The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-05-31
The Atlantic and Pacific Speech Of
MIR. Benton.

NAT. BeutOns
Mr.. Benton, passing through Pittsburgh
on the 23d, was invited 10 attend meeting
held with Il view to procure subscription
OF $500, 900 to the Ohio and Pennsylvania
Railroad, on the part of the corporation of
Pittsburgh and Allegheny. He accepted
the Invitation, and in the course of the eve
ming, delivered the following speech, which
was received with great delight by the audi
ence:
MIR. Chairman and Fe!Iow-citizens: |
have not arrived at the age Of life in which
4 might say that was too feeble to speak,
nor can plead the excuse of being too tired
to-nishuto address you. | arrived! here this.
evening, and am passing on in the morning,
and have had the honor--to me an unexpec-
ted one--of being waited on and invited to
attend this r-eeting q If it had been a polit-
ical ,ueetng, / should have made my Gus
tomary excuse; and that is that ] never
speak upon political subjects out of my own
bailwick; bat as the object of this meeting
is one larger than politics-as it is an object
unitarian in the highest degree, came to
the assembly--if for no other purpose, at
least for the purpose of showing that was
i'm favor of all such great, such magnificent
Improvements as that the complshment of
which you have met to consider tonight.
The President of the Company has well
observed, that, as a local question, could
not be expected to enter into details; aud it
is a question with myself whether | shall
be able to say anything or the immediate
subject of the meeting; but he also touched
point which touched me, inasmuch AS one
end of this road points to St. Louis; and
St. Louis is on the road in a straight line TO
the Pacific Ocean and Canton. My name
has been connected Gas well it might--for
while | should consider all discussion as to
who was the first to propose railroad to
the Pacific Ocean as being on an equality
with the question as to who wOnld he the
first man to ride OH horseback instead of
going afoot--yet, thirty years ago, taking
up the great ideas OF men, and the progress
sion Of things, Chat same progression which
brought Columbus to these shores) thirty
years ago not only said ba: gave it TO those
who constitute the monuments which never
die Che printing press, and by the printing
press it was handed dowO thirty years ago
said and wrote thai, sooner or later,
great national high road would be made
from the Missouri to the Pacific Ocean;
that that road would he made either iinme-
diately by the help Of the Federal Govern
ment or eventually, without that help, by
the force of circumstances and tho progress
of events.
Thirty years ago wrote this down, and
was as certain Of it then as am at this
day. Every road, then, which points TO-
wards St. Louis connects itself with this
gigantic, idea of the age in which we live
the highway Of Nations, Of Africa, of Asia.
of Europe, of generations yet unborn-a
highway from Ocean to Ocean, under one
law, under one fiGg, under one language,
under one government, (and that Repub-
lican Government. tOO) from one end to the
other. That great idea is now abroad stalk
ing over the land. AMI comments itself
with such force to all imaginations, that
universal appreciation has arisen in its ia
vOr, and there can he little doubt that in
shori time we shall witness its completion.
| have brought forward scheme. | have
proposed per centum of the sales of the
public lands, a per centun,, | merely say
that by way Of a feeier, to see how it would
take, and IL takes well, much better than
either or any one else anticipated) | pro-
posed Il per centum of the public lands, a
bypothecation of them TO raise the means
to go on with this great work, and to go on
with tsto its final completion. Go ahead
with the work; GO ahead is the word; go
ahead, and turn all the force and power you
can command upon the object you have in
view. Whatever it is, be it peace, or be it
war, be it railroads or canals, go ahead
Progression-that is the great, the distin-
gushing characteristic Of the American
Ipeople--the wonders which we see in the
ancient world-such for example as the Ply
ramids ofEgypt-strncture employing myr-
lads upon myriads of men--how did they
arisei Attic command Of Sovereigns, who