Weekly Trinity journal., 1860-08-11

Who xvns " Pnidv TO Defeat the Overland
Daily NIailt

Daily Mailt
The New York Tribune has returned to the
subject of the California mails, and the defeat,
by somebody's knavery, of all the bills before
Congress to provide for them. 1t says:
"Though the present House of Representatives.
was kept unorgauized by Democratic factionists
till February, Mr.. Collax from the Postotfice
committee, reported, early in March, q bill pro-
vdng for the conveyance of daily overland
mail in twenty days from the Missouri to Califor-l
MIA, with weekly offsets to Denver and Salt Lake,
City, should the main line miss those points, or
either of them. This bill-whch was duly passed
by the House-provided for immediate proposals
for carrying this great mail-bids TO be received
till May 25th-the mail to commence running on
or about July lst. The object was to have the
route located and the mail established the current
season, as it is only in summer that mail stations
can we'll be constructed; and forage in large
quantities provided in the desolate wilds either
side of the Rocky Mountains.
1t was the plain, unmistakable duty of the
Senate to have acted on the bill promptly
amended or rejected If they must, but in the lat
ter case to have provided in some other way for
the conveyance of the California mails But the
Senate did nothing of the sort 1t devoted its
time mainly to the discussion of Senator's A. G.
Brown and Jeff. Davis slave code resolves. Ii
purposely allowed the time when bids were to be
received, the season wherein daily overland
mail could be established, to pass, making no
provision whatever for those mails, though 1t was
notorious that the steamship eontrsct expired
with the month Of June. The controlling power
in the Senate knew that it was throwing these
mails into the jaws of the steamship monopoly,
or else arresting them altogether.
On the last day of the session, just one hour
before that fixed for the adjournment, the Senate
sent to the House-not the overland mail bill
amended or Otherwise concurred in-but the
general new postroute BILL with ninety amend
ments, one Of which purpored to provide Tor an
overland mail-or rather for two or three over,
land mails. There was not time left even to read
these amendments, much less consider them, and
the bill failed, as was of course Intended.
If there is on this wide earth, one human be
ing who, knowing these facts, does not believe
that somebody in the Senate was pald-and well
paid--by somebody Interested in defeating a
daily overland mail, then that human being has
never had his eye-teeth cut in Washington"
On the same subject the ST. Louis Democrat of
July goth says:
at is well known that we should now have u
daily Overland Mail, had il not been for the
lobby influence Of the steamship interest, and
Senator Gwin. The House passed bill, early
in the session directing the Postmaster General
to advertise for proposals for daily Overland
mail, and authorizing him 10 make contract for
the service. Senator Hale offered the same, or n
similar bill, in the Senate, but it was defeated
by the Vaccinations of Senator GwO, and in
pursuance of an understanding, on one side with
the steamship interest, and on the other with
the Administration. The Postmaster General,
who is in1cxibly hostile to the Overland mail
service, gave assurance to Gwin that IL Hale s
bill should be prevented from passing, every
facility would be afforded by the Government
for the transportation of the California mails by
the ocean route This was particularly agreca-
BILE to the California Senator between whom and
steamship companies the closest relations are
said to prevail, and accordingly he managed TO
fulfil the wishes of Postmaster Holt.
But the point in which our readers are main
ly Interested, is the defeat Of the bill for esab
fishing a daily overland mail. Such q measure
would be hardly less beneficial to st. Louis than
San Francisco. Since IL is admitted that Gwin
compassed its defeat, we should like to know
what our Senators, Messrs Polk and Groen,
were doing, while the California Senator was
thus Offering q successful resistance to u great
western measure. Had they actively supported
Hae's bill, the intrigues coneocted between Holt
and Gwin would have failed, and we should have
a daily overland mail to California on the Cen
tral route and through Idah and Utah, by the
close of the summer and we should have been
spared the disgraceful scene that transplred be-
tween two old men who are standing on the edge
of the grave, but who are still true to the master
passion-ch cheating and scheming."