when registered, and it was cheerfully done; when they came to vote, however, their politics were suspected and their tickets were marked; and as soon as they were known to have been cast in the opposing interest, and that their exclusion from the count was absolutely necessary to secure the election of the Radical candidates, they were unhesitatingly excluded. The veteran soldiers are thus denied, without the slightest investigation, all share in the government of the nation's capital, which they saved from destruction; while the bloated vagabonds of Africa are allowed to hold the city's destinies in the hollow of their hand, and the burning infamy indorsed by Congress! How appropriate, then, how consistent for once, were these Jacobins in substituting the past tense for the present; for soldiers are verily with them among the things that were. Is it not well known that the President has been foiled times without number by the Senate in his efforts to appoint to office such men as the gallant Slocum, the dashing Blair, and renowned McClellan, who had bravely fought to put down the rebellion; men whose only offense was that after conquering ten States they were not willing to make of them pandemoniums, where dark-skinned fiends and white faced, white-livered vampires might rule and riot on the little blood they could still suck out by fastening on helpless throats, but were anxious to restore them to their pristine status in the Union, that they might prove a source of happiness to themselves and of glory as well as profit to the nation so nearly crushed by financial burdens, not the least formidable of which have arisen out of the very acts wherewith this party affect to be seeking the restoration of the Union; but which instead is still further embittering and estranging the two discordant sections.

God forbid that the party now in power here, represent fairly a majority of their constituents; for if that constituency indorse (which, however, recent elections forbid our believing) one half the diabolism displayed in their treatment of the South malignant, indeed, must they be. It were enough to harrow up the gristly heart of a fiend. Not content with inflicting on a brave but now prostrate people the retributive tortures of a few months, while the hot blood engendered by the strife was still careering through their veins, they keep up a studied infliction in cold blood for years, although the pecuniary maintenance of this black inquisition threatens to bankrupt the nation. And what manner of people are they torturing on this gigantic rack which they have erected, covering half the land? Vainly will you search the earth for their superiors; may. I not say their equals? Brave, generous, kind-the noblest of a noble race. What soldiers in war, what captains to lead them when they deemed their rights imperiled! What a galaxy of statesmen and orators in peace! What happy hours were theirs-happy now no more! How favored their clime, how soft their breezes, fragrant their bowers! How lovely their women, at all times warmhearted and true, gentle in their luxurious hours; yet, amid perils and wrongs, how spirited! But now, no more can

"The light foot rove Safe through the orange grove." These Jacobins, instead of welcoming back into the temple of the Union such a country and a people endowed with these noble characteristics, the very highest elements of a nation's greatness, which can adorn in times of quiet and prove a mighty bulwark against a foreign foe, they prefer to be guilty of national mayhem. One portion of a great people are deliberately maiming the other into absolute impotence. After desolating the southern States, they have converted them into one vast prison-pen, where bayonets gleam at every turn. They have set over them an abject, half-savage race, which the northern people themselves erewhile thought it no sin to hold as slaves, or sell like brutes, according as the holding or selling thereof was prospectively the

more profitable to their greedy pockets. What more effectual means than these could be concocted by the evil brain of the great adversary himself to crush out all manliness from the rising generation in the South? The best men are daily bullied, and the loveliest women insulted with impunity by this inferior race, who prowl around their homes, pillage their property, shrink from honest labor, and reek with filth as a luxury. Reared amid such revolting scenes, their high-spirited fathers and mothers compelled to submit tamely, what short of a miracle can prevent every particle of manliness from being finally extinguished in the children? Their education, too, is of dire necessity, sadly subjected. Excelsiors are becoming fainter in their souls, and must soon die into an echo. Many who might have been stars of the first magnitude, far up in the national zenith, are fated now to grope along the dim horizon of ignorance. Thousands, before in affluent circumstances, are so constantly engaged in struggling to supply their mere physical necessities, that their is neither time nor money, even if there were opportunity, to advance the mental condition. Still, despite all these efforts, many are suffering for the plainest food. But their physical wants and sufferings, urgent as they are, are as nothing compared with the mental torture, the burning consciousness of degra dation. Not long since Rev. Henry Ward Beecher said in a speech that just before the war commenced "the crust between the South and hell was only an inch thick." I am rather inclined to think the reverened gentleman's assertion was, in the main, correct, so far as it went. But he, characteristically, stopped short of the whole truth. The legislation of the Opposition has broken through that crust, and is fast making for the Anglo Saxon race a hell of that part of our once fair domain.

