The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-02-08

neighbors will want convenient road. They may there
find space for them in which they shall not give way
TO the anything elisa road not to be ln'eefed
with. ~,
The leading idea them is, that reserve breadth
of land upon which may lay down different tracks
OF road Independent of each other TO be kept
nected with each other to be adapted 10 the diner
ent means OF conveyance ana 70 DC IN ,bs
history of the world that there should De hao whose
domain is SO extensive that she is able 10 lay down as
she chooses by law a road across CONTINENT the who're
distance under one flag and one law. Is wondefiu
Contingency happened to u.s. and which we should
avail ourselves Of Ra o. e a aonn The roaS for
its protection and support 1t would be IN VAN to have
road without it. We want protection and we want
support Settlers will Immediately establish themselves
about every of these stations, and will soon furnish
the means of support TO them all Then, Mr. President
the wires be stretched AS soon this route is es
lablished and this protection gwen the wires can De
stretched upon the whole route Then, standing upon
the shores OF the Atlantic you shall hold converse with
him who stands upon the shores OF the Pacihc ocean
You shall talk another three thousand miles dis
Nothing, Mr. President is essential than roads
is an old theme SIR bu! It will bear me suggestion
is the indispensable duty of every nation which has &C
qued any new possessions to open communication win
il We know that the Romans-from whom we borrow
so many OF our ideas, useful grand-never consid
cred conquered territory added to the republic or the
empire until it was perforated by a road There was no
annexation in their idea until there communication.
The idea well founded SIR, and one which we
practically carry out Large and grand as our pro-
the Mississippi to the paef, and
nihcan compared to the roads of the Roman empire. Her
territory not greater than oursnot so compac-her
population homogeneous ours at the greatest
as great will be in the lifetime of the child now
born and yet her roads far transcribed length and num-
Der anything that we now propose Here is what Gbbon
says. After enumerang the four thousand cities belong
ing the Roman empire in Europe ASIA and Africa, he
goes on to say:
eau these cities were connected with each other, and
with the capital by the public highways, which, issuing
from the forum OF Rome traver%d Italy, pervaded the
empire. If we carefully trace the distance from the wall
of Antoninus Rome, and from thence TO Jerusalem
the northwest the southeast point of the empire
drawn the length of four thousand and eighty Roman
mile stones and in direct line from city TO
another with very s respect 3[ the obstacles either
rated, and bold arches thrown over the broadcast and
most rapid The middle part of the road was
raised into which commanded the adjacent
try, consisted OF several strata OF sand, gravel and ce
near the capital, with granite. Such tho solid
struction of the Romah highway whose htmne's has
united the of the most distant provinces by
and familiar but their primary object had been
try considered subdued ill, it had rendered, in all
its parts psrvions to the sms and authority Of he con
and OF conveying their orders with ctcry induced
e bs rs 10 asuon Of ps oaes
where erecd at the distance oy of five six miles,
aud by the help Of these relays was easy to travel hun
dred miles u day along the roman roads The use OF he
|
mandate; but though originally n,eaded for the public
service. sometimes INDUCED TO The business or con
Such was the extent and solidiy of the Roman roads
single line of road above 1000 Roman and equal 10
37l0 English mies-and the 1000 cities of the empire all
connected with roads of equal soidy besides The road
which propose is only half The length OF one chain OF
theirs l mention them for their magniiccnce-ther
grandeur-and presenting example worthy of our
Imitation The road propose is necessary to u.s. and now
We want it now. The state OF our possessions on the
Pacific demands it. The time to begin has arrived All the
| haul
The title to Oregon is settled, and government estab
!ished there, and population is growing up. California
follow We have have fleet on that coas~roops there here
and going Streams population concentrating there
Since the discovery of the New World by Columbus there
has been such unsettlDg OF the foundations of
society Not merely individuals and companies but
communities and nations are in commoon, all bound to
the setting sun-to the glded horizon Of western Amer
lea. For want of American road they seek foreign
routes far round, by and land, TO reach by an i'm
mense circuit what is part of their own land Until
foreign route but that is temporary resource de.
mandeby the exigency OF the times, and until get
our own ready. Never did great an object pre-
country from sea to seafrom the Atlantic to the Pa
cic-and upon breadth equal to the length of the
Mississippi-and embracing the whole temperate zone
Three thousand miles across and half that bread It'll
Is the magnificent parallelogram OF our domain. We
can national central road, through and through
the whole distance, under our flag and under our
laws Military reasons require US to make il: for
troops and munitions must go there. Political rea
require to make 1t: II will be cham OF union
between the Atlantic and Mississippi States Commercial
reasons demand it from us and here touch boundless
field, dazzling and bewiderng the imagination from its
vastness and Importance The trade of the Pacific ocean.
of the western of North America and of eastern
ASIA will all take its track and only for ourselves
but for posery That trade of India which has been shift
ing its channels from the time of the Ph9ncians TO the
present. destined to shit MORE and to realize the
grand idea OF Columbus The American road India will
pean merchant, well the American, will fly across
our continent on straight line TO China The rich
merce of Asia will flow through centre And where
has that commerce flowed without carrying wealth
and dominion with tl Look at its ancient channels and
the cities which it raised into Kingdoms and the popula-
tons which upon its treasures became resple ndent in
science, learning, and the arts. Tyre Sidon, Babec
Palmyra, Alexandria, among its ancient emporums,
test the power OF this commerce to enrich TO aggrandZe,
and to enghten nations. Consantnope, in the middle
ages and in the time OF the crusades the wonder of
western Europe; and all. because she then a
thOroughfarc OF Asatic commerce Genoa and Venice,
mere cities, in later time, became the match Of kingdoms
and the envy Of the kings, from the divided
of this trade OF which they became the horoughfae Lis
bon hal her great day. and Portugal her pre- emnence
ring the little while that the discovery of the Cape OF Good
dam, the city of little territory rescued from the sea,
and the Seven United Provinces, not equal in extent
10 OF lesser States, became great arms, in
letters in wealth, and in power; and oil upon the East
India trade And, London, what makes her the
mercal mistress OF the word-what makes an island no
larger than of first class Staesthe mistress of
possessions the four OF the gobea match for
this, contributes most to make it, but this Asiatc
trade' In instance has it failed carry the nation
or the people which it, the highest pinnacle
of wealth and power and with it the highest aainments