New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-05-31
THE CONGRESSIONAL TRIP
A RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE.


RESOURCES OF THE LAND-oN THE ATLANTIC
AND PACIFIC RAILROAD NATURAL RICHES on
THE coUSTRY-INTEREsTfSd MINERAL KxHIpI.
TIOHs.
lPRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrBuui
NEw-0RLEANs, May A.-Those who first con-
ceved the idea OF taking Congress an excursion
through Missouri the Indian Territory, and TeHas
the railroad managers. The Convention at Sc. Louis.
the visit Vulcan iron works. the inspection Of
weston harOOr and the Passes OF the Mississippi we're
sdeshows arranged 70 give the affair air OF buanes
and for the especial benefit Of the cities which managed
them. IL would have been impossible 10 collect more
than corporaPs guard Of CongressmeD from distance
simply 10 listen to speeches by citizens OF 81. Louis
upon her wants aud those OF Missouri Kindly the
average Representative n free passes free enter
tainment and free whisky. there not enough novelty
in any or all Of them bring him from the Atlantic
coast or the Mexican Gulf 10 st. Louis and unless
other inducemen had been offered the st. Louis ConTen
ton could have occurred Why the railroad companies
were so anxious. at such great expense, To take tho
national representatives over more than thousand
miles OF country feeding them at almost every station,
and keeping up constant flow OF champagne between
the stoppages, VIII be discovered DeIoie TIC hsoJ Oh
the trip is completed.
The party that filed the seven Pullman ears as they
started west from st. Louis, the morning after The
Convention adjourned miscellaneous one. PICK
up almost at random rs members OF Congress- and you
may be pretty that YOU VIII have specimens OK
about every grade American society-fro the Guilt
vated high-toned and emiueuty respectable Statesman
TO the CLOWN and this party was 20 exception to the
rule Tie majority, however were OF that middle class
80 many Of whom sent TO Washington from al paris
OF the Unon-nen who neither the best nor the
worst 10 districts where they live, ana VINO nave
often thought selected for their want OF postVe
convictions on every subject except their duty to stand
by the party" bolt caucus. They hold The
balance OF power particularly the lower Honse OF
Congress- and are skilled in "log-rong" than m
any thng else. few OF the company (as many as might
be counted on your nngersl OF the solid men OK
Congress. Such men Senator Ramsey OF Minnesota
and Representatives Ward Of Hew-Jersey. j. NJ Wilson
of Indiana Burchard, Kasson Niblack, and Sheldon,
and ew Others profit By the excursion, and
there sntte danger that the plate glass OF Pullman
car or the sparkle Of st. Louis wine will prevent them
from taking calm unbiased view OF any question sus-
gested by the trip that likely in future to 20 TO wash
ingtOn for a solution. The clowns OF the party tamo
not from the South alone from the North nor were
they entirely Of the legislative order. They amused Us
sometimes as they held up crab by one claw at the
St Charles dinner table what kind Of varmint
IL wasD bored us with halfdrunken songs and tho
weakest and staest OF jokes. and disguised rs "hen
they thronged dsreputable places and returned 700
much intoxicated TO keep out OF the ditch For tue
honor Of the party, glad 70 say that when com
pared with the whole number, this class was unusuav
sma and the presence OF dozen ladies served 10 Keep
even these few generally within bounds Of decency
Tue Atlantic and Pacific Railroad extends from Frank
lin thirty miles west OF st. Louis, In south-"osV
direction TO Vnita railroad town about ior'y mics
over the border OF the Indian country FROM o. Du
to Franklin Its trains over the Missouri kansas and
Texas road which has been leased by the Aanuc ana
Pacific Company and whose line it again crosses 81
ynita Central and southwestern Missouri since tne
oneniuR of this railroad, Is almost as weil-KncWn ~
illinois, as far as its is concerned though We
hidden mineral wealth but iust beginning TO De snden'
stood The surface east Of the Ozark houhtdns-thost
romantic hills which, in our boyhood. were sn1osndeo
with almost as much mystery as irving mas thro"p
ahont our own Catsls but which, when seem lose all
their romance and turn out to be no mountains a. al
but insignificant hlsis generally DrOkeh 'nu' eA0ep
where here and 1t has been cleared by the setef
| mostly covered with trees. I noticed almost every
northern tree but the most prevalent vas WDAl
known in the South as Black Jack larger than
| an eastern shrub-oak-and yet never attaining
size that will make Of much use as timber The sos
IA az medium fertity-notas rich the pFairies notS
poor as the OF our Eastern lands wheat was ne
only crop we saw and told that 20 bushels 70
an acre was an ordinary yield. The soil Is also adAeo
10 tobacco culture and indeed, looks stronger IhAh
that OF the best tobacco OF Virginia ana MOTH
Carolina Corn oats, and rye grow well. Tne season
has been backward in Missouri in almost every other
mart OF the country and much OF the corn was H9i
! planted week ago. Nearly all OF our Northern nuits
seem to thrive The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Com
pany received from the United States the customary
amount OF land in Missouri they had originally aooS'
1900 90 acres OF which they have sold between 1000
| and 100000 OF that which remains, much, especially
that lying west of ozarks is capable % being coz
verted into good farms.
But the great Of this part OF Missouri IS que NOV
TO its agricultural but On It's mineral resources j.
abounds in rich of iron, principally red hemaue
though we saw some specuar on its way Ia ST. LOUIS
Coal too very plentiful along some parts oil the rou
while west Of the Ozarks some OF the richest lesa
and zinc ores In the country. Much OF tue LEAD
crysallized in cubes Of them several inches acfs
and SO pure that it could he cut with penSne hks
the metal The Is found In the same OF lhne
diatey adjoining OF rock, and yields upward OF
Der cent Of pure metal II only recently that the An'
has been saved but value has already been proved
From pile lying one Of the Stations many
of the passengers broughg away number OF nne speo
| mems On branch road OF the Atlantic and Paeine u
the southwestern part OF the State are some OF 'he
conner mines Of Missouri and near Neosho arc lH'
newly discovered trpOl mines We dId not Visit e'D
of these but were shown some very hne SpecfDe"s
their products. shall not attempt to give any sS4
ties OF the mining wealth Of the portion Of Aiss0u
| through which We passed. they are accessible -
I'm the repoFts OF official surveys and In the circulars
that have been issued by the railroad eompanes ana
one can pass through the country, no mauel ~.
rapidly without being impressed with the n"uon 'u-'
Missouri is TO become, and that before many years
Pennsylvania OF the West -,
The owners Of the Atlantic and Pacific RailTosa as
that II ia the pest constructed line between the MISE
sippi River and the Rocky Mountains II Is eelADv
well built laid with good iron. and subsahuS"' -
lasted part OF the way with rock. The management"
the road seems to be very efficient The scenery NDs
the line of the road from Louis TO the Indian Te'
tory Is not striking. From the summit OF cue ga.
Mountains which rise to hight OF ony about Lf'"
nne view OF rounded hilltops obtained but II docs
not nnr,,nrn I'm nrnndenr rnmRntie heauty WIN Wv