Trusting, however, in the virtue and intelligence of the people, I believe a few months more will sound the death knell for those who have so misruled us, and that in the coming success of the great Democratic party the true intelligence and virtue of the country will be in the ascendency, and so save our temple of constitutional liberty. And that pure patriot, Horatio Seymour, will stand at our helm of state and guide us to the haven of rest. He, like Cincinnatus of old, has been sought out and brought forth from his quiet home, and the acclamations which greeted his nomination in New York will be reëchoed in November next.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

Mr. RAUM. Mr. Chairman, the people of this country have but recently emerged from a long and bloody war in which patriotism triumphed over treason; and the perpetuation of free government became an assured fact in the United States. In the midst of that tremendous struggle, when millions of men rushed to the grim edge of battle ready to die for their country, and where hundreds of thousands fell to rise no more, save in response to the final trump of God, the cry upon every patriot lip, and which was responded to by every patriot heart, was that all the blood and treasure necessary to save this great nation must be freely poured out by the people. This sacred impulse became an enthusiasm, moving the heart of the nation, and lasted to the end, giving us victory at an enormous sacrifice of life, and an unheard-of expenditure of money. But our troops were paid and fed and clothed and cared for in health and in sickness as no other troops were cared for before; the people individually and as a nation accepted as a holy trust the duty of providing for the wants of that mighty host of patriot heroes who marched and fought for liberty and Union, for the support of their widows and orphans, and for the interment in national cemeteries of the sacred remains of those, who, consecrating their lives to their country, died that their country might live, and made death beautiful and glorious by the freedom of the sacrifice, the grandeur of the cause.

The war through which we have passed, in

addition to having filled the land with mourning, has fastened upon the people an enormous debt, a debt incurred to preserve the unity and life of the nation, and which must be paid.

Mr. Chairman, although the sacrifice of human life was great, and the expenditure of the people's money was enormous, I believe that the hand of Providence, for a good purpose, guided us through the thick smoke and burricane of battle. I believe that the heroic deeds and patient suffering and death of our soldiers, and the lofty self-denial and patriotic grief of our wives and mothers was not in vain. I believe that the defeat of our enemies was designed for their ultimate good! And, above all, I believe that we are to have broader, grander views of the destiny which awaits as as a nation. And that we are now making a new departure in the race of progress for the protection of life and liberty, and for the development of processes and means by which labor is to reap its richest reward. To the American people is confided the greatest and grandest subdivision of the earth upon which to work out the problem of perfect human government. Let us endeavor to be equal to the epoch in which we live, and by wise legislation accelerate the wheels of progress and secure to our whole people prosperity, union, liberty, and justice.

Mr. Chairman, I have stated that the war debt of this country, incurred for the preservation of the Union, must be paid. But how it shall be paid and when it shall be paid are profound questions for American statesmanship, whose successful solution will require the exercise of the most comprehensive wisdom. This debt, Mr. Chairman, is a first mortgage upon the present and prospective wealth and labor of the country, and must be paid and will be paid with the fruits of labor. And, sir, in the development of the productive industry and commerce of our country will be found the true means for the solution of this great problem.

The great triumph of this age is the invention of machines and processes by which labor is not only economized in the production of articles of commerce, but in their distribution throughout the world. And, Mr. Chairman, in my judgment the great strife among the nations during the next half century will be to secure to freight and passengers cheap and rapid means of transportation; for, sir, we have arrived at that point when the value of a days' lador is not to be estimated so much by what it will produce as by the facility with which the article produced can be transported to market. I lay it down as an axiom, that the value of articles of industry is regulated by the facilities with which such articles can be placed upon the market.

And further, that the production of articles of commerce depends upon the same law; such production being stimulated and increased in exact ratio to the increased means of cheap and rapid transportation. Thus, sir, we find that since the application of steam to vessels and railroads a complete revolution has been brought about in the production and commerce of the world. I must confess, sir, that I was greatly startled when I came to examine statistics showing the tremendous increase in the trade of the world during the past thirty-six years. And, sir, it is a curious and interesting fact, that in all the commercial nations whose trade has materially increased, railroads have been extensively constructed; and what is more interesting, the increase of trade has been in exact ratio to the increase of railroads, so that the commerce of a country can now be safely approximated from year to year from figures already known if the increase of railroad construction is given. And, sir, the increase of production and trade in a country is limited only when such country has no fertile region through which to build railroads, or no new market to reach by the same means.

I ask the indulgence of the House for a short time while I present a few figures showing the progress of railroad construction and the in

Total cxports and imports. $403,000,000 475,000,000 500,000,000 845,000,000 1,134,000,000 1,432,000,000 1,440,000,000

Here it will be seen that commercial prosperity kept pace with railroad construction; so that from $403,000,000 in 1840 the exports and imports of France increased to $1,440,000,000 in 1867.

BELGIUM AND NETHERLANDS.

I will now bring to the attention of the House the remarkable effect that the construction of railroads has had upon the trade of the two busy little States of Belgium and Netherlands. While under the Government of the United Netherlands their commerce reached a point of considerable importance; but at the time of their separation in 1830 the total exports and imports of the Netherlands were nearly treble those of Belgium, resulting mainly from the fact of superior means of transportation by canals and by sea; but in 1835 Belgium commenced the construction of a wise system of railroads, so as to give her an outlet into Germany, Austria, and France.

Immediately production and trade received a powerful impulse, and with the progress of her railroad system the commerce of Belgium increased in a ratio unparalleled by that of any other nation on earth; the soil was more skillfully tilled; valuable mines were opened; furnaces and work-shops were erected, and the little State, insignificant in point of territorial extent, outstripping her neighbor, the Netherlands, has taken a first-class position as a producing and commercial people. The following figures may prove interesting as showing the progress of commerce in Belgium in relation to railroad construction and the manner in which she outran the Netherlands in the race of progress:

Years.

