make appropriation TO have surveys and ex-
plorstions made. These explorations and surveys
! have been made; you have them all before you, Of
the different routes, COS ing in amount more than
million dollars Now, having spent two sessions,
and sessions BEFORE in the discussion of this sub
ject; after all this, have reached the conclusion,
that we will receive proposals and submit them to
! Congress, which amounts to just nothing at all.
Does that seem to be disposDg Of the mater seri-
| ously?
1t reminds me of the story related of Crockett and
one of the judges of my State. How true it is, DO
not know. In one of their csnVasses, Judge Fitz-
| gerald-Dot judge at that time-got up and made
/ q speech and about the time he was concluding his
speech Crockett, in his ironical way, got him just
by the edge of his coat, and said "LoOk here Fitz
| ger aid, you are coming out at precisely the same
/ hole you went in at" Laughter l think this
/
commenced Proposals and estimates TO be re-
ceived, and then the subject is TO come here the
next session with propositions to build three rail-
roads.
We are to build three railroads. No one will pre-
tend to say that if the Government constructs all
these roads they will cost less than S200O00000
/ apiece Than we are to have three, which viii
| amount of 5000 600, 600. Where will the end be?
! What will il come to? Does not the Presiden. hmN
self tell you in his own message, that if the Gov
! eminent saw fit to undertake these roads, it will
result in corruption, fraud peculation, and specu-
! lstiOp; hence he thinks it ought to be done by q
company incorporated by the States? l will read
! his Language from his message:
freely admitted would nexpedent this
Government the power Of constructing the Pacific
railroad by immediate agents. Such would
the patronage Of the Executive to dangerous extent
introduce Of Obbng aud corruption which vigi
Federal detect
This only be done the and active and careful
supervision Of individual private interest The construction
OF this road ought therefore, TO be committed To companies in
coporated States other agencies whose pecunary
would be directly involved might then assist
the work grants land money, BOTH
conditions and Wsuld anpOrta-
Of troops ard munitions free charge, and
the United States mail at fair and reasonable rrioe"
The proposition of which | am now speaking,
however, looks to the expenditure of $500 10000
on three railroads running from the Atlantic TO the
Pacific coast, the southern one going as far south
as the western boundary of Arkansas and Texas.
! Tao of them are to be north | do not object to
them on that account. object to the enormousness
of the OpostiOn-$6000 600 000 Do you re-
membrr the history of the legislation in reference
TO the Cumberland road? That was a miniature, a
mere minnow compared with this leviathan measure
Look at the legislation Of that time; look at the