The Van Buren press., 1860-03-30

questions of principle and policy connected
with it, justified the expectation that thai
committee would be so constituted as to sg
gregate as much experience, information
and ability, as could he found in that NUM-
Der of members. That expectation was
well met, doubtless, in the appointments
made; and | mean nothing in dlsparage
ment of the committee in those respects
| But there was another ust and rcasonabl,
Iexpectatior, which has been disappointed
1t was this: that no one routc should b,
preferred over another in the selection o
committeeman, or be allowed an undu
strength in the number of its friends ap
pointed. The extreme routes of the nOrtf
and Of the south have their advocates OF
the committee in strong force; but the mid
! die route, that of the thirty fifth parallel
has only halfway friend there / refer tt
the gentleman from Missouri, Mr.. PBELPs,
and intend no reflection on that distinguish
ed member. My meaning is, tha: he advo
Gates only part of the thirty fifth parable
route. There is not one advocate of tn,
thirty fifth parallel route, in its whole
length, on the committee. That route pas
ses through the very heart of Arkansas
and, in all fairness and Justice to her, a.
well as in Difference to the merits of the
route itself, one Of the Representatives from
my State ought to be appointed
! MIR. LANbkux. l should like also, hav,
one from the State of Louisiana.
/ Mr. HIxDMAN. There is one from tn,
State Louisiana already, Mr. Taylor.
Mr.. Curtis. will say. in explanation
that the gentleman has representative o
that route on the committee-Mr. Phelps
Of Missouri, who is one Of the most earn
est, persistent, and able advocates of that
there is IN the United States. There is nc
man in Arkansas who understands it better
than Mr.. Phelps.
Mr. HISLMAS Many theDks to the gen
tleman from Iowa for the statement he has
made. ] beg to say to him that under
stand, l think, the interests of my constit
uents little better than the Representa-
, tive from Missouri, or from Iowa, or from
any other State. Perhaps the gentleman
from Iowa does not understand the position
of the gentleman from Missouri on this sub
iect. AS l understand the fact to be, MIR
PHELPS favors the thirty fifth parallel route
only partially; he urges a divergence from
it by Springfield to St. Louis. The genu-
inc thirty fifth parallel route. as l said be-
fore, starts out from Memphis, and passes
thence, by way of Fort Smith and Albu.
querque, to San Francisco. 1t has no rep
rcsentative on the committee. l insis,
that it shall be represented there, and am
astonished that any member should object
Mr.. Curtis. | am not opposed to that
merely presented what believed to be the
true state of the case. The main line ad
vocatcd by Mr.. PHELrs-,hc great trunk
and four ftths of the line-is the one which
the gentleman from Arkansas supports
So far as that part of of it which lies be-
tween Memphis and Fort Smith is CON
cerned, it may be that gentleman from
Missouri would not represent the gentle
mans IDEAS; but certainly do think tina,
the statement which ! made, that Mr.
PHELPS is one of the strongest advocates o
the thirty fifth parallel route, is true ip fact
Mr.. HIxpNAs. In modified sense. h,
is. He advocates that route, from Califor
MIA to about the Antelope Hills, with a.
much earnestncss and FAR more ability tha,
ever expect to do. But at that point h,
ceases to be an advocate of it. and fayors
route divirging toward Springfield and St
Louis. The Antelope Hills are, suppose
three hundred miles west of Fort Smith
and Fort Smith is about three hundred
miles west of Memphis SO here are sin
hundred miles of the thirty fifth parable
lroutc Of which Mr.. Phelps is not an advo
cate.
The facts have stated are sufficient tc
show the undue discrimination against tn.
route which my State prefers, and which
think, can be shown TO be more mcritori
ous than any other. In order to ascertain
whether the House is disposed to act justl,
III the matter, | now move that the Join,
resolution of the Arkansas Legislature Lt
referred to the select committee on the Pa
ciic railroad, and that member from Ar
kansas be added to that committee.
The question was taken, and motion
agreed to. Mr.. Hindman was then added
to the Committee.