1835..

1839.

1845

1853.

1860

1862.

1864..

Miles of railroad

constructed.

185. 335.

720. .1.037.

..1,180. ......1,350...

Total exports and imports. $53,000,000 77,000,000 130,000,000 232,000,000

352,000,000 380,000,000 475,000,000

I now wish to compare the figures showing the commerce of those two countries, calling

Mr. Chairman, I now propose to detain the House for a short time while I examine very briefly the progress of railroad and commercial development in the distant and almost unknown British province of India. That vast, fertile, and populous region has for more than a century been under the domination of Great Britain, and is now controlled by a Governor General, who, in the name of the Queen, under the instructions of a secretary of state for India, makes and administers the laws for one hundred and fifty million people.

The climate and productions of a considerable portion of India are very similar to those of our southern States, and it has long been the earnest wish of British statesmen to stimulate the production of cotton in that distant province so as to compete with our country in the growth of that great staple. As long ago as 1819 the British Parliament incorporated railroad companies for India. For many years, however, very slow progress was made under the lead of private enterprise; in 1856 about two hundred and twenty miles of railroad had been completed, and it is probable that under the same management five hundred miles of railroad would not have been completed at this day. British statesmanship, however, conceived the grand design of securing the construction of five thousand miles of railroad in

that vast empire by Government aid. Eight great companies were incorporated, and the Government guarantied the payment of $366,000,000 five per cent. bonds to aid in the construction of the roads. The rebellion in this country causing a great dearth in the cotton markets of the world greatly stimulated the construction of these India railroads. Early in 1863 the India cotton regions were penetrated, and the crop of that season was brought to the coast by rail, and to-day a net-work of four thousand nine hundred and forty-four miles of railroads is about completed in that country. Let us see what effect the construction of these railroads has had upon the commerce of India. The following are the figures: Imports.

trade of $2,500,000,000, India has a yearly trade of $595,000,000, making a grand total of $3,095,000,000.

UNITED STATES.

Mr. Chairman, I now come to examine this subject with reference to our own country. The people of the whole civilized world recog nize the fact that no nation in the "tide of time" has ever made such grand material progress as has the United States of America. The people of this country know that we owe much of our prosperity to the construction of railroads, but many persons, no doubt, have not examined the statistics of commerce and railroad construction, to mark how steadily the trade of this country has kept pace with the increasing facilities for internal communication. Following, I give a table showing the progress of railroad construction and commercial devel

opment in the United States:

Years.

1830.. 1840. 1845.

1850.

1855.

1850.

1866.

Here we see the commerce of the United States, which in 1830 amounted to $160,000,000, reach the enormous sum of $1,003,000,000 in 1866. And while Great Britain, India, France, Belgium, and the United States had a total commerce in 1840 of $1,471,000,000, in 1866 their commerce reached the startling sum of $6,003,000,000.

An examination of prior statistics, shows that this marvelous growth of commerce is far in excess of the increase of population in those countries, and can only be accounted for upon the self-evident proposition that productive industry is developed and stimulated by an transporting the fruits of labor to market. increase of cheap and convenient means of

And now, Mr. Chairman, let us explore this great maze of figures, and ascertain, if possible, the law which has governed the growth of enterprise, industry, and trade in the countries I have named. I affirm that production and commerce in Great Britain, France, India, Belgium, and the United States-the leading commercial nations of the world-has kept pace with the progress of railroad construcof exports and imports of those countries since tion. I give the figures of the pro rata increase 1833, for each mile of railroad constructed, as follows:

As I have just shown, the total exports and imports of those countries increased from 1840 to 1866, a period of twenty-six years, $4,532,000,000, while the increase of railroads during the same period was sixty-three thousand and eighteen miles, which gives an average increase of $71,000 of commerce for every mile of railroad built. And, sir, startling though these figures appear, I challenge an investigation as to their correctness. And I affirm that for every mile of railroad constructed in the United States our exports and imports are increased to the extent of $25,000; and assuming that $10,000 of this sum is composed of articles pay

1859.

1860. 1861 1862. 1863.. 1804.

$20,000,000 27,000,000 35.000, 00 107,000,000 168,000,000 183,812,000

The enormous expansion of British production and trade at home and in India is really one of the marvels of this great age of progress, and is to be attributed to the wise development of their railroad systems. Let us contemplate for a moment these amazing commercial results. The United Kingdom has a yearly ||

annual revenue of the Government is actually increased to the extent of $3,000 in coin for every mile of railroad constructed. And, sir, the experience of the last thirty-six years demonstrates the fact that this increase of commerce produced by railroad construction is not ephemeral, but enduring, and that it enlarges from year to year with the permanent improvement of the country.

And now, sir, I come to the consideration of House bill No. 847, entitled "A bill to aid in the construction of the International Pacific railroad, from Cairo, Illinois, to the Rio Grande

river; to authorize the consolidation of certain railroad companies, and to provide homesteads for the laborers on said roads," which I had the honor of introducing on the 3d day of March last, and which was printed, referred to and has been considered by the Committee on Roads and Canals.

