The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-06-16
I'll E REPU BLIC.
AND PACIFIC RAILROAD

aLANTIC AND PACIFIC RAILROAD
Great interest is indicated by the press in all the
Southem States in favor of undertaking railroad
from some point on the Mississippi Valley to the
Pacific Ocean. convention TO consider this sub
ject was to have been held at Memphis, Tennessee,
on the 4th of July, which has been postponed to
the 18th of October.
To the committee making the preparations for
this convention, Mr.. CALHOUN has addressed a
letter, which we copy below part of the his
tory of the times. We cannot, however, permit
ii to appear without expressing our deep and sin
cere regret that this gentleman should lose
sion, however inappropriate, to throw out sugges-
tons conceived spirit hostile to the perpetuity
of the Union.
Letter from John c. Calhoun on the Memphis Railroad
Convention
FoRT HILL, 26th May, lS49.
GENTLEMEN: have received your invitation, in
behalf of the citizens of Memphis, to be present at
meeting of citizens from every part of the country
TO be held there on the 4th of July next for the
purpose of aiding, by expressing public opinion,
the project of constructing railroad from the valley
of the Mississippi to the Pacific ocean.
would be happy to accept your invitation, and
to be present on the occasion, but regret to state
that have an engagement with which cannot dis
pense, and which will not permit me.
The object of your meeting regard as very I'M
portant. Of all theprojects of the age consider il
the one of the greatest magnitude, viewed either
in its commercial or political aspect. 1t would do
more than any other to facilitate intercourse be-
fme no fmf Urea IF the olahe-the n
lantic and the Paciic--and thereby unite, CONNER
cally and politically, the western coast of this
tnent and the eastern coast of the old, with the
eastern coast of this and the western coast of the
old, far more Intimately than they have ever here
tofore been. The valley of the Mississippi would
become the common centre Of the intercourse be-
tween the two oceans and the extremes of both
continents, with all the great benefits it would
confer.
Thus far there can be no division of opinion; but
it remains to be determined whether railroad is
practicable; at what point if ii is, should 1t COM
mence on the Mississippi and terminate on the Pa
cic' and what intermediate tract should 1t take be-
tween, what will be It's cost and what plan should
be adopted for It's execution All these questions
should be deliberately and carefully settled before
the work is undertaken. Nothing ought 10 be
hastily or preciptately done in a of such mag
nitude. A careful recognizance and an actual sur
vey, where necessary, ought to be made by able
and faithful engineers of all the routes, preparatory
to determining the question of practicabity and, if
found to be so, TO determine what would be the
shortest the most easily constructed, the cheapest
and the most open and readily passed over at all
seasons, and what the actual cost of constructing
each would be- All this information would be ne
cessary to determine the point at which IT should
commence on the Mississippi and terminate on
the Pacific. But, in determining on these points
other considerations would have to be taken into
the estimate In determining the former will
have TO be considered, first, what point on the
will best suit Its valley, and IN the next, what
will best suit the of the Union all things
sidered The former would involve the question,
what point will, at all seasons, be most easily
cheaply, and certainly approached by It's waters,
including It's great tributaries And the latter, the
question, what point would, in like manner, be APP
preached by railroad from other portions of the
Union; These are questions which will demand,
at the proper time grave and careful examination.
The selection should be made in reference to the
general good Of the whole Union, and not in refer
ence to any particular portion.
The selection of the point Of terminus on the
Pacific will be less complicated. The goodness of
the port, Its position in reference to the general
trade Of that ocean, and the facility of reaching II
by a railroad, should be considered in determining
But candor compels me to state, there still re-
mains another and graver question for us of the
SCUM 10 DtiOTt uc Ifydtg utCtdt Hldl
course should take in reference this great pro-
iect; and that is, what position we to occupy in
reference TO our territories the Pacific acquired
from Mexico by the late treaty with her Are We
TO be excluded from them Are we, after having
spent so much Of our blood and treasure for their
acquisition, to be deprived, contrary TO the provi-
sions Of the Constitution and in violation Of every
principle Of equity and justice, of equal
right in them; Are they TO be made the means
Of our humiliation and subsection % the rest
Of the Union, instead Of our prosperity And,
if so, shall we still go on, and spend millions
on millions, in addition TO what we have al
ready, in aggrandizing the rest Of the Union at
our own expense and for our subjection' | trust
not. ] trust we shall pause until it is asoertaned
how TO stand, to those territories and the
rest Of the Union, before decide finally on our
course in reference TO the subject Of the meeting.
In the mean time, steps may be taken to obtain in
formation preparatory to a decision but LET us
sepe thai until iohai interest pe are 10 hare
in The irOrk
With great respect, | am, &c, &c,
J. G. CALHOUN.
Messrs. Robertson Topp, NJ. B. Winchester, Jno.
T. Trezevant, and others Of the Committee Of
Correspondence.