The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-05-18

QrlllS were eInplOgeu. n ldSillOi OnCc set Is
as likely to become general in agriculture as
ANYTHING else. As consequence, corn fod-
der has generally been employed for this
purpose.
THE FIRST STAR ROUTE.
Governor Gilpin Tells n Story Concerning
the Original Overland Mail Line.
Denver Tribune May A.
"a pretty bazzard's roost the Senate of
the United States is making of itself" said
Ex-Governor Gilpin TO party OF gentlemen
standing with him In the Windsor rotunda
yesterday. But il is not the first time that
have known the Senate to descend into
clownishness and to spend weeks and
months over nothing. 1t was as bad in
| lS45-46-just as bad, as / have reason to
know, as was interested in the proceedings
to some extent. That is to say, was there
and came in for a share of the Senate's con-
sideration myself. 1t was the Texas-Oregon
question which was then claiming attention,
and which soon afterward led to the war
with Mexico. There were then no less than
forty-two public men on the floor of Con-
gress who were Presidential aspirants, and
all of whom have dug their own graves in
the sands along the Atlantic"
"But you spoke Of having some connec-
tlOn WIN the Observation-Disclosures WAS II. III
terrupted some one.
"Oh. simply this: 1t was about mail
route-a great Transcontibental mailservice,
concerning what you Ipay call the original
Star Route. 1t was in the days of giants. of
Benton, Clay, Calhoun, Randolph, Dallas
and Webster. | knew them all. had been
across the continent as Lieutenant in the
Army, and had returned With a recommend
alton that mail route should be established
l. In 10 u
extreme western point OF civilization in the
United States-to the mouth of the Column
bia, some 5000 miles across the plains and
mountains Senator Niles, OF Connecticut,
an old friend and an old-time Democrat,
was Chairman of the Postoffice Committee,
and had asked me TO write paper to be sub
mitted with the Committees report. did
so. told them of the vast, the limitless do
main which stretched out to the westward
from the great Mississippi River; OF its great
plains, great mountain ranges, big forests;
limited at the mineral resources; calculated
for them the number OF wild animals; buf-
faloes; told that the country would some
day be covered with a network of railroads.
and suggested that ere the lapse of a century
the travel and the mails TO Eastern Asia
and Australia would pass through this sec
ton.
Laughed at? Yes, | was. / was ridi-
culed. The Boston Traveller, the New York
Herald and the Baltimore American de-
nounced the scheme as wild and visionary.
But that made no difference. The people
wanted the information. Well, the matter
came up in the Senate. My report had been
printed ard sent in with the Committees
recommendations. The motion was to print
10000 copies of my report. / saw that there
was hurried consultation between several
Senators, including Calhoun, Webster, Day
ton and others, and / soon had the confer
ence explained by a motion by Dayton-the
most powerful of them all in the use of
irony-to expunge the entire matter as irrel-
eyant and unworthy the dignity of the Sen
ate. He made speech of some length, in
which this now fair section of country was
treated in amost disrespectful manner. Day
ton was followed by Benton, who took the
other side"
"Were the proceedings reported?''
mo sir. Some of the Senators took IL
upon themselves to 90 TO the reporter and
represent that the matter was unworthy of
record; and | will show you some of these
DAYS where i'm the report such an entry was
big letters that never before in the history
of the Senate had such mernment been in
dulged in-that grave Senators actually
shook their sides with laughter at the pre-
posterousness of Incorporation And they
did. 1t was jolly time in the Senate, sure
enough
But did Calhoun speak?'
ayes. was sitting Just behind him when
he arose, looking perfect thunder storm.
He addressed the presiding officer and con-
tinued for fully half an hour to pour the
walls of his wrath upon the proposition and
upon me- He looked as stiff as il ramrod
had been thrust down him-denounced me
in open terms as visionary, and was ter
ribly severe upon my presumption in ven
| 10 int fho
which had he declared, been surreptitiously
introduced. There | was, young man, he
said, almost beardleSs willing to throw of
my Lieutenant's epaulettes and take a seat
among the gravest and greatest OF the men
of the Nation in the Senate"
| "And Webster2'
Eyes, Webster spoke, too; rose in his
usual austere manner and began deliberately
with denunciation of the measure, closing
| with few gratuitous remarks concerning
the country at large What do we want,
he exclaimed, with this vast worthless area
| This region of savages and wild beasts-oi
deserts of shifting sands and whirlwinds OF
dust-of cactus and prairie dogs? To what
use could we ever hope to put these great
deserts or those endless mountain ranges
fimpenetrable and covered to their very base
with eternal snow? What can we ever hope
to do with the Western coast-a coast OF
5000 miles, rock-bound, cherries, uninvit-
ing and not harbor on it? What use have
we for this country? The young man should
be sent home at once
These were the opinions of the leading
minds of the country less than forty years
ago concerning section of the Union
now inhabited by 100000 people, and
which has added hundreds of millions OF
gold and silver since that time, as we'll as
other products, to the worlds wealth
which has grown into popularity and
developed as if under the influence of ar
universal magician's wand.
1t is gratifying to add that the motto was
adopted in spite of the opposition of Web
ster. Calhoun and Dayton, though many
years elapsed before the mail route was
established.
Pay OF Pullman Porters.