This bill, Mr. Chairman, contemplates the construction of continuous lines of railroad and telegraph from the Mississippi river, opposite Cairo, Illinois, through the States of Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, to the Rio Grande river, in the direction of San Blas, Mexico, on the Pacific coast, and to connect with such railroads as may be built in Mexico from the Rio Grande river, either to San Blas or the City of Mexico.

The bill proposes that the United States shall aid certain companies heretofore chartered by the Legislatures of Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas to build said railroad, loaning the bonds of the United States to said companies upon a second mortgage on said railroad-the bonds to be issued as sections of the road are completed, $10,000 per mile from Cairo to Little Rock, and $16,000 per mile from Little Rock to the Rio Grande. The bonds to run fifty years and to bear currency interest at the rate of six per cent. per annum, the interest to be paid by the railroad companies. At the end of ten years the railroad companies are to create in the Treasury of the United States a sinking fund of two and one half per cent. per annum of the total debt, so that the debt will be paid by the railroad companies at maturity.

The bill also provides that the lands heretofore granted by the United States to aid in the construction of that portion of the road that lies in Missouri and Arkansas, and known as the Cairo and Fulton railroad, amounting to about two million acres, and the lands granted by general law in Texas, which will amount to about seven million acres, in all about nine million acres of land, shall be sold by the railroad companies at the maximum price of $2 50 per acre, to such persons who, being laborers on said railroads, may wish to purchase any part of said lands. The bill also provides that in the construction of the road preference shall be given to persons wishing, in whole or in part, to buy land for their labor; and the bill also provides that the Commissioner of Refugees and Freedmen shall supervise the contracts made with freedmen, and aid them insecuring homes along the line of said road by the purchase of lands from the railroad companies.

The bill also provides that the railroad companies shall have authority to borrow money upon a first mortgage to an amount equal to the Government loan; also that the United States shall at all times have preference in sending dispatches and transporting troops and munitions of war, and that all the earnings of the railroad companies for transporting the mails, troops, munitions of war, and Government freights and forwarding telegraphic dispatches, shall be retained by and accounted for semi-annually by the Secretary of the Treasury, to be applied exclusively to the payment of interest on the Government bonds issued to the railroad companies, any surplus of semiannual earnings to be paid to the railroad companies.

The bill also provides that the railroad companies shall have authority to consolidate their corporate powers by virtue of State laws under the corporate name of "The International Pacific Railroad Company." The companies are required to make a full and complete report to the Secretary of the Treasury annually of their condition and business.

These, Mr. Chairman, are the material provisions of the bill, and to their earnest consideration I desire to call the attention of Congress and the country. There are many reasons, sir, why this railroad should meet the hearty approval and aid of Congress. In the first place, the construction of a railroad southwest from the mouth of the Ohio river was seconded by Congress as long ago as 1856 by a grant of

land through Missouri and Arkansas. In 1866, the grant being about to expire by limitation, was renewed and enlarged by act of Congress, upon the recommendation of the honorable gentleman from Indiana, [Mr. JULIAN,] the chairman of the Committee on the Public Lands, and to-day nearly two million acres of land in Missouri and Arkansas are withheld from sale to aid in the construction of the road.

That the construction of this road would permanently secure the reconstruction and development of Arkansas and Texas and place them upon the high road to prosperity, I presume will not be doubted by any gentleman on this floor. Those States are great outlying, undeveloped Territories, with rich soil, admirable climate, and capable of supporting ten million inhabitants. With the exception of her frontage on the Mississippi river, Arkansas has no reliable means of transportation. She had thirty-eight miles of railroad in 1860, and she has the same to-day, with little hope of increasing the amount except through the generous aid of Congress.

The condition of Texas is but little, if any, better. From her coast-line a few short roads point to the interior, but are not being extended for want of funds. There are four hundred and ninety-six miles of railroad in Texas, none of them having connections beyond the State. So utterly insufficient are these railroads for the convenient transportation of freight that a large proportion of the products of the soil are transported in ox wagons from two to five hundred miles to market. The natural result of this condition of affairs is, that in both Arkansas and Texas production is at the very lowest possible stage, and labor is absolutely without hope for remunerative

returns.

Another consideration which weighs heavily upon my mind is the great importance of fostering and encouraging the cultivation of sugar and cotton, both necessaries which enter largely into the daily consumption of the world.

The production of both of these articles was almost abandoned during the war, and while the growth of cotton has been resumed with partial success the production of sugar is in a very languishing condition. It is a matter of absolute necessity to the whole country to stimulate the production of sugar and cotton in the southern States.

1. That the importation of sugar may be reduced.

2. That the exportation of cotton may be increased. For by these means the balance of trade now largely against this country will be changed in our favor.

3. That the prices of these articles may be reduced to the benefit of our whole population. 4. That the labor of the sugar and cotton growing regions may be prevented from permanently engaging in the production of breadstuffs and provisions, thus securing to the great West and Northwest a home market for all their productions; for be it known, Mr. Chairman, that at no time have we been able to find a foreign market for more than five per cent. of the grain produced in the United States.

