The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-24

The writer has just returned from listening tc
the second of a course of three lectures upon the
subject Of railroad TO the Pacific coast, by Pro.
fessor 7. M. Post, now Of st. Louis, recently Of
Jacksonville, Illinois. Professor Post has, in an
eminent degree, that power Of making pictures
! which clothes even the dead tree with buds and
blossoms and covers every object drawn by his
verbal pencil with new creation of conceptions
SO that the framework Is hardly recognised as
the one with which we were before familiar. But
bis pictures are never triiing, light, or gaudy
you are not invited to draw near and admire the
beauty Of calyx, petal, or stamen but you are
made seem to stand afar of, and view the great,
the beautiful, the sublime. This is the orator
who is now wreathing around the dry skeleton OF
statistics preparatory to the construction of this
great work, the foliage of his fertile imagination
la bis FIRST lecture were discussed the practical
bily Of this road ia relation 10 the ground to be
passed over and the money II would cost to build It,
This road, extending over . distance of 1000
miles, he said would have to pass over route no
part Of which Is fraught with more difficulties
than have already been overcome In the construc-
ton of roads now in operation Our roads al.
ready constructed cost on an average $4,000 .
mile, whichswouid make this from Ale Mississippi
TO San Francisco $50, 100000 bat suppose II cost
$40, 900 per mile, and we have sss, 600, 900
The lecture tonight was devoted TO the consd-
Grafton Of the civil and commercial wcesspy for
this means Of communication with those new
States which are springing up on the shores Of
the Pacific II the Rocky Mountains are per-
mitted to remain barrier between US and them,
to be passed only by weeks or months of toll they
cannot be one with us In Government, In oom-
merce, or in civilization. Sooner than send their
representatives such distance, over such route,
to capital three thousand miles of, there 10 sub
ject their interests to the vote Of Congress, ma
jority Of whose members have only an imperfect
knowledge Of their wants, they will establish an
Independent Government Of their own. They
will then have their own commerce and their
own civilization. What IL there il no special con-
sti utional grant for sucha work. The very life
of the nation requires IL; for; without II; these
Pacific States cannot be defended against what
ever Power may happen TO rule the Pacific ocean,
nor can we infuse into them our common type OF
thought and an equal energy In the prosecution
Of science What IL the road would not pay
Rome never stopped to ask such question, when
the security, greatness, and glory Of that Empire
required the construction Of highways for her ar
mics, her commerce. and the diffusion Of her civil
ization. But many statistics were presented TO
prove that the road will pay Who would not 30
by this route from St. Louis TO San Francisco In
seven days, though with double fare, rather than
spend fifteen In going by the quickest conveyance
by Panama Consider our whale fisheries, the
commerce Of Asia, twenty millions Of dollars every
year, and increasing, and the growing necessity
TO exchange the productions Of the twelve thou
sand square miles Of the Mississippi Valley, for
the handiwork of the millions Of india and China.
For this interchange, this road must soon become
Indispensable , for the oommsres Of the Atlantic
cities, great desidsrstum; and for The trsde Of
Europe, the means Of saving time, and, In saving
time, saving money. We must have this road, the
Atlantic cities must have II, and Europe must
have it--for II IL q part OF the shortest route
around the world, and In this shortest span the
worlds commerce must pass
To the question, when shall this road be built 7
the speaker replied, mow Every confederation
demands speedy eenmaaisAtion With the people