New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-08
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.
sa,rrEY GREAT SCHEME.
,,ouor, nade to the q. q. Senate sept. IL,
tsao, by mr. Bright, from the Com'nlttee
aIo,d. and Canals,

$780, BY sht' - $50 NAS -
an Roads and Canals.
After duly sitting, weighing, and comparing the
.aa.ons for the different routes and the different
.1ars 0our Committee have come to the conclusion
tbat the plan submitted by Mr. Asa w httney9 o.
Nv .York, is the one which ought to DE adopted
and have accordingly prepared bill noIe9l fo 30
naked as PROJECT OF ia" ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ~ 49,
accomplishment OF tins design ,..,.o..,.,:
yonr Committee have been aided ~ thG eAAtn'
not;on Of this subject by the very taVorao,e anu
fail rep.rts of different Committees oil ooti
If each Congress for the last I'VE years, dHu u
the legislatures OF some eighteen .s@'G'1 ef
Nv and expressly recommending Tue auopson ~
sIia nlsn over all others and the unanlmlty WIN
Nh said resolutions were adopted IN b0th
h,oncbes Of the different legislatures is, as your
comm;ttee believe, without q parallel. Paodc
y,setines throughout the country, III our pepuous
eitios, have been equally decided and unanimous
in expressing the same favor for this pani and
aven since the two conventions held last tail-the
ane at St Lous and the other at Menphls-pnb'
&c meetings, uumerously and most respectfully
attended, have been held at Clnclnnatl, at Louis
vile, at indianapolis, at Dayton, at Columbus
and at Zanesvile--at all Of which resolutions
were almost unanimously adopted in favor OF this
plan, and declaring it the only one capable OF be-
ing carried out; and your Committee believe from
the frequent expressions of the public press aud
from other sources that the opinion OF the country
is universally concentrated on this pan.
Inc leading principles ana tHoSt ALIPSt go r.
visions of the bill here with introduced to be con
Ridered in comparison with other plans, as WIZ De
seen are S follows -.
First We notice the constitutional difficulties,
rs entertained by large and iormldaoie sections
md narties Of the country arising from objections
TO the building of this work by the Goyernment
directlv or to putting ii Indirectly on the national
Hreasurv: or to oaning the public credit to com
papy ineorporatedfor this object or to the setting
apart of O specific portion OF the natlna revenue,
thc latter leaving the work stu IN the hah1s OIL
the GovernmeIt-Which three are the only plans
proposed except that Of Mr. Whitney. These
iormid able, and, as your Committee think, insur
xnountabe difficulties, ii left 10 the way, are su-
perseded by substituting the principle oil private
enterprise and private responsibility, as PropOseu
by the bill and SIS therein regulated ana c9htfooa
Secondly. The bill proposes that belt otterrl-
tory co miles wde-that is, so miles on each SIDE
of the road-with its eastern base on Lake Mlch
gan and its western on the Pacific, comprehend
ing about Is 100000 Of acres, shall be sold ana a
propriated to this object, to be accounted tor ny
Mr. Whitney at the national treasury, at tehc cents
per acre. good, bad and indifferent amounting W
nearly $8000,0O0.
When it is considered that tens and scores OF
millions of acres of the public domain are no"
being and about to be, gacen away, Tor various
objects and that some OF our leading stutesmci
are proposing TO give all the public lands away
with some prospect of success; and when, more
over. it il conaidercd that only little more than
one third Of the belt proposed to be set apart oi
this road is good and saleab!e andt--lt must DC
seen there is little chance or probability that tag
Government will evec get as much for this terri
tory as by selling it for this road at ten cents pc!
acre. Consequently, the road, butt on TINS plan
win itself be o capital of immense and lncacala
bic value and 80 much posture gam to the nation
which, as your Committee will endeayor to sho"
could in no other way be realized.
TRrdlv The capital to build the road with Is
TO be crCatet by the increased value winch the
building Of the road will mpart to the lands TINS
set apart and through which the road Is to pass
and, when created and thus invested the bill pro-
vides that the use of the road shall be a poSfIoe
and perpetual grdtulty to trade and commerce.
with no other tax for transport OF passengers anu
merchandise than such tolls as may be necessary
TO keep the road and its apparatus IN work,ne
order-which tolls arc to be determined on an
regulated by Congress
- Here, az your Committee think wiz be seen
@ two great and peculiar principles oil tnis pa,
s39 which, as the Committee believe are not oul
~ fundamental but vital to the great object III VcW
/. The capital is credtc&-u p0Stt.oe crt0tf0H-
net 607yOwed. iii were borrowed or drawn irar
othor so,urps, all other plans contemplate,
would be necessary to impose tolls Tor dividend
TO satisfy the interest; ana ihen The great Cnd Il
view would be sacrificed. The end proposed II
10 draw trade and commerce on this line, by neant
of cheap transport between the great East ana tht
great West OF the United States between the
United States and Asia Qad between Earopc and
interest the cost OF the road, this end caid no
be accomplished and the enterprise would be
etupcndous failure. But ON the plan proposed
with tolls sufficient only orcxpenses OF operation
and necessary repairs, ii is believed that pas
Scuger may be taken over the whole line OF tn
road 5000 miles, for $50 o Oushel o corn tor =
cents; a barrel of flour for 81; tun weight c
merchandise for SO aud one tun measurement
0fteas Ia half tun weight for So. AT these rates
can it be doubted that the corn OF the Mtfs'SstpP
valley may be put down in China for 40 ccnt'
transit per bushel-worth there, as your Commit
Ace are informed, from 10 cents to & % Ton sixt,
pounds weight-leaving an average ct from 80 t.
30 cents bashcl to the producer, and as th'
Committee are also informed, with an unhmite'
demand And so of agricultural products and o
every other species OF merchandise, going to anC
fro between the AtaRtc aud Pacific ports OF th(
United States between the Mississippi valley
and Asia, between eastern coast and Asia
and between Europe and Asia--in Il word, be
tween population of ESQ., 600, 000 in Europe, acroS
bosom, Rnd 500,00O000 III Asia; as also be
tween ourselves and all Asia.
But double these rates of transport--as woult
inevitably be the case were the road built on an
ether plan OF means, always requiring tolls 5utii
Gent, IN addition TO the expenses OF operation an(
repairs, to meet the interest on the cost OF thu
work-and the whole of this immense aud vnstl,
extended commerce would be forever prevented
from sprlnging into being; and the comparative
small amount now carried on between lis an(
Asia, and between Europe and Asia, would b,
sound to follow its old routes. our Commute,
therefore of opinion that this road can neve
be built and sustained except By capital created b.
isselt, as by the plan proposed and that it woul,
be doomed TO failure even itit should be attempt
cd on the credit of the Government as the people
would never submit TO perpetual taxation for III,
interest on its cost.
Your Committee are of opinion that the cheap
transport to be obtained by the plan proposed in
wolves the only principle on which this road car
be made successful enterprise and IL is all The
more satisfactory as it will not cost the Govern
ment and people OF the United States single
dollar
F0arthly. Itremains to inquire whether capita
Sufficient can be raised on this plan to build this
Road. 1t is estimated that 1t will cost, on this
Milan ahnnf SEn.OON Onn lnlnncl a hnrt's eSti