The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-02-05
,5 aososs. s @ l. so'o 50 90 A YEAR, IN ADVANCE.

the entire road would thus be brought into
competition with the bidders who were able
individually to construct each one OF these
sections. Unless this shall be done, or some
similar amendment shall be adopted by the
Congress of the United Ssates, a contract to
build railroad two thousand miles across
the western portion Of this continent must
inevitably become monopoly; for very few
individuals or companies in the United States
ut least, will be able to make a proposition
that any discreet President of the United
States would be likely to entertain.
Congress, in my judgment, should locate
the general route Of the road, for the pur-
pose of securing the most direct route This
bill, rs it now stands, unamended, it seems
to me, holds out inducements to contractors
to build the road on the most cireutious
route. will suppose the contract to have
been made, to have been signed, sealed, and
delivered; that then the contractor informs
the President that the general route of the
road, commencing at the mouth Of tho Big
Sioux, the northern extremity of the eastern
terminus nasscd, will run ~oyer the alluvlal
lands near the Missouri river, across Nebras-
ka to tho kaw river, thence across Kansas
and the Indian Territory, in a south western
direction, towards the thirty fifth or the thir-
ty- second degree of north latitude and that
he proceeds to its construction, and builds
the first division Of twenty-five miles. lie
will receive his 1920, 900, and fifteen sections
of land for each mile of road TINS construct.
ed. The completion Of the next division Of
twenty five miles, would secure S25O, 900 in
money, to be drawn from the Treasury of
the United, and twenty sections of land per-
mile; and should he thus proceed across
these very desirable alluyial lands, u dis
tance of 800 miles, he will have drawn
from the Treasury Of the United States
So 100000 in money, and secured the title
in fee simple to ~, ,l64, 200 acres of the
very best lands belonging to this Govern
mcnt.
This might bring the road to the foot of
rugged mountains or sterile plains. What
guarantee would we have that the contractor
would proceed with the work Ten million
acres of land, located on both sides Of IA rail-
road, built and equipped, across the country
have described, would be estimated by any
great land holder in the western States,
to be worth at least $lu0, 600, 900, and no
railroad contractor would estimate the av-
erage cost of such II railroad at more than
$2O, 900 per mile, one-half being drawn di-
rectly from the Treasury Of the United
States. Thus the contractor would receive
a bonus. for the construction Of this division
of the road, of sixty or seventy million dol
lars.
But according to the provisions Of this
bill the fee simple to the land as well as the
money is to be transferred to the contractor,
and may have been transferred by him ut
the completion of such division Of the road
to innocent holders. The $s,0UO,UOu in
money and the value of 20, l64 700 acres of
land bein. in the pockets Of the contractor, :,
what guarantee have you that he will con-
tinue his work, being now on the borders
uf prccirltous mountains and sterile
plains stretching off in a southwestern or
western direction for more than one thousand
miles?
1t is said in this bill that five sections Of
land along the last division Of TIE road
completed shall be retained as guarantee
for the construction Of the next section; tha,
is, you will retain the title to 76 900 acre.
Of your own land as n guarantee that the
company will proceed. Nothing more
From this time forward the land granted
will be perfectly worthless and the cos, Of
the road greatly enhanced. BY looking at
the reports Of the engineers it will be seen
that the remaining part of the road, after
reaching the ninety ninth meridian, is es,i-
mated to cost across long districts from forty
to fifty and even one hundred thousand
dollars per mile.
But in the next place We should adopt some
such amendment as the one now proposed
because Congress is, or ought to be, better
6,l liyht IL a
impartial decision On this question. | know
that in this opinion differ from many OF
those around me. know it is said that we
are divided by locality: that We are divided
in this respect by interest, and consequently.
that there is great danger of the loss of the
bill, although alargc majority of the Senate
and Of Congress is believed to be in favor
of Il Pacific railroad, on a route to be voted
for in the dark, and thereafter to he located
by some other party; the responsibility be-
ing thus shifted from their shoulders.
; have already intimatcd my opinion that the
members of the Senate, and Of the House Of
Representatives. have no right to evade the
discharge of the discretion with which they
have been intrusted by the people of the
Cnted States. They have no right to eyade
the responsibility of their present position.
They have accepted the office: they have
accepted the trust; and are daily drawing
the pay with which it is accompanied. II
wc admit ourselves to be incompetent to the
enlightened and impartial discharge Of the
trust that is involved in the Office which We
have rccev ed from the people and the States,
it seems to me to be our plain duty to vacate
our seats here, and give place to those who
are sufficiently cnlighted and sufficiently
impartial to give Just decision. All things
else being equal, it is true, doubtless, tha,
Senators and Representatives would give
the preference to their own States; but if Il
majority Of the members of the Senate be-
leve the construction of railroad from
the Eastern States to the Pacific ocean nee.
eSsary to secure the great ends contcmp!a-
ted in this bill, can hardly think it'possible
that local interest could influence us to sac
rifce the great demands of the nation. Each
Senator is the legislator for the nation at
larS2, rather than Of even the State III which
he ives.
1t may be said, however, that the mem
hers of the Senate are not sufficiently in.
formed to give an enlighted opinion on this
subject. Such proposition, several years
since, would probably have been just in
relation to majority Of the members OF
this body; but find that Congress passed a
law, approved March 3, 1855, appropriatine
Sl50,Oo0, and May 81, 1854, arpropriatinc
$40, 900 more, and August 5, 1854, $780, ,OoC
in addition, to be expended, under the di
rcction of the Secretary Of War, in an cx
plora,ion and survey Of all the routes ,hcr
proposed. In ALL $4,000 have been with
drawn from the Treasury of the Lnitel
States, by Congress, for the purpose OF
securing the requisite information. These
laws have been faithfully executed. The
corps of engineers, appointed on the rari
Gus routes, have laboriously 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 arc
not the brief Geld notes Of the surveyors and
toposrarhical engineers jotted down while
on daty in the field, but they have been
written out at length, in beautiful narrative
style; they have been printed in clear type,