The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-02-03

cepteu tne' once; they nave accepted the
tfust, and they are daily drawing the
pay with which it is accompanied. If
we admit ourselves to be incompetent to
the enlightened and impartial discharge
of the trust that IL involved In the Office
which we have received from the people
and the states, it seems to me to be our
phq duty to vacate our seats. here and
give Nace to those who are sufficiently
enlightened and sufficiently impartial to
give a gust decision. All things else be-
ing 91ual, tits true, doubtless, that Sem
atofs and Representatives would give the
preference to their own States; but if a
majority Of the members of the Senate
believe the construction of a railroad
Rom the eastern Statss to the Pacific
ocean necessary to secure the great end>
contemplated in this bill, | can hardly
thiak 1t possible that local interests could
hauence US to sacrifice the great de-.
mands Of the nation Each Senator is
the legislator for the nation at large,
rather than Of even the State in which
he lives, .>s i'' f.a"' ss,V 2fi 9'F't %
It may be said, however, that the
members of the Senate are not suficieu t.
1y informed to give an enlightened opin.
ion on this subject. Such proposition,
several years since, would probably have
been just in relation 70; majority ofthe
members Of this body; but I ind that
Congress passed Law, approved March
q 1888, lappropriatlng, sl5o,OoO, and
May 81, 1854, appropriat'as $4,000
mose, and August 5, 1854, sl50,OOO in
addition, tc be expended, under the di-
rection Of the Secretary of War, in an
exploration aud survey Of all the routss
Atheh proposed. In al, $500 have
Aeen Withdrawn from the Treasury of
tRe United States, by Congress, for the
purpose of securing the requisite infor-
mdtion. These laws have been faithful
ly executed. 2, The corps of engineers,
aPpointed on the various routes, have
aaboriously performed their duties. They
have made their reports to their superior,
the Secretary of War, and they have
been ordered to be printed, and eight
large quarto volumes have been laid on
the desks of Senators. These reports
are not the hr eff field notes Of the sur>
veycr and typographical engineer jotted
down while on duty in the field, but
they have been written cut at length, in
Aeautiful narrative style; they have been
prpted in clear type on pure, clear pa
per, exhibiting not only the general top
ograHhy Of the country, but its mineral
ogy yfts fora and its forna, from the for
.ty hinth ta the thirty second parallel,
9&d from the Mississippi and Missouri
eriveSs on the east to the shores Of the
Pacifc ocean. These reports have been
madeiin the language Of science, and are
cleay and perspicuous. r5i.sii aIf
But lest some Senators and members
Of Congress might not be able to read
and comprehend them they have been il
lustrated. Every unusual swell of land
every unexpected or unanticipated gorge
70 the mountains has been displayed in
a beautiful picture. Every bird that
flies ia the air over chat i'm mense region
'.na-sxay ~ Beast tha, traverses the plains
and moi ma sins,s every 6shlthat swims in
its lake and Nriv.-, every reptile that
ctawls every insect thar buzzes in the
.ui4,6er breeze, has been displayed in
tbe highesystyle Of art, and in the most
This printing, as
have Seen informed, has cost the Senate
for the twenty thousand copies ordered
for its use and informatiou, $500, 600; a
ninth volume, unbound, is now ut your
disposal for the asking, costing $50, 900
which added 70 the cost Of the explora-
ton, will amoant to more than aimillion
dollars, expended BY 1.-THE Senate Of the
United States, to qualify its mcmbers to
Judge discfeetly as toi the proper route
fora Pacific Railroad, and yet members
Of the Senate shrnk from the exercise of
the discretion vith which they have been
clothed by the Constitution Of the Uni
ted States, on the plea Of want of in
formation All Of this immense sum of
money has been spent in vain; We have
taxed the talent and energy of our best
and most sciepti6o civil engineers for
three or four consecutive years, in col.
lccting the requisite information in vain!
Congress is still uninformed! The Con,
gress ofths United is still unable to give
an enlightened decision A'.,,.,.'' -
/ Icannot, Mr.. President, with thu, i'm,
mense mass OF information before me,
dacida that am ineor netant IN piva an