The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-23
1.-THE DESERT AND DIsuNIoN ROUTE"

DEbEhl AND DlbUNIDN hODlE.
1t has been urged by the opposition with great
loudness of voice and remarkable liberaliiy Of cpl
thet that they cannot support the Senate bin for the
construction Of railroad to San Francisco, because
it confers extraordinary powers upon the President
especially the President when similarly authorized
had directed the Great Overland Mail to be convey
ed over impracticable desert and disunion
route, from St. Louis and Memphis, via Ell Paso,
instead of by the way of Salt Lake to San Fran
cisco.
In the month of December last the Presidents
message and the reports of the Secretaries and of
some of the bureau officers, were carried from st.
Louis, by way of Ell Paso, to San Francisco, over
" the wateress deserts" treeless plains" and
" naked mountains" of this identical Desert and
Disunion route by the Overland Mail Company
in nineteen days and twelve hours The carrying
of the docurlents to st. Louis consumed two days
lacking one hour. Twenty-one days and eleven
hours after the President put his private seal upon
his package in his own Office at Washington city,
that package was delivered to Collector Washington
in the city of San Francisco 1t is the quickest trip
ever made from Washington to San Francisco. The
Tehuanepoc Steamship Company cannot equal
this performance. Coming from the west to the
east it has made one trip to New Orleans in
seventeen days. Allow four and half days to
Washington and the trip consumed twenty-one days
and twelve hours.
Nor is this performance of the overland mail
stages the "waterless desert aud "eeless plains
miracle. Repeatedly the stages have come through
in twenty-five, twentyfour, twenty three and
in twenty-five days from city to city.
How is it with the Salt Lake route? Leading
over elevated plains and mountains more than
one mile and half high above the level of the sea,
in region as far north as Boston, and where the
deep fill every valley and levelup every gorge
and chasm, though of fathomless depth, no man
can reasonably expect stages to run ON the 42d
parallel route regularly in the winter. The perfect
SUCCESS achieved on the route through region of
mider climate, selected by the Postmaster General
under the direction and with the express approba-
ton of the President, would not have been feasible
on the Salt Lake route. The very last news from
the Rocky mountains brings amelancholy account of
numerous cases of DEATH and of sufferings worse
than death, from freezing. The storms resstless
and hence SO many instances of death among both
men and their animals when subject to their unmit
| igabe fury in those high attitudes
Is it asking too much of the opposition to admit
| that the administration selected the route of the
overland mail wisely? Do not Memphis and st.
Louis perfectly accommodatethe leading interests Of
| the North, and South and West and is not the
route not only practicable but easy in the winter
when the Salt Lake route is extremely difficult?
The objection to the Senate bill falls to the
grounds the result, which generally is a fair test,
shows that the Judgment of the President conducted
him. so far see to the best possible prac-
teal conclusion. VIII it not be soon enough to re-
fuse to confde in his Judgment after it is shown to
be Enthusiastically? We appeal to the candid every
where-from Maine to the capes of Florida If in
the cited against him. the result has not shown
him to be possessed of superior intelligence and a
solid and most reliable judgment. The first four
months of the operations of the mail contractors have
demonstrated the faithfulness of his Investigations
aud the reliableness of his conclusion. With conf
dence and pride may the democracy point to the
results for his triumphant vindication