New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-29

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seek to disguise it, but we shall surely see
at last that Prussia has given in to the
demands of Austria and Bavaria, not Of
her own will but because the Gar has or
dered it.
Whitney, Railroad and Land Reform.
A considerable degree Of hostility ap-
pears to exist among Land and Labor Re
formers toward Mr.. Whitneys scheme for
the construction of Railroad to the Pacific
Ocean. This was manifested on Tuesday
evening at the meeting of the Industrial
Congress in this City, when Committee
was appointed for the special duty OF op-
posing the plan by memorials to Congress-
Now we are convinced that this oppo-
sition proceeds from the want of correct
understanding on the part of Land Reform
ers. and from the denunciations of journal
lists who have not taken the trouble to ex-
anime the subject and who write from pre-
iudice rather than knowledge. Let US see
if we cannot do something to set the matter
right.
The great objection is that the scheme
is vast land speculation, and that Mr..
Whitney aims to make by it an immense
fortune. AS to this, we think it pretty
we'll demonstrated by this time that he
is actuated by no such motives. 1t is
now nearly if not quite ten years since he
first brought his idea before the public, and
since then he has devoted himself to it with
singleness of mind and perseverance
which it is impossible not to respect. No
man, certainly none endowed with the en-
ergy and capacities which distinguish Mr..
Whitney, would keep fast to one purpose
through such length of time, laboring for
it unsweryingly through evil and good re-
port, and never shrinking from the fullest
public discussion, if the only end in view
were to make money. Opportunities of
great speculation are not wanting that they
have to be pursued through 50 many years.
To us it seems plain that only great and
admirable ambition could produce such per-
feet and constant devotion to any scheme.
But how does this scheme look toward
land speculation? The plan is brief
~ ms {; A large tract OF land on the line
of the proposed road is set apart for
its construction. OF this land that iii the
first eight hundred miles is excellent, equal
to any in the country. That which follows
is poor; indeed, much of it can never sup
port population as dense as the present
average in this State. 1t follows then that
the first eight hundred miles must pay
greater part of the expense of the whole
road. Accordingly it is divided into sec
tons of five miles each. AS soon as ten
miles of the road is-fnished and in running
order, Mr.. Whitney has the right to sell
one of these sections and so on successive
~ as each ten miles is finished, reservine
each alternate five miles of land to be sold
after the work is carried through the eight
hundred miles into the poor land which
cannot pay, and in which there are to be
no reserved sections. But not till that is
done can an acre of these reserved sections
be sold, and then they can only be sold as
the work advances and the money is re-
quired to meet the actual outlay, and sold
too, at public auction in lots of from forty
to one hundred and sixty acres. Nor does
the land in any sense pass into Mr.. Whit
ney's own possession; he is merely charged
with the right of selling it; the title comes
directly from the Government And if
when the road is finished there are any
lands unsold, they do not become Mr..
Wmtney's property, but must be sold at
public auction within ten years. their pro-
ceeds to be paid to Mr. w, or his legal rep
resentatives. And should he fail at any
stage Of the work, his grant is forfeited and
all he has done becomes Internationally
and without further consideration the prop
erty Of the Government. And for all the
lands taken, good, bad and Indifferent, the
treasury is to be paid 10 cents an acre by
Mr.. Whitney.
Now, where is the land speculation in
this 1t is plain that Mr.. w. can receive
u