The daily union., 1846-09-03
MIS- ELAN Gus.
From the n. Y. Evening Post
THE RAILWAY To OREGON.

We have before us the report Of the Committs.
on Public Lands made TO the United States SENATE
IN the subject of a railway from the Mississippi %
the Pacific ocean.
Tas project has assumed new importance sines
the late treaty with Great Britain has assured 10 us
the possession of southern Oregon, and left US al
liberty 10 form permanent agricultural and CONNER
cia settlements IN the country without disturbance
or question. That the future trade this country.
perhaps we might say tae trade Of Europe, with
China, will find It's passage through Oregon we have
no manner OF doubt. A dense and active popula.
lion seated on the hsrbors of the Pacific, in eli.
mate the most favorable To activity and industry,
will make themselves the masters Of that great com
merce and scatter the products OF eastern Asia over
our continent. There will then be no further occa
sion for doubling the Cape of Good Hope, or tempt
ing the storms Of Cape Horn, nor even for the short
| er passage across the islhmus Of Panama. This
commerce, however, must have the usual means Of
| transportation by water or railway
The tributary rivers Of the Missouri and the Co
| lumba, although approaching TO each other on the
opposite sides Of the Rocky mountains, yet offer
very imperfect means of trunspo portaton by boats
and ascend into elevated and cold regions far to 10
north, where they are frozen for a considerable part
Of the year. Nature has meanwhile provided in
the South Pass, as t is called, opening through
the chain Of mountains which divides the immense
valley Of the Mississippi and It's tributaries from the
region drained by the riyers which flow into the Pa
scends to the west gradually and imperceptibly,
that art itself could scarcely have leveed the noun.
| tain ranges in more perfect manner 10 form the
| basis Of railway.
The project brought before Congress by Mr..
Whitney, on which the committee make their Te-
port, only anticipates what must inevitably happen.
| The South Pass is the channel OF a great future
commerce, and the means Of transportation, at some
period or other will be a railway. The com.
| munities the Pacific, with their Asatic COM
merce, must and will possess this mode OF comma
nlcaton with the Atlantic States, the seat OF Europe
an commerce. The question before Congress is,
| whether II Is not more expedent 10 Ofer at the
present time, beilities for building the railway;
whether the channel for this future commerce could
| not now be most cheapy and easily provided, and
with a certain and almost immediate increase Of the
national prosperity.
The report which was presented to the Senate by
Mr.. Breese, of Illinois, is decidedly in favor Of the
the project, and we understand that it was agreed
| upon unanimously by the committee. Ii discusses
| severaly the questions whether Congress has the
power to offer the facilities in question, whether the
construction ofthe railway is practicable, whether
the means which il is proposed to apply are ade-
quate TO the end, and what will be the effect Of its
construction The question of constitutionallty will
not, we suppose, be attended with much difficulty.
The practicability of the work the committee con
slider settled by the observations Of Col Fremont
and other practical men familiar with the route
along which 1t is to pass. The two grounds on
which the project will probably be most strenuous
ly opposed, are that the means relied upon no,
adequate TO the end, and that, after the work shall
have been completed, there will not be sufficient
transportation to keep such an immense length Of
railway in proper repair As TO the first Of these
points, the committee say:
"Those means are to be derived from the sale Of
the public lands already acquired, and TO be acqulr
ed by the extinguHhment OF the Indian title 10 the
Il breadth thirty rnilea af rnad
tending from Lake Michigan to the shores of the
| Pacific" ...
Through considerable extent of the route the
land is said to be unsuitable for settlement and eu
tivation, and could not therefore, be expected TO
sell But for about 700 miles from the eastern ter
minus. the lands are said to be Of good quality
though for the most part destitute Of timber, and
would readily sell at 81 25 per acre, If the road be
made; which, estimating that there would be 26-
6O0,0 600 acres, would produce the sum of s33,50O-
900. Calculating that in the / ,4S3 miles from the
South Pass to the mouth Of the Columbia, 900
miles of that distance would be found Of sufficient
value, in consequence Of the construction Of the
road to command the price, (and 1t Is believed
that the value of agricultural productions, connected
with the water.power to be found there for manu-
featuring purposes, fully justIfes this estimate,)
| there would be 3S, 100000 acres, which would
amount to S45,000,000; and together these sums
would amount to sSl 500, 600, without considering
| of any value the intermediate distance of lib
miles, forming an area of AZ 139, 200 acres Of land;
but which, taking it at the worst, must have at least
some verdant and valuable spots, which would be-
come desirable for small settlements, and depots
for the Of the road and for commodities and pro-
ductions of ntersecting veins lateral channels Of
| trade and commerce. The length of the proposed
road being $3.50 miles, and the estimate for its con-
struction, according to Colonel Albert, being S2O,-
QUO per mile, the probable cost would be S52 5O0,'
900, leaving estimated surplus for repairs, and
kaan he in until fha xuhn nle m
completed, of sos, 100000 This would appear, on
full reflection, TO be moderate and safe calculation;
and, moreover the committee have reason to be-
lieve that, from the exciting interest which would
not fail to surround this undertaking, when once
begun, the pressure for acquisition and investments
in the fertile part of these lands, and in the vicinity
of so extensive work, would place their value at
least at the minimum price of the public lands. The
committee, therefore, incline to believe that the
means proposed abundanty sufficient for tho
end in view"
The question Of the benefits of the railway, and
the extent to which il will be used, occupies large
portion of the report, and the committee seem to
have labored this part of the subject with good
deal of care. We have space at present only for
one of the remaining topics on which the report
touches:
J. "Anoher powerful considerat ion in favor of the
proposed road the committee will advert to- 1t is
the probability of the occurrence, that the Terri
tory OF Oregon, now so distant from U.S. nils up WIN
enerprising and industrious people from the sev.
eral States they will attract them settlers from diff
ferent parts of Europe, all wishing to share in the
benefits of our free government, and claiming Its
protecting care, which cannot be enjoyed or bestow
ed in full measure by reason ofthe difficulty of ac
cess by land and by water. A well grounded ap-
prehenson seems then to exist, that, unless some
means like the one proposed, ofrapid oommunca-
tion with that region, be devised and completed,
that country soon to become State of vast proper
lions, and of immense political importance, by rea
son of its position, its own wants, unattended to by
this government, will be compelled to establish
separate governmental separate nation--wh its
cities, ports and harbors, inviting all the nations OF
The earth to free trade with them From their po-
sition, they viii control and monopolize the valun.
BILE fisheries of the Pacific, control the coast trade Of
Mexico, South America, and the Sandwich islands,
and other islands of the Pacific, of Japan, of China
and Of India, and become our most dangerous rival
in the of the world. in the opinion of the
committee, this road will bind these two great geo
graphical sections indssolubly together, TO their
mutuel advantage and be the cement of a union
l = L .,.