Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1840-04-04
From The True Ameriran.
81 STEM or NATIONAL DEFENUE,


Fran The True Ameriean
J SYSTEM OF NATIONAL DEFENGE
We have read with mifsh interest aud graf
!, cation The memorial Of Gen. u. r. uaines,
] dressed 10 The American Congress, explanatt
Of his grand system Of national defence, also
] copy Of his letter recently forwarded 10 Seem
Talimadae 0f New York. There are but f
documents which have bfen sptead before /
citizens Of The United States, during the i
twenty years. that prefer higher claims to cant
consideration and caieful examination, than Il
memorial. The subject IL one Within The gfs
Of. every mind one which eonmsiiIs itself 10 {
heat OF every patriot. Al this period, especial
when The goverbmelt Of The Union Is involved
an intsfnihaIle war with the Florida Indians.
when there exists well founded apprehension
savage invasion upon our western %fthntier, ~
when we are Upon the eve Of a rupture wi
England, in consequence Of our boundary diff
eulties, il seems to he exceedingly proper that ID
memorial, unfolding as il Dies, a etgattic systet
Union from one extreme to the other; from Aroo
took TO Cape Sstie-should be spread throuelia,
The county, and by The irresistible action Of pul
lie opinion, forced upon the attention of fS'
gtess,
The national legislature. under - eN's'he
dynasty, has adopted the PREVAILS n''i, u "a
pineness and ~inaction, and II ICY o'ne' oe'
paftment Of the epvstntDe''' ~ 'eeo'e pa'sa'i'h
gives evidence pit ,.ssolu'lot' must speedily
,ste o,aee. ,,,,bss re proper remedies are applied
for the put,sa'ion Of the entire system.
Wssty aud months are fritteted away at the
C,ejta. an idle, untneaning, or vicious action,
Wife ,te Notifications Of the country are suffered
invasion are anhihilated by long misuse and ne.
elect. and our old and hereditary enemies are in.
vittd, by The absetNe Of tigor and vigilance, TO
commence anew ther schemes Of centuinely and
aggression.
II is owing to these circumstances, that we are
threatened by Englandupon our North Eastern
border, and that the sur, Of fuenfy; fire millions
af dyhars has been sduapdsred in Intellectual 81.
tempis TO subdue fire hansrea naked savages.-
Hence it is by m means a matter Of surprise that
the repeated efforts IF an OLD and veteran soldier,
one who has passed his entire existence in the
American camp. who has given un4ues,ionable
proofs of devotion and sig nal ability, 10 bring be
fore Congress, a wise and property digested plan
Of defence. have met with repeated discourage.
ments. In the whirlpool Of political corruption,
where every man Il striving for his own salvation
and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, it is not a, all stfnnge. that
The admohitions, The prayers and petitions Of n
faithful public servant. governed alone by his sense
OF patriotism, shpuld be disregarded.
General Gaines' system Is explained at Length
in a pamphlet Of thirty pages. From his memo
rial to Congress, We make such extracts as will
serve to give an outline If his projects.
In order 10 illustrate this subject. in detail. more
space is required III our columns than WI can
spare. Our object is simply 10 invite The atten-
ton Of The public al large, and 10 urge The matter
upon lis eotsi dtraton.
The Rail Roads proposed by General Gaines
are described in the annexed section of the me-
mofial'
stc TO- We propose the immediate location
and construction Of seven tail roads. TO extend
Ii'il II WV tthifSi ~ VI 4 estiSNstc HfN
Kentucky TO the seven grand divisions Of The ma.
tinnal frontier, as suggested hy a plan embraced
in the accompanying diagram; viz.
Ftrsf.-One principal rail road from licking.
ton Ky. to buffalo or Pla,tsbnrg N. Y, with
branches to Detroit. Albany and Boston.
Second.-ODe principal rail road from Knox
Vile. Tenn. to Norfolk, Va OF Baltimore. Nd.
with branches to Richmond. Va. and Newhern,
North Catnlins.
Third One principal rail road from Mem.
pbis, Tenn, to Charleston. s. G.. or savan nah
Ga, with branches 10 Miiledgeville, Ga, and
East Fla.
Fourth.-One principal rail road from Louis.
Vile, KY, TO Mobile. Ala, with a branch TO Pen
sacola. Fla.
Fifh.-One principal rail road from Lexipg-
ton. KY, vim Nashville. to New Orleans.
Sitlh. Que principal rail read from Memphis
Tenn. 10 The Sabine Ridge, with branches TO For
l'owson ard Fort Gibson, Ark.
Serenth.-One principal rail road from Louis
vile. Ky or Albany, Ind. 10 81 Louis, Mo-. ant
thence 10 the Missouri river north of the mouth q
I'VE DiE \ ~ tHt Vsftb = vi wv 'tN
Of Missouri TO The upper crossing Of the river Des
Moises.
II. These seven great nr,efies or principal raj
roads here enumerated will each be from 500 te
700 miles In length averaging 600 miles making
altogether a distance Of 4 200 miles, and The ave
rage cost Of locating and constructing them is CO.
al S15,0 900 per mile, amounting a~ltogeth.
TO The sum Of s6i .0oO, 900.
The entire question is illustrated by Gen
with a formidable array Of fnets, supported
by stubborn and aecn,rovertiblo arguments. The
memorial should be placed in tho hands of every
We presume he distinguished Senator from
". Y. will endeavor to secure the action Of Con
gress upon the memorial during the present. ses-
sion Of Congress, but we Can hope nothing from
The powers thin, I've. in the existing state Of govern
a%fIairs. What the future moy bring forth.
remains to be discovered,
We close this article with the conclusion Of
tho Generals pamphlet, which contains The pray.
gr Of bis memorial 10 Congress.
He prays that he may be authorized by law
TO select and employ under the authority Of the
President Of the United States, such engineers
and other officers, scientific mechanics, artificers,
ship carpenters aud labarers as n,ay be necessary
to enable him forthwith to locate and construct
upon the principles and in the manner here stat.
cd. one ofthe proposed principal rail roads-say
that from Lexington. Ky to Nashyili, and thence
10 New Orleans; or the one from Memphis, Tenn.
10 NEE. the ono already completed from Charleston
G., and Augusta. Ga, to Tennessee river.
And also 10 construct three Of the proposed float
ing batteries, viz: two for the harbor of New Or.
|,o.x. .o1 1.,a r.. H. b..1.. - f.G;I,. g. l,n mar.