New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-03-16

Ia 20 far az 70 allow al articles intended 70 De OK
hbited there. 70 pass free Of toll over the canals
and railroads Of the State.
The Pacific KailrOad-The Conditions oil IT,
Success.
The Pacific Railroad viii have two great uses.
~ viii be the medium Of intercourse between the
Eastern and Western portions Of tie Continent
and toe main channel Of the commerce Of China
and India and the civilized world. And IN orcer
that We should reap the foil advantages Of this
commerce, the road must be so constructed that
il can afford to deliver al very low rate upon the
shore oil the Pacific the surplus grain with which
tbs valley Of the Mississippi viii forever teen
For the parpose OF intercourse with California
and Oregon. the difference oftwo or three days 10
the me OF traversng the Continent would not be
seriously felt at least at the beginning though
even then il is important that the expense Of the
journey should be as small as possible. Bat IL
order that we may at once seize upon the trade Of
China and the Indies aud subject and convert thu
mighty East into a tributary and extension o. the
migbter West, the time required to traverse tho
road should not be an hour longer than is ALSO
lately necessary.
We have here the two conditions indispensable
10 tho success Of this great enterprise First, il
nnst be able 10 transport passengers at the lowest
possible rate ano carry freight 80 cheaply that
grain cen be taken to its Western terminus and
thence shipped to China, at price within the
means Of the laboring inhabitants Of that country
in order 10 do this 1t must have no dividends OIL
stock or interest on loans to pay, and must not
need to earn more than the cost Of running it and
keeping il in repair. Second, it must be built on
the shortest practice able route; and in order 70 do
this it must be run as far TO the North possible
The necessity Of a Northern rather than South
en- route Is natural one. 1t grows out o. the
form OF the earth. Everybody knows that the
earth is larger round at the equator than ct the
poles. Consequently the farther from the equator
and the nearer the poles is the line in which we
70 around Il, the shorter the distance. From
Charleston, s. Give take Southern city as al
exsmple,--to San Francisco by route as faI
North as circumstances will allow the road TO be
bailt, is 1910 miles while by the Southern route
running through Memphis, FL Paso and along the
6ila. it is 1853 miles Starting from NewYork.
the advantage Of the Northern route becomes
greater OF course the Panama, Nicaragua and
Tehusntepec routes are still longer than that by
the CHA for the that they further to the
South
And il we take for our starting pon: London the
present focus Of the East Indian trade, we shall
hnd that nme Of thene Southern routes will be able
TO change the course Of Eastern Commerce. The
Nicaragua Canal offers beyond doubt the greatest
inducements TO such a change for the reason that
it will carry ships through from ocean to ocean
without the need Of shifting their cargoes. But
here again the form of the earth and the currents
Of the regular winds decide that the Asiatic trade
will not DO taken through the Canal Ships will
be able 10 sail from London to China around the
Cape Of Good Hope in some 90 days less on the
average than it will require toms axe the passage
by way OF Nicaragua, so that, immense as will be
the tunnage passing by that route, ships loaded at
Canton or Calcutta will not increase it, Moreover,
il is plain that if il all went that way the United
States would only indirectly profit by it. Our pro
ducts would not pay for the goods nor our labor be
employed in their transportation They must pass
directly across our territory and our surplus pro
daction must pay for them or we fail OF the great
snd which is so plainly within reach.
In thus establishing the necessity Of a northern
route we are not looking toward an advantage to
one section of the country over another We
simply contend that the dictate of nature should
hsvc its weight in a matter OF so great Importance
And. indeed, the Southern see ports would thereby
Be made much nearer the Pacific terminus OF the
road than the Northern; New Orleans would b.
Ave hundred miles nearer than Boston, Charleston
some hity miles, and Baltimore two hundred miles
nearer than New.York. Thus while this route Is
indispensable the success Of the road it is also
as fair AID equal as possible to the various cities
which win serve as its d6p6ts upon the Atlantic
We have now very briefly demonstrated as we
think that this enterprise must be begun al
once and accomplished as soon as possible
that it must be so built to be burdened with DO
charges beyond tine cost Of running and keeping il
IN repair; aud that il must be built upon the shor.
test or most northern line In another article We
VIII consider the various plans before the country
for its construction.