The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-08-30


~ preliminary to that, the overland mail
route to California 10 Of the very first imPor-
tsnce TO our interests in the present ana the
future. Had the Government continued the
mail on the old thoroughfare Of travel, Iowa
would have been in the line Of emigration
and would have derived immense benefits
from the trade Of the emigrants and from the
emigration that would have fingered on our
prairies. Instead Of that, the Government,
10 order to pave the way for Southern route
for the Pacific Railroad, established the over
land mail by way Of the extreme Southern
border Of the United States ut an increase Of
near thousand miles in the distance and
some four hundred thousand dollars per an
mum in tho expense.
Broderiok, who understands this matter,
and whose constituents, OF oil the people OF
the country, are alone more interested than
the people Of Iowa, thus spoke Of the matter
ct mass meeting 1t Plaoerville:
Previous to my election to the Senate, fel.
low oitissns, bill had been passed by Con-
gress making sn appropriation for an Over
land Mail to Oslifornis. The object and in
tent OF the bill was to permit the contractors
TO select the most direct route across the con-
tinent to this State. Prior to this, however,
the Postmaster General made contract for
. mail from San Antonio, Texas, to San
| Diego, California. With tho understanding
| that the business Was to be dispensed with,
the bill to which referred Was passed. The
bill appropriated $500 900 annually. The
Postmaster General made contract with
Butter6eld Co., for carrying the mail by
the 81 Paso route. Nothing was in the bill
about this discretion it was supposed, when
it was voted for, that the most direct route
would be selected. The FL Paso route was 4
thousand miles longer than the direct imml.
grafton route, and in order to establish the
Southern path, the contractors were forced to
70 clear out and south Of the line of travel.
The Postmaster General subsequently estab-
lished the St. Joseph and Placervilo route.
This Was done in response to the wishes OF
the North and people Of the Western States,
who, We believe, were rewarded by the agents
OF the Government Of sustaining the Admin
| istration, and who promised to continue sup
port through the Kansas troubles.
While il 10 one thousand miles shorter to
travel to California by the St. Joseph and
Placerville route than it 10 to 20 over the
Southern route from Memphis to San Fran
cisco, the time Of travel on the st. Joseph
and Placervile route was fixed at 30 long q
period, that if person in the former place
desired TO write to:California, be could have
his letter reach here one geek quicker BY dis
patching it to New York, thence to this State
via Panama, than he could send il direct
overland. 1t was the undoubted intention Of
Congress to favor the most direct route to
California. Three-quarters Of the corrcs :
pondence Of the people Of California is with
the people OF the Western and Eastern States,
and yet the administration 10 seeking to force
our peopl, to use . route but little travelled,
out Of the line Of immigration, and through
q country filled with hostile indians, one
thousand miles longer, than the direct, nat
ural route. And all this the people have to
submit to and pay for, because it is expected
that at some future day this may have some
influence towards the establishment OF Pc
ci6c Railroad by the Southern route.
There is but one overland route to Califor.
MIA, and that 10 the middle route. TCheers. |
God has here made q natural road. Over
land immigration to California must come
by this route; it can come by no. other.--
Through its entire length there 10 an easy
grade; wood, water and grass in abundanc
all the surveyors of the Government and ali
the pioneers Of civilization upon this ooast
have been unable to 6nd so good and 90 d.
rect route. Nne-t cnths Of the immigration
to California come by this route, and vet the
President and his supporters have endeavored
to throw this route into disrepute, to cramp
the contractors upon it, to make it Of no ben
eft to California--reduoing the service over
II from weekly TO semi-monthly trips. Du-
ring the frst session OF the last Congress, q
bill came from the House to the Senate, re-
ducing the time over the St. Joseph and Pla-
oerville route from SO to 80 days. Ny co-
league moved to take it from the table. but
the motion failed. finally got it up, and
obtained ito passage. II went to the Presi
dent, and he, true TO the policy OF his Admin.
istration, in preventing any Intercourse d.
rectly between the Eastern States and Cali.
fornia, pocketed the bill. The people OF
California, however, we're Quoted, and in
duced TO believe that the Postmaster General
would take it upon himself 10 reduce the time.
You who reside in Placervilie, can probably
tell whether the time has been reduced or
not. Laughter.
Death OF RePubIican Leader In En-.
rope.
The great leader Of Bslgin independence,
and the prime promoter Of its severance
from Holland in 1880, has just died 1t Brus
sels-D. G. DePotter. Dec. 18th, 1899. he
stood before the tribunal OF Brabant. Ar
raigned for pamphlet against Dutch rule,
and had for advocate Van do Weyer, now
ambassador At London eighteen month"; i'm
prisonment and 1000 Aorins fne made him .
popular idol. fresh Article in Le Courier
des Pays Bias got him eight years' exile, from
which be returned in few months TO sign,
foremost. the Decree Oct Id 1RQn nro
claiming the independence Of Belgium. IL
10 author OF an admirable life.of Scipio Ric.
ci, Bishop OF Pissoia, to whom Tuscany owes
ito Leopoldine laws 10 church matters, and
the comparative puri6oation Of ito Christian
worship. Born at Bruges, in 1856, be spent
J his old age in retirement.
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