Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-06-12

Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Bill.
The following is Senator Gwin's Over
land Telegraph bill in the shape in which
it passed the Senate, on the 2Gth of last
month, by vote of % to 10:
Il 6iH to facilitate communication 6et,ceen the
Ah0nfic and Pacific States by EIech1%
Telegraph.
BE it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives, of the United States of
America in Congress assembled,
That the Secretary of the Treasury.
under the direction of the President Of the
United States, is hereby authorized and
directed to contract with Zrnns BaruUm,
Thomas X. Walker, John II. Bcrryhill,
Hiram Sibley, Norman Green, John D.
Catow, Frederic a. Bee, aud Charles NJ.
Stebbins, or their aSsignecs, or ~ njority
OF said contractors or assiguees, for the
use by the Government of n line or lines
of magnetic telegraph, to be constructed
within two years from the 3lst day of July,
1860, from some point or points west of
the Mississippi River Connecting at such
point or points hy telegraph with the cities
of Washington, New Orleans, New York;
GlANplGGslttRP&@s GGslttRP&@s IN 44lNht3c, S6HtNsrn RBd
Western Statcsl to the City of San Fran
cisco, in the State of California, for
period of ten years. at an annual rate OF
compensation not exceeding fifty thousand
dollars; and permission is hereby granted
to the said parties, or n majority OF them
and their assigns, to use until the end of
the said term, any unUCcnpied lands on
the route of said line or lines which may
be necessary for the same; provided, that
the Government shall, at Nll times Gc en-
titled to priority in the use of the line or
= AI.. .I,nF,
authorized by law, shall have the privilege
of connecting said line or lines by tcle-
graph with any military posts of the Uni
ted States, and to use the same for Gov
ernment purposes: And, provided also,
that said line or lines, except such as may
be constructed by the Government to con-
meet said line or lines with the military
posts of the United States, shall be opento
the use of all citizens of the United States
during the term Of said contract, on pay
mcnt of the regular charges for transmits
ston Of dispatches: Provided, also, such
charges shall not exceed S4 for single dis
patch of ten words, and IL deduction be
made for messages of greater length.
SEC .. And he it further enacted, That
the said contractors or their assigus, shall
have the right to construct and maintain,
through any of the Territories of the Uni
ted States, branch line. so as to connect
these said line or lines, with Orcgoni and
that they shall have the permanent right OF
way for said line or lines, under, or over,
any unapproprinted public mnds and wa
ters in the said Territories, with the free
use during the said term of such lands, as
may be necessary for the purpose of estah-
lising stations for repairs along said line
or lines, not exceeding. at any station, one
quarter section of land, such stations not
to exceed one in fifteen miles on IN aver
age of the whole distance, unless said
lands shall be required by the Government
of the United States for railroad business;
and provided that no right of prcempting
any of such lands under the laws of the
United States, shall inure to the said COM
pany, their agents or servants, or any 9TH
cr person or persons whatsoever.
SEC 3. And be it further enacted, That
it, in any year during the continuance of
the said contract, the business done for tho
Government as heretofore mentioned by
smSh contractors or their assigns, shall, at
the ordinary rate of charges for private
messages, exceed the price contracted to
be paid, as aforesaid, the excess Sh"ll be
paid by the Postmaster cneral; Provided
that no snch contract shall be made until
the said line shall be in operation, and
payments hereunder shall cease whenever
the contractors shall fail to comply with
their contract.
CvETMYTJ0 VIyUENTTVN ATEC