And well did the honorable gentleman from Pennsylvania, [Mr. KELLEY,] in discussing the tax bill the other day, raise the note of warning to the West of the danger that the South would soon be able to monopolize the foreign grain trade, to the exclusion of the West; but

call the attention of that gentleman and of the House and the country to the fact that if the South is encouraged to return to the vigorous production of sugar and cotton, the grain growers of the West will find a better market at home than abroad.

And fifthly, Mr. Chairman, I insist that it is necessary to stimulate the production of sugar and cotton in the southern States as a means of securing prosperity, happiness, and peace to the people of those States.

And who among us, I ask, does not desire to see peace and prosperity abound from ocean to ocean and from the lakes to the gulf? It is hardly necessary to state, Mr. Chairman,

that Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio are deeply interested in the speedy construction of this great thoroughfare.

Another consideration which should press heavily upon the minds of gentlemen is the fact that the construction of this railroad would greatly cheapen the cost of living through the North and East by causing a reduction in the price of beef. At this time there are five millions of cattle in the State of Texas, the value of which will not average four dollars per head. There is absolutely no market for the millions of fine fat beeves this immense herd contains in consequence of the inadequate means of transportation from that State. There is no reason why the price of beef in our cities and large towns should not be reduced from thirty to fifty per cent. by the introduction of Texas cattle by means of railroad transportation and at the same time increase the value of cattle in Texas from one to two hundred per cent. Texas is now the most extensive and best grazing country in the United States. I am satified that she could furnish half a million of beeves annually twenty dollars per head cheaper than similar stock is now sold in our city markets; thus by the construction of the "International Pacific railroad" would the consumers of beef North and East save millions of dollars annually by the reduction of the price of that article, and the value of the stock of Texas would be increased from the nominal sum of $20,000,000 to an actual value of $50,000,000.

Another consideration I desire to bring to the attention of the House is the paramount importance of making the most ample provis ions for the hundreds of thousands of landless, homeless poor persons, white and black, in the States of Arkansas, Texas, and contiguous States, whereby they may secure homesteads. As previously stated, about two million acres of land in Missouri and Arkansas were granted to aid in the construction of the proposed railroad. These lands are now withheld from market, and constitute some of the best lands in those States. By the laws of Texas about seven million acres of land will inure to the proposed railroad as constructed.

Upon these nine million acres of land one hundred and fifty thousand homesteads or three quarters of a million of inhabitants can be located where they can till their own lands by day and sleep under their own roofs by night in peace and prosperity. By the passage of the bill under consideration the railroad companies are required to sell their lands at the maximum price of $2 50 per acre to all persons who, in whole or in part, wish to pay for land in labor. Under the provisions of this act thousands of persons would secure valuable homesteads along the line of this great thoroughfare and pay for them in labor, reserving enough from their daily earnings to support themselves and families.

And, sir, by the passage of this act an immense land monopoly will be prevented by requiring the sale of these lands at a fair and fixed valuation; for Mr. Chairman, the legislation of Congress in respect to the public lands of the country should be to prevent as near as may be the aggregation of large bodies of land for speculation in the hands of individuals and corporations, and to secure to actual settlers and cultivators of the soil homesteads free of cost or at a price within the reach of the poor; for sir, there is no curse to any country so great as the ownership of the lands in the hands of the few, and for the husbandman to be a tenant and not the owner of the soil he cultivates. Sir, the landless poor of this country are children of the Republic, and should be encouraged by the most liberal legis lation to secure homesteads for themselves and their posterity.

Mr. Chairman, I desire that Congress and the country shall also examine this subject from the stand-point of economy; for I athrin, sir, that as respects the economical administration of public affairs in those States and cou

tiguous Territories that the United States can well afford to aid in the construction of this railroad. We all understaud that millions of dollars are annually expended for the transportation of troops, military and Indian supplies to our distant ports by the slow and expensive means of mule and ox teams.

Now, sir, at the military depot of San Antonio alone our disbursing officers pay annually more than a million and a quarter of dollars for the transportation of supplies in wagons from Indianola to San Antonio and other points, these same supplies having first been transported from New York by sea or from Cincinnati, Louisville, Jeffersonville, or St. Louis to New Orleans by river, thence across the Gulf. And, sir, the disbursements at San Antonio do not cover more than one half of the sum expended annually by the United States for wagon transportation to our military posts in that distant region. I think, sir, that it is safe to assume that $1,000,000 per annum would be saved to the Treasury by the construction of this railroad by cheapening transportation.

Mr. Chairman, this railroad, extending a thousand miles through the fertile lands of Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, where there are no means of transportation save by wagons on miserable roads, would operate like an enchanter's wand in the development of production and trade along the entire line; a new field would be opened for the energies of our people and a new market for the production of our manufactures. And, sir, this railroad would have the same effect upon our foreign trade that other railroads have had; our exports and imports would be increased $25,000 per mile for the entire length of road, amounting to $25,000,000 per annum; and the duties paid into the national Treasury upon dutiable imports would amount to at least $3,000,000 per annum. These conclusions are inevitable and cannot be escaped; they are deducible from the statistics of the country, running back through the past thirty-five years, and are entitled to the attention of Congress and the country.

