Year: 1860

Senator from Massachusetts is an anendmen


to an amendment, it cannot be amended


but | suggest to him to modify it by insert
ing an additional section, providing that, il
case the contractors over the Salt Lake route
fail to accept this service, the Postmaster
General may have the power to provide
some other service for the printed matter.


Mr. Hale-That can be put in.


Mr.. Wilson-Let the Senator from Cal
ifornia suggest the modification he desires


Mr.. Latham will draw it up if the
Senator will make it part of his amendment
because it would be out Of order for me to
move it.


The Secretary read it, as follows:


That the Postmaster General be, and he
is hereby authorized and directed to contract
with the contractors on route S9ll, between
St. joseph, Missouri, and Great Salt Lake
City, and route l2,8Ol, between Great Salt
Lake City and Placervile, California or with
either of them. for the conveyance of the
entire United States mail between st. Louis,
via St Joseph Missouri, and Placerville, to
San Francisco, California, in twenty days
time: Pro0ided, The service can be obtain,
ed tri weekly the first year, at a compensa-
ton not to exceed 100000, and daily
thereafter at an additional compensation not
to exceed 100000 per annum; the service
to expire July 1st, 1866, and the contractors
to supply Denver city and Great Salt Lake
City with weekly mail without additional
compensation: Provided If the Postmaster
General cannot contract with the above
named contractors to do the service herein
provided for, that he shall then be authoriz
ed to contract for the service by ocean steam
ships for sum not exceeding 100000, in
cluding lsthmus transportation.


POST ROUTE ELL.


The Senate resumed, as iu Committee of
the Whole, the consideration of the post
route bill the pending question being on
the amendment of Mr.. Wilson to that offer
ed by Mr.. Yu'ee.


MIR. Hale-I desire simply to make sin
gle suggestion to the Senate upon the gene
raj merits Of this amendment, and that is,
let the Senate determine upon what they
will, | hope they will not, by the course
things have proceeded here, be coerced into
the adoption of the steamship project. I
think the Senate owe it to themselves to re
ject that anyhow. When | say that it is
due to the honorable Senator from California
who is a member of the Committee on the
Post Office and Post Roads eMr. Gwin,) to
say that he has been for the past three
months urging upon the Committee and the
Senate action upon this subject, for the rea
son that the very nn.ttingency which now
presents itself TO the Senate would present
itself. He told ms hat these contract. ex
pired so soon that we should be left without
any service on the Pacific coast, and that he
feared the Department would be driven as a
matter of necessity, to the employment Of
the steamships. We here do not know all
the influences that are opening upon us; but
| am satisfied myself that there has been, in
some way or other-I do not know how,
and 10 not undertake to say, but think
that have felt it though have notseen it
an influence opening in that direction to re-
tard legislation in this body upon this sub
ject, with the very hope and expectation
that we should find ourselves where we now
are-forced almost, AS matter Of necessity
to take up this contract with these steam yes
sells.


Mr.. Gwin--I hope the Senate will adopt
the amendment Of the Senator from Massa-
clIusetts, so far as the overland service is
is concerned. I hope we shall have an op-
of seeing whether we cannot carry
the whole mail across the continent. be-
lieve we can.


Mr. Collamer-I desire to and if there is
any need of any more law on this subject;
whether the Post Office Department has not
a right to set up mail by the Salt Lake
route to California, as frequently as it
pleases, without any more law about it,


Mr.. LAruAM-But they have not the
right to send printed matter.


Mr.. CoLLAMER-By the Salt Lake route
they have.


Mr. LATHAM think you are mistaken.


Mr. Gw1NN-They have not the right to
send printed matter by the Butterfeld route,
nor can it be done by the ocean route, under
a law passed the other day The amend
ment orders the Postmaster General to put
up the service, which, to be sure, he can do
cannot get the service performed by the
Salt Lake route, he may employ ocean ser
vice. That is the only additional legislation.
He can do all the rest without this provision.


Mr.. CoLLAMER-The Buttertield route is
confined to the carrying Of letters, but the
Salt Lake route is not 50 confined


Mr.. Gw1N-The Postmaster General can
now contract for the whole of the service
in this amendment, without any
additional legislation at all, if he is disposed
to do it: but if he cannot get the printed
matter carried by the land routes, as | be-
lieve he CAM have no doubt about that
then he has no authority under the existing
postage.


TuNr OStb Tba Doet ro,,ta hill hainfr