The Arkansas banner., 1849-09-18
rAs Road to the Pacific.

OreH bit ueNAstvH " aH CIAs<fS HUI NohhhoHs " our citizens in favor of the undertaking. As the period sppoin,ed for the Memphis Convention ap- Pioachss we feel Ii our duty again 'o present the subject feadefsand call upon heIn 10 waksb the enthusiasm with which Il was first received among iheIn.
 Wheh the road to the Pacific was first spoken of, there seemed 10 be some ccu'rariety of opinion wih regard 10 the most appropriate point IoE s eastern terminus. The citizens oi Missouri, naturally desir ing to secure to themselves the immediate benefits of great public work, eontended strongly for tbe superior advantages oi the Iouie terminating upon their western border. Time and a succession of foriuiioBs circumstances have shown the entire un fitness for the contemplated purposes. of load Ter minating on The Missouri Itehiier, and has marked out as the best location for this connecting link, between the two great oceans. route much farther seuih and one that had hitherto been comparatively unnoliced by the tide Of trade and travel between the United States and New Mexico. Thi. road has alTsady been surveyed and travelled oyer with ease, comfort and and expedition, by thousands of our ct zens seeking the golden sands of lhe Sacramento, avoiding the tedious passage of Inc mountain passes
 
 portion Of the great western prsies where the grass Is ht for pasiaTsge as early s' ihe monh of March, following the uatursl roa sforded by the valley of the Arkansas, ant terminating al point on {" the great father of waters" belos is confluence with the Ohio. This route presents facilities and aevan- tages, which u truth and justice not be claimed fH any other. h distance it has been shown 10 be the shortest and most direc and t is free from the hardshps and dangers, the snf-rihg and delay from intense cold and insufficient rasturage inevitably atteDdant upon road through more northern Iati- tudes.
 That this road wiiI eventually be constructed, is as certain as that the people Of North America will in time fuifl and realize the high destinies marked out for ihem. Peculiarly blessed by unparalleled advantages of geographical positions inhahting. for the most part a trnperaie climate where the best snd noblest energies of human intellect called into action; their country traveTsed from North 10 South by almost interunsble navagable water eour- ses, draining their immense productive basins between ,be gres, mountain ranges. and forming everywhere natural highways for the oI their produce; stretching lon the frozen lsudes to the torn zone ha, the graios oibe nor th and the fruits oi the equatorial regions are alike conve- nieni to their resch the United States seem predes. lined by nature 10 occupy portion in the march of civilization and human improvement unprecedented in the annals of the world
 The more completely 10 accomplish this great end, speedy and direct intercomln nc a,ion not only with every portion of the country claiming the protection and benefits of our free institutions, but with all parts of the habitabe globe, is much 10 be desired, m fact essentially necessary Association with fellow men, the interchange of commodi- ties and prodacons of the sol and of the intellect is the soaIce of human progress and national great ness, Fosiered by free institutions, permitting aud | securing to the meanest tenant and the proudest landlord, the privileges and civic rghis throw ing open to all alike the sources o information of profit aud of pleasure, it enables men to attain a mole perfect equality in fact, and equally in all the exercise Of energy and enterprise that would otherwise be dormant and useless. 1 A favofite philosophical historian has said ,ha, "ol all inventions, The alphabet and printing press, alone excepted, those which abrdse distance, have done most for tine civilization Of our species" pod roads and an abundance of them, adufding conve- nient access from remote points to the navigable waters which surround and percolate conn try are, like the veins and arteries of the human body the of giving and sustaining the life and ] health of the whole system. The construction of I such avenues ol commerce and wealth IS eagerly sought in orier to secure the trade o even inconsd- erable inland villages, the country through which this pass is Invariably benefited, the lanls iu- nensely improved in value, numerous settlements are equently made on and about them the tariff of transportation being removed, the prices of products and manufactures of all sorts diminished while | the profits measurably increased. What mag nifeent and indeed almost incobcevable prospect of profit and progress does the establishment and com pIetion of this. great nationai throushare 10 the Paci6c present 10 our people Il Will bringus into almost immediate contact with tine eight millions, who inhabit the Pacific coast, and mos, materially lessen the distance and increase the of munic ation with the inc alcuable hosts peopng the rich shores of the lnGan ocean, the OphiI ot modern times
 | This immense population have hitherto been nearly, half years travel distant from us the pro- posed road will briag them within redch in only d lew days, their productions and manufactures arc generally such our climate does not afford | while on the other hand, we will fnd among them a ready and profitable, aud inexhaustibc demand l for our own surplus. Thus, laying aside all sec, tionsi prejudices and Jeaipasies, the whole coun' irv, from i;s centre to it's faihernost limits would be benefited by tho construction of this work-a source of wealth and improvement would be open ed to all our citizens from the st. Lawrence to the Rio Grandc--lrom the Rock oi Piymouth 10 the bay of Dan Francisco. By bringing nations aad countries nearer together. by associanng them more intimately iu commercial ipterehaages. they become more dependant upon one another, and the cause of universal peace and universal frec-trade is consequently promoted. The sbridgement Of dis ,ance and increase of communication between ihs United States and Europe, by means of the ocean