221
WRITINGS OF SAl\·r HousTON, 1859
for the acquisition of any additional territory to that owned at the time of its adoption. I have not anywhere found constitu- tional authority for the acquisition of California; and as Cali- fornia was acquired without any constitutional authority, I should suppose the construction of the Pacific railroad was a mere consequence of that unauthorized act of this Government. It has become indispensable, in my opinion, to the well-being of this Government, and to the preservation of this Union, or of our connection with California, that a railroad should be constructed. We have heretofore exercised the authority of constructing roads of a public character. How the honorable gentleman from Virginia voted on that question, I am not at this time advised; but certainly Congress has made appropriations for Wagon roads for emigrant purposes, and the transportation of the mails across the continent. I cannot see any difference between our power to construct a wagon road and a railroad. If for purposes of war it is necessary to have communication with California, it is proper to construct a railroad. My object is to place California in such a situation that when invaded by a foreign Power, or when any other emergency requires it, the aid of the Federal Government may be speedily and efficiently rendered to that State. That is the reason why I am prepared to vote for the Pacific railroad; and if commercial advantages follow incidentally in its train, they form no objection. I do not wish the road constructed for com- mercial purposes; but it is undoubtedly true that commercial advantages will incidentally flow from it. With these views, I have been very anxious that a railroad should be constructed. I have not held back my hand. I should be doing great injustice to the constituency whom I represent if I were to be laggard on this occasion; but believing it more pro- motive of the object in view, I was willing to withhold any speak- ing on the subject, and to vote upon the several propositions presented, as I considered they tended towards the consummation of the object in view. Texas has made ample provision for the construction of a railroad for eight hundred miles. She has made the most liberal donation, not only out of her treasury, but out of her ample public domain; she has agreed to give twenty sec- tions of land and $6,000 in money per mile; and although all this has been done, she has been ruled out generally by the amendments proposed to this bill, for the purpose of absolutely excluding her from a fair participancy in presenting the ad- vantages which she may possess to the consideration of the nation.
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