Litchfield enquirer., 1851-01-30
HighWaY Is the Pacinc.

NS'ss'Ose - syseee1y IFOAS ~.
'Louis to SGn FrdncsscO. Delivered
an tie Senate, Dec. 16M, 1850.
An enterprising Spaniard Of st Loui,
Manuel Lisa, sent out the marty: ali ac.
quaintance and old friend Of the Senator
from Wisconsin, who sits OF nav left,
General Henry Dodge,) led the party
his name Andrew Henry. Hewas the
first white man that saw that pass !: and
he found it in the prosecution Of his bu.
siness, that of hunter and trader. and
by following the game, and the road
which they had made. And that Is tina
way all passes are found. But these
traders do not write books and make
maps. but they enable other people to
DO 1t. There are plenty Of these men in
the Great West at present. men. who
know every pass in the mountains, every
ford in the rivers, every spot ft for cui,
tiyation, and the best and shortest wav
from any one point to- another--wlio
know every buffalo road and every. Indi-
an war trail, between lie Mississippi and
the Pacific ocean--and these men can
go and mark out road from the frontier
OF Missouri tothe bay Of San Francisco,
as fast as horse can trot. And thew
can cut out common road passable for
wagons and carriages with the. aid of
some axemen and some pickaxes, in the
course Of next summer, and upon the
parallels which / have mentioned, with
occasional slight reflections. There is a
flood route for the system of roads which
should constitute the national central
highway from the Mississippi to the
Bay Of San Fraacisco--a good way and
central--a better way than any one not
central cannot be found in the United
States. It Is up the main branch Of the
Kansas, along the Upper Arkansas, along
the Huerfano river, through the Utah
Pass. out the head OF the Del Norte.
Roubidoux's Pass and thence
across the valley Of the Upper Colorado,
Ind through the Great Basin, crossing
he Sierra Nevada near its middle, Of
urning it on the south; the whole wav
Yearly free from distractions, a great mart
If it fertile, with wood and water. Ct for
and brushing the present
settlements Of New Mexico and Utah.
,aye the map. and the description Of the
country, but cannot use. it because the
'uthor is not here. | know what / saw.
md stake myself upon Il. II will cross
he Rocky Mountains between three and
our degrees south of the South Pass.
50 called at the time il was discovered.
,ecause south Of Lewis and Clark 4 route
nd south OF the North Pass, but now
nlsnomer, and can be travelled earlier
n the spring and later IN tin fs.al, -.
count Of grass, and easier ell the winter.
This route. besides fulfilling all The re-
Iuisites Of national highway. fnlHlls
mother condition of high national and
realty obligation. 1t traverses the ground
,hich the protection and defence Of tho
ountry requires to be occupied--to be
that country which lies about
he heads of the Arkansas and Del Norte
the hunting ground and war ground Of
he Utahs, Arapahoes, Navahoes, and
ther tribes which make war upon New
dexico and upon us. We are bound by
luty to protect our own people againsta
hem. a line Of military posts is iieces~
'ary through their country to give that
protection and this bill provides for it
IS a part Of the road system, and also
provides for the settlements which are
20 support the posts.
1 have demonstrated the nationalityof
his work---its practibility--and the
means in our hands for making it; lido
Tot expa tate on its importance. When
inished it will Ne the American road TO
Asia, and vii turn the Asiatic commerce
# Europe through the heart of our
america. It will make us the mistress
4 that trade--rich at home and power
III abroad--and reyiving q line Of orien-.
al and almost fabulous cities to stretch
cross our continent; Tyres, Sidons, Pal
nyras, Balbecs. Do we need any slim
Illus for the undertaking Any other
lation, upon half pretext, would 90 to
war for the right Of making il, and tax
unborn generations for its completion.
We have it without war, without tax.
without treaty with any power and
when we make it all nations must travel
with our permission-and behave
to- receive permission. be-
dcs riches and power. il will give Is i
,old upon the good behaviour II nations
" the possession which ii viii give us os
he short, safe and cheap road to India.
The work is great. but nothing com
pared to our means, and 10 the magni-
Jude of the object, or to what was done
by the meas of Peru before the New
World was discovered. Their two road4
rom Quito TO Cuzco Ito say nothing Of
many shorter ones) were each nearly a.
long. both over more difficult ground
sqaai in amount 81 labor required, and
more commodious than the proposed
system of roads flom the Mississippi to
The Pacific ocean. One of our classic
historians (Prescott) thus describes them.
"Therc were many Of these roads
different parts of'the kingdem
but the most considerable were the two
Rhich extended from Quito TO Cuzco.
. -, Z 49,