MEXICO.

Having demonstrated the importance of this railroad to our own people, and the economy of the United States aiding in its construction from Cairo to the Rio Grande, I now come to the discussion of the subject with reference to the influence it will have upon the future of Mexico, and the trade of this country with that republic. The republic of Mexico bas a population of eight million. Her capacities for the development of industry and trade are surpassed by few countries; her mineral wealth is absolutely inexhaustible and fabulous. The revolutionary fires which have unfortunately enveloped that country for the past thirty years have about burned out, and it is hoped that the Liberal Government will be able to maintain itself against all its enemies.

Mr. Chairman, I airm that the people of the United States are interested in the permanent establishment of the Republic of Mexico and in the prosperity of its people. And, sir, I express it as my deliberate opinion that nothing would more conduce to secure these ends than the construction of a system of railroads connecting the two countries. I propose, sir, that the United States shall aid in building a railroad to the Mexican border; and by friendly offices encourage the construction in Mexico of two railroads, the one to the Pacific and the other to the city of Mexico. To say that the construction of such a system of railroads would advance the interests of both countries is stating the matter tamely; for, sir, the imagination can scarcely conceive the wonderful advantages which would inevitably result to both peoples. Mexico would at once awake from her lethargy and enter the lists in the race of progress; her liberal Government would become a fixed fact; new fields would be tilled, new cities built, and the riches of her mines would be laid bare. Industry, production, and trade would increase, and her people would become contented, prosperous, and

happy. We would penetrate the very heart of Mexico by twelve hundred miles of railroad, and thus secure a monopoly of her trade by lines inaccessible to foreign countries.

Her people would want our agricultural and mechanical implements and manufactured goods, and would pay for them mainly in the precious metals. A new and profitable field for commerce would be opened to our people. The products of the mines of Mexico, amounting now to some fifteen million dollars annually, would at once be diverted to this country, and the amount augmented to $50,000,000 within a few years. And, Mr. Chairman, reaching the Pacific coast by this shortest and best of all routes, may we not look down upon the west coast of South America and out upon the islands of the sea and hope for a rapid extension of trade; and may we not look out and beyond those islands to that distant Asiatic clime known as the "East," whose trade for three thousand years has been the prize of commerce, and which in turn enriched Tyre, Jerusalem, Palmyra, Alexandria, and Constantinople, and which by the genius of Vasco de Gama was brought around the Cape of Good Hope to fill the coffers of Lisbon, London, and the whole of Europe; and extending our commerce over shorter lines divert into new channels across this continent a trade which has enriched every country controlling it, and which is now separated by the diameter of the earth from the point of distribution, and which is a rich prize now within our grasp, and may, by enterprise and energy, be secured to this country as an eternal heritage by the building of this proposed railroad and others in process of construction.

Mr. Chairman, it is my opinion that the United States is about to make a new departure upon the road to prosperity; and as the Republican party is likely to remain in power for a series of years, and will be responsible for the legislation of the country, I take this occasion to say that it is not enough that we shall be the champions of liberty and union; we must also be the champions of such legislation as will develop industry, production, and trade, so as to bring about that degree of universal prosperity which will make liberty enjoyable and Union a thing to be loved by all. Therefore I Isay, sir, that we should, without unnecessary delay, devise a just and wise system of improvements, in whole or in part at public expense, to stimulate production, and to cheapen and facilitate the transportation of the products of labor, thus securing to the producer the greatest possible sum for the fruits of his toil, and thereby largely increasing the capability of the country to sustain the heavy burden of taxation pressing upon it. And it is in view of the conclusions just given, and the considerations heretofore mentioned, that I earnestly impress upon Congress and the country the vast importance of the speedy construction of the International Pacific railroad.

For the construction of four thousand nine hundred and forty-four miles of railroad in India the British Parliament guarantied $366,000,000, and has actually paid $65,000,000 interest there

on.

To aid in the construction of the International Pacific railroad, one thousand miles long, about fourteen million dollars in bonds will be required. Thus we can secure a railroad one fifth in length of the India railroads at one thirtieth the cost. During the construction of the road the railroad companies are required to pay the interest on the bonds. When the road is completed the payments by the United States for the transportation of mails, troops, and supplies, will far exceed the interest on the bonds, and thus obviate the necessity of appropriations from the Treasury for that purpose. The sinking fund provided by the bill will be ample for the payment of the principal; and thus, without cost to the national Treasury, a work enduring as time, the importance of which the most sanguine imagination can now scarcely foreshadow, will be secured to this and future generations in perpetuity.

