The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-12-05


by falling into the arena of party sirifes, as
: did the Cumberland, but heeause its expense
will Ire great Us 10 defeat the object of
drawing the trade on THAT line which NAV
he necessary To pay the interest Of ib~ cost
10 create pubic debt of SaOO, COO, ,O09
for this road, and then make TRANSPORT free
would not accord with the viii of he yen-
pie, and must fail on that plan. And We. i,
IS absolutely necessary that transrt3ft shotii,i
be cheap, ~ proposed hy Mr.. Whi.ne,,s.
plan for ultimate success. By Mfr. Nhi,-
Dey's plan, The capital To build the road
with is to be created ont of the sale of the
lamls through which it passes, and tx, 9TH
rr tolls are to be imposed excerpt what may
be necessary to keep the road and lis ma
ch!nery in working order. The capital is
not to be 60rrotced or furnished from, the
public treasury, ms proposed by all other
plans, but efeated out of the land sci apart
for this object. II Is mainra:ned that this il
II system Of public economy, which has new
er been before, and hicf can never asain,
he brought IN the power 81 any nation. IL
will build the greatest work in The world,
OF a useful kind, without penny of tax "r
cost TO the natiUn. f,he building Of this
road should he put in charge, as has been
proposed, of company, TO bs furnished
with capital by loan of the public credit,
It is not only iiabie 10 the san.e objections
as to economy, anu MS to the necessity of
raising dividen'!s by tax on transport, whrh
VIII defeat the great object Of The road, viz,
cheap transport and thus, in all probability,
doom 1t TO failure, but the power Of such
company over such vast interest would
i'e an insuperable objection TO the yfople,
who are generally opposed Ia such power
'ui corporations, and'it is believed their on.
position would break il down long before il
could be built. But, in the Whi;uey t,lan.
AMI by The proposed law, ALI controlling
power over this great interest is forever 10
he vested in the hands of Congress. Mr..
W hitney's powers are limited to the max
ing of the road outof the public lands set
apart Tor the Object, that is, a territory ,hr-
y miles wide on each side of the road.--
ihIs he Is to do hy his own private enter
prise, telrg bound TO pay into the pubic
treasury ten cents per acre for the land,
good, bad, and Indifferent, amounting io
nearly SIS 1000, 900. The estimated cost Of
The ROAD, on this plan, is 500 600, 900, hich,
'nciu,!ing the eight millions due to- the ma
ti"hal treasury. would require the raising Of
S6S, 100000 out Of the sale Of these lands,
TO fulfil the contract and before Mr.. Whit.
ney, could realize any compensation.
1t Is conceded that these lands, tyo-ihirds
ot which are poor, wou!d never yield the
Government the eight millions 10 he paid
ny Mr.. Whitney for them. Consequently.
the read Will he clear gain 10 The nation, ..
without penny Of tax
This plan has met with great popular "a.
vor, AMI is destined, we think, to ixcou,e
more popular, for reasons nor only valid.
but OF which every one can feel the force.
1t is opposed only by few politicians who
desire to mike capta! for themselves by
agitation. 1t is remarkable, ms clearly
SHOWN 10y the cificial reports, that be route
on which The lands lie, capnile of buiLliuy
the road, Is NOT only the one most conve,i-
ie"t 10 all parts of the Union, but the most
feasible IN all other respects. In regar,, To
ions great SUBJECT, II Is to be hopr! that
Congress viii know its ,lury, and do il IN
time to. save the public lands necessar. for
'he object. Ii j, the most important nation.
ai projecf before thai h0dy--il1e most i'm.
portant indeed that can come before il. AS
IL Is now before Congress hy reports of com
'iittees oil both houses, which most aIly dis
play att The merits OF the question, We sin.
cerely nope 1t will be the first aud chiet hu-
'i!ess OF the next session, till the bill re-
ported shall he passed into a law Of ths
land.
We have no space for the details of The
argument given in these reports; but we cor
iiaIly subscribe to the following sen;menn.
ID The report from the committee of the
mouse oi tepresentaiiyes:--"Asv your cotf,-
hittee are grayely apprehensive that no
otner pan bur Mr.. Nhitney's will Ultimate
y succeed, they cannot refrain from ex
pressing iheir solicftude in regard TO the
great ahh momentous interests Of our conn.
try which are contingent On the execu,ion
OF this magnificent design