The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-03-18

of Mexico. Ii may, indeed, be denominated
Mexican line. Since the question OF
the location of routes has been raised,
wish to present to the country and
the committee the important fact that great
through mail lines start from Southern,
or pass through Central American States,
and not one of them from Northern State
of the Union.
The following is list of overland routes,
with their annual cost:
From st. Louis and Memphis, via ella, to San
Francisco, costs.....,.. $500 200 per annum.
From San Antonio, Texas, to
San Diego, costs.............. ISo, NV
From Kansas City, Missouri,
to Stockton California, costs 80 600 !"
From ST. Joseph, Missouri, via
Salt Lake, costs................ 900
Total cost Of Southern over
land routes.. ,229 goo /"
Mr.. Reagan ask the gentleman whether
the South Pass 10 q southern State
Mr.. Curts-The route that runs through
the South Pass, starts from St. Joseph, in
southern State, and thence bears north to
the South Pass, which ia in latitude ~ deg.
north.
We, OF Iowa, have q "switch" line, BY
which we connect with the South Pass mail !;
but the prestige and advantage Of the main
line ia given to Missouri. Our branch unites
at Fort Kearney, when passengers may, or
may not, find room to take passage in the
coaches which pass on the main line. By
this branch connection, We do hope to unite
with st. Joseph in demonstrating the FEAST
bility of carrying our mail through our own
country, instead OF sending it, as we now
do, mainly shrough foreign States.
regard this overland mail service as q
competition with the ocesn steam routes
through the Central American States. Al
though there 10 injustice in establishing an
extreme southern route, still it 10 better to
submit to the injustice Of overland southern
routes through the southern States OF this
Union, than to the still greater national err
ror Of selecting overland mail routes through
Central American States. OF these, we
have mail service on the lines Of Tehuante
pee, Nicaragua, and Panama. You perceive
therefore, we have three routes starting from
southern States, and three running through
foreign southern States, but none which We
can call q northern route. The honorable
gentleman from Kentucky Mr.. Marshall
SAYS that it is better that commerce should
run north and south, with our lines Of COM
merce, to secure an interchange OF differ emit
products. This argument appears specious
but il ia not consistent with the currents OF
trade. Experience proves precisely the re-
verse Of that proposition. Commerce has
always flowed in channels that run east aud
west. Hence, our railroad lines that cross
degrees Of longitude are profitable, and are
generally paying lines; while those which,
as tho gentleman says, CROSS parallels Of
latitude, are poorly supported. ask the
gentleman what northern and southern rail-
road is profitable? admit that it is very
cons enient and necessary to have northern
and southern lines; but the great lines Of
commerce have always run east and west !;
and no artificial means should be adopted
for the purpose of forcing travel, trade, and
| commerce, out of those natural channels
which the geographical or physical features
Of the world have established.
| This line known as the Butter6eld con-
tract, which 10 now before US, starts from
st. Louis, which is about the thirty eighth
parallel, and goes southwest to tho very
southern limits Of our Republic, and thence
following naar the thirty-second parallel to
the vicinity Of the Pacific ocean, thence
again proceeds north, and arrives at San
! Francisco about 384 degrees north latitude.
| Travelled Upwards OF 2,700 miles, % shown
by tho tablesNef distances published for that
route.
At the time that contract Was made, we
had daily mails extended through Iowa to
the City of Council Bluffs, on the Missouri
river. From that point, BY the overland
route usually travelled, the distance to San
Francisco il about 1900 miles; and to the
navigabls waters Of the Sacramento, only
about 1900. All the great national advan-
tages Of the long southern route could have
been better secured by this central Council
Bluffs route, with saving Of eleven hundred
miles in travel and several hundred thousand
dollars to the Treasury. Why was it not
adopted2 Why did not the mail 60 where
settlements and travel go?
MIR. Smith, OF Virginia-It could not get
through.
MIR. Curtis.--Are there no settlements
along the line from Council Bluffs to Salt
Lake valley--if not continuous, large and
growing in Importance Mails have to be
carried that way to the army, to the settle.
ments in Utah, and now to those who are
working ct the gold mines. Mails can and
do got through, summer and winter. sCan-
not get through" Thousands-yes, hun.
dreds OF thousands-have travelled that
route. In l849, about fifty thousand emil
grants passed by this central route. and the
travel would still 70 that way il this nation-
81 Government had not lavished the public
funds on foreign routes, thereby divertine Il
through Central America. This central over
land route j. the safe, healthy, short route
to California |; and the sooner this 10 under.
stood and adopted, the better for the whole
country, That route is equally convenient
to the North and the South; Iowa and Mis-.
souri,, Chicago, St. Louis and Memphis. Il
10 the route for the Pacific railroad, and will
ultimately receive the preeminense nature
| gave it, a. the great overland direct route 10
/ California, the Pacific, and tho Indies.
! HUKoRous legend Is narrated Of Cuv;er.
that walking through the internal regions