Mr. Chairman, progress is the watchword of

this Republic; progress in civil government; progress in the recognition and protection of the rights of men; progress in education, morality, and religion; progress in the arts and sciences; progress in industry, production, and trade; progress in multiplying facilities and overcoming obstructions to commerce; progress in spreading the self-evident truths of free government, not by bloodshed and war, but by the humane process of peace. And, oh! what a field is here spread out for human thought and human action, stretching from ocean to ocean, a distance of three thousand miles, and extending over seventy-five degrees of latitude: with a climate varying from perpetual spring to perpetual winter; with productions to suit all climes; penetrated by immense rivers, worthy the name of inland seas; bordered by navigable lakes, and indented with bays and gulfs unequaled in size and beauty; traversed by giant mountains filled with precious ores; diversified with hill, valley, and plain; timber land and prairie; with soil of unsurpassed fertility; with mountains of iron and measures of coal four times greater in extent than those of all the world beside is the land committed for development to American freedom, American genius, and American statesmanship. Here the fierce battle of liberty was fought and won, and here every man is free. Hence has gone forth the grand political and religious truths which are now revolutionizing and christianizing the world. Here the downtrodden and oppressed, of every nation, tongue, and clime, save one, have found refuge and repose. And even they, sons of Africa, although held in chains and slavery, have here, here in America, learned to forget their instincts and practices of barbarism. And, sir, may it not be the Divine pur pose out of the crime of slavery to bring a great good; may it not be, when these children of misfortune shall have learned the principles of liberty and justice, that, turning their eyes to the home of their ancestors, inspiration may lead them to seek it as their inheritance, where christianizing and civilizing their kindred they may grow up to be a great and a free people. And, sir, hither have come children of the celestial empire, with their quaint costumes and quainter religious rites. Bringing their habits of industry, sobriety, and economy, they have found homes, protection, and employ

ment.

And, sir, catching the inspiration of free government and guided by the genius of American statesmanship the rulers of the Empire of the Sun have sent hither an embassy, distinguished mainly by being led by one of the sons of our Republic. They come to announce the readiness of that singular people to open wide their gates and to throw down the "Chinese wall" which for three thousand years has made them a separate people. They offer us their trade, which within eight years has grown under American influences from $80,000,000, to $300,000,000, and which is capable of indefinite extension. Shall we not reach forth and grasp it? Yes; with our iron arms, spanning a continent will we bring it to our embrace.

And, then, sir, Asia, the birth place of mankind, awakened from her dark slumbers by America, will receive our merchants, artisans, school-men, and missionaries, and through American influence and American civilization will march forth with newness of life to receive the Divine truths of the Gospel for her five hundred million souls.

And now sir, thanking the House for the courtesy of its attention, I close by repeating a sentiment already uttered, that to the American people is confided the greatest and grandest subdivision of the earth, upon which to work out the problem of perfect human Government. Let us endeavor to be equal to the epoch in which we live, and by wise legislation accelerate the wheels of progress and secure to our whole people prosperity, union, liberty, and justice.

Mr. JONES, of Kentucky, obtained the floor, but yielded to

Mr. HIGBY, who moved that the committee rise.

The motion was agreed to.

The committee accordingly rose; and Mr. HIGBY having taken the chair as Speaker pro tempore, Mr. CULLOM reported that the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union having had under consideration the Union generally, had come to no resolution thereon.

And then, on motion of Mr. GETZ, (at nine o'clock and forty minutes p. m.,) the House adjourned.

PETITIONS, ETC.

The following petitions, &c., were presented under the rule, and referred to the appropriate committees:

By Mr. BUCKLAND: The petition of William Robertson and others, owners of steamers and vessels engaged in the coasting and other trade on the southern shore of Lake Erie, for the passage of the bills introduced into the Senate of the United States by Mr. CHANDLER regulating such trade.

By Mr. LOAN: The petition of A. L. H. Crenshaw, of Jackson county, Missouri, for relief.

By Mr. MILLER: The petition of sundry Army officers, praying an allowance of forage for an additional number of horses, and also the continuance of the compensation of ten dollars per month to every company commander for responsibility of clothing, arms, company property, &c.

By Mr. PETERS: The petition of John G. Chandler and others, Army officers, for an increase of compensation.

By Mr. POLAND: The petition of Colonel J. G. Chandler and others, officers in the United States Army, praying for an increase of compensation.

By Mr. RANDALL: The petition of sundry officers asking the passage of the bill known as "the Schenck bill," to equalize the pay of the officers and enlisted men of the Army.

By Mr. SCHENCK: The petition of officers of the Army asking for the passage of General Schenck's bill, to fix and equalize the pay of officers and to establish the pay of enlisted soldiers of the Army.

By Mr. WASHBURN, of Massachusetts: The remonstrance of C. H. Jones, and 7 other legal voters of Athol, Massachusetts, against the increase of the tariff on steel.

By Mr. WELKER: A memorial of Colonel J. G. Chandler and 10 others, officers of the Army,asking the passage of General SCHENCK'S bill fixing the pay of officers and soldiers in the Army.

IN SENATE.
TUESDAY, July 14, 1868.

Prayer by Rev. E. H. GRAY, D. D.

On motion of Mr. FERRY, and by unanimous consent, the reading of the Journal of yesterday was dispensed with.

SENATOR FROM MARYLAND.

Mr. VICKERS presented the credentials of Hon. William Pinkney Whyte, appointed by the Governor of the State of Maryland a Sen ator from that State to fill the unexpired term of Hon. Reverdy Johnson, resigned.

The credentials were read; and the oaths prescribed by law having been administered to Mr. WHYTE, he took his seat in the Senate.

HOUSE BILLS REFERRED.

The joint resolution (H. R. No. 332) authorizing the appointment of examiners to examine and report upon the expediency of discontinuing the navy-yard at Charlestown, Massachusetts, and uniting the same with the yard at Kittery, Maine, was read twice by its title, and referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs. The joint resolution (H. R. No. 338) exonerating certain vessels of the United States from the payment of tonnage fees to consular agents in Canada was read twice by its title, and referred to the Committee on Commerce.

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION.

The PRESIDENT pro tempore laid before the Senate a letter of the Secretary of the Interior, communicating information relative to the third article of the treaty of April 28, 1866, with the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians, and an estimate for $15,000 with which to meet the requirements of that article; which was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

Mr. CONNESS presented a petition of citi zens of Los Angeles, California, praying Congress to establish a district court of the United States for the southern district of California to be located at Los Angeles; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. CONKLING presented a petition of officers of the United States Army, praying an increase of compensation; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN presented a peti

tion of officers of the United States Army, praying an increase of compensation; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia.

Mr. TRUMBULL presented a petition of officers of the United States Army, praying an increase of compensation; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia.

Mr. WILSON presented a petition of officers of the United States Army, praying an increase of compensation; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia.

Mr. MORGAN presented a petition of citizens of New York, praying an extension of the time of the so-called fifty per cent. clause of the bankrupt act; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. FESSENDEN presented a petition of officers of the United States Army, praying an increase of compensation; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia.

Mr. HOWE presented the petition of Levi Herzog, praying compensation for goods furnished the first regiment Marylard volunteer cavalry in 1861; which was referred to the Committee on Claims.

He also presented the petition of George Fuerst, praying to be allowed transportation to Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia.

ORDER OF BUSINESS.

Mr. DRAKE. I ask the unanimous consent of the Senate to resume at this time the consideration of the bill which was cut off yesterday morning by the expiration of the morning hour. It will take but a little time, and it is a bill of public importance, which has already || passed the House of Representatives, and been reported with amendments from the Committee on Naval Affairs. It is a bill (H. R. No. 941) to amend certain acts in relation to the Navy and Marine corps.

Mr. CATTELL. I am very sorry to interfere with the purpose of the Senator from Missouri, but a bill of, I think, very great public import, Senate bill No. 543, has been up under discussion more than once in the morning hour and been cut off, and I am extremely anxious that it should be disposed of now. I am quite unwell, scarcely able to be in the Senate this morning, and came here hoping that that bill would be disposed of. I think it will not give rise to much discussion.

Mr. DRAKE. I beg the gentleman not to object to taking up the bill I indicated. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Reports of committees are in order.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

slight amendment. I suppose under the rules, strictly, it should go to the Committee on Printing again, but I conclude that the Committee on Printing will concur in this recommendation.

Mr. ANTHONY. It is not necessary to send it to the Committee on Printing again, but I should like to know what the amendment is.

Mr. POMEROY. The amendment is to allow one thousand copies in French. We concurred in the recommendation of the Committee on Printing with the exception of allowing one thousand copies in French, which the Committee on Printing did not agree to.

Mr. ANTHONY. Do you propose to print the maps?

Mr. POMEROY. We have not recom mended that.

Mr. EDMUNDS. Let it go over until to morrow and be printed.

being made, it goes over under the rule. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection

MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE.

A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. MCPHERSON, its Clerk, announced that the House had concurred in the report of the committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the bill (H. R. No. 605) making appropriations for the legis lative, executive, and judicial expenses of the Government for the year ending the 30th of June, 1869.

The message further announced that the House had concurred in the report of the committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the bill (H. R. No. 344) to incorporate the Washington Target-Shooting Company.

The message also announced that the House had passed a joint resolution (H. R. No. 339) authorizing the remission of the duties on a chime of bells imported for presentation to the Episcopal church at Hoosic, Rensselaer county, New York.

ENROLLED BILL SIGNED.

The message further announced that the Speaker of the House had signed the enrolled bill (S. No. 564) concerning the tax commissioners of the State of Arkansas; and it was signed by the President pro tempore.

SAMUEL PIERCE

On motion of Mr. FERRY, the bill (H. R. No. 783) for the relief of Samuel Pierce, which had been reported on adversely, was postponed indefinitely.

DEFICIENCY APPROPRIATION BILL.

Mr. FERRY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to the bill (H. R. No. 1341) making appropriations and to supply deficiencies in the appropriations for the service of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1868, and for other purposes; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

HOUSE BILL REFERRED.

remission of the duties on a chime of bells The bill (H. R. No. 339) authorizing the imported for presentation to the Episcopal church at Hoosic, Rensselaer county, New York, was read twice by its title, and referred to the Committee on Finance.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN RAILROAD.

Mr. HOWARD. I desire to appeal to the Senate to take up Senate bill No. 276. I only want to have it taken up and read, and it may be laid aside then if any gentleman has anything more pressing.

grant lands to the Northern Michigan Railroad Company in extension of the Northern Pacific railroad.

Mr. EDMUNDS. Is it just reported? Mr. HOWARD. No; it has been reported for months.

Mr. TRUMBULL. Before that is taken up