The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-04-09
50 90 A YEAR, IN ADVANCE.
Of Col. Curtis ON the Pacific Mail


SO~ Wv "A
Remarks Of Col. Curtis on the Pacific Mail
| - Ronte.
In the Globe of the 18th we find the fol-
lowing remarks of Col. Curtis upon the Pa
eifc Mail Route:
Mr.. Curtis. Imove to strike out the last
words Of the bill and my object is to make
a reply to the gentleman from Kentucky,
Mr.. Marshall.] have not been disposed
to meddle with this debate between the gen.
tlemen of the South; but in justice to the
North, and in justice to the State which l.,
in part, represent, feel it my duty to pre-.
sent to the committee some facts which are
pertinent in replyto the argument urged for
this route as a measure due to Southern in
terests. While We have some five or six
mail routes to California, three of them with
in the United States, and three in the Cen
trail American States, we have not one over
land route north of Mason and Dixon's line:
or rather none north of what we call the
Southern States. Gentlemen advocate the
southern route, because it runs on the srim'
of Mexico. 1t may, indeed, be denominated
a 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 American
Union.
The following is list of overland routes,
with their annual cost:
From St. Louis and Memphis via ella, to San Francisco
costs $500. GOO per aunrha,
From Kansas City, Missouri, 10
Stockton, California. costs, $1,000
From st. Joseph, via Salt Lake,
Total cost of Southern overland
ioutes Sl.zZ5.UO
Mr.. Reagan. Task the gentleman whether
the South Pass is in southern State?
Mr.. Curtis. The route that runs through
the South Pass, starts from st. Joseph, in a
southern State, and thence bears north to
the South Pass, which is in latitude AZ deg.
north.
We, Of Iowa, have 'sswitch' line, bv
which we connect with the South Pass mail;
but the prestige and advantage of the main
line is given to Missouri. Our branch unites
at Fort kearney, when passengers may, or
may not, fnd room to take passage in the
coaches which pass on the main line. Bv
this branch connection, we do hope to unite
with st. Joseph in demonstrating the FEAST
bility of carrying our mail throug gh our own
country, instead of sending it, as we now
do, mainly through foreign States.
lregard this overland mail service rs
competition with the ocean steam routes
through the Central American States. AL
though there is injustice in establishing an
extreme southern route, still it is better to
submit to the injustice of overland southern
routes through the southern States of this
Union, than to the still greater national er-
ror OF selecting overland mail routes through
Central American States. Of these, We have
mail service on the lines of Tehuantepec,
Nicaragua, and Panama. You perceive
therefore, We have three routes starting
from southern States, and three running
foreign southern States, but none which we
can call 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 different
products. This argument appears specious
but 1t is 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 and
west. Hence, our railroad lines that cross
degrees Of longitude are profitable, and are
generally paving lines; while those which.
as the gentlema1 SAYS, cross parallels of
latitude, are poorly supported. ask the
gentleman what northern and southern rail-
road is profitable? admit that it is very
convenient and neccessry to have northern
and southern lines but the great lines of
commerce have always run east and west
and no al tifeial means should be adopted for
the purpose Of forcing travel, trade, and
commerce, out of those natural channels
which the geographical or pbyoieal features
of the world have established.
This line known as the Butterfeld con-
tract, which is now before US, starts from
St. LOUIS, which is about tho thirty ighth
parallel, and goes southwest to the very
southern limits of our Republic, and thence
again proceeds north, and arrives at San
Francisco about 50 ID deg. north latitude.
This great sou,hing makes the distance trav.
eled upwards Of 300 miles, as shown by
the tables of 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 distlnce to San
Francisco is about 1900 m les ; and he n W.
igabe wuters of the Sacramento. only about
1900. All the great national advantages of
the long southern route could have been bet
ter secured BY this central Council Bluffs
route, with saving of eleven hundred miles
in travel and several hundred thousand dol
lars to the Treasury. Why was it not adop-
ted? Why did not the mail 60 where Set
Elements and travel go?
Mr.. Smith, of Virginia. 1t could not get
through.
NJ. 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 in the gold mines. Mails can and
do get through, summer and winter. Scan
not get through" Thousands-yes, hun
dreds of thousands-have travelled that
route. In lS49, about fifty thousand emil
grants passed by this central route, and the
travel would still 60 that way if this nation
al Government had not layished the public
funds on foreign routes, thereby div ertng it
through Central America. This central over
land route is the safe, healthy, short route
to California; and the sooner this is 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. 1t
| is the route for the Pacific Railroad, and will
ultimately receive the pre- eminence nature
gave it, as the great overland direct route to
California, the Pac6c, and the Indies.
cy A new Cincinnati penny paper, the
Press, is printed on a press driven by one
of Ericsson's caloric engines. After giving
this motor fair trial, the editor says its
complete success is established, and that his
expecta ions are more than realized. The
expense Of running it is only one cent and a
half an hour, or Sc cents for "A running
hours.
FOR BASHFUL LOVERS.
Bashful lovers can hand the following to
their sweethe8rts to read: