The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-12

the continent, the largest desert, and the highes
mountain. 1t is the first route we have ever
heard of that selected for rail road, because
it 10 unsettled: the object being to make it by
the sale Of public lands and to make the public
lands sell by making the road.
Ii rail road existed between Europe and
America, whose commerce with each other is
twice as great AZ that Of both with Asia, the
road would not pay dividend, even ii it carried
all the passengers and merchandise that now
annually are interchanged by them. Yet it is
contended that the comparatively trivial CON-
merce, between the Atlantic and Pacific, will al
already justify the construction OF such road.
Mr.. WHITNEY thinks he could sell the public
lands on each side of such road, for distance
Of ten miles, at enough to max 1t in twenty years.
The public lands on all sides Of the navgable
waters of the Mississippi, which have access to
twenty thousand miles Of river coast, have not
sold for enough in twenty years to make such
road, although some ten millions Of people have
been colonized on them in that period. And now,
whilst the prices Of labor and capital are yet
high through all this region, nsomuch that but
few Of these cities are connected by railroads,
Mr.. WHrrSEY proposes to construct two thou
sand miles of railroad along line where scarcely
q log cabin is yet erected.
Mr.. whitney proposes to create, or rather to
transfer population and production, by the
agency Of such road. 1t would be as wise to
build ON the Taos trail, a city like New York, or
rather like the houses of New York, for the pur-
pose Of inducing half million of people to 60
there and reside.
This government has no power to build such
a road itself, or to grant the public lands for
such purpose 1t may be said the land is of
little or no value; but if it could be rendered
sufficiently so, it could only be by withdrawing
capital and labor from other parts Of the United
States, and by so doing, reducing the value of
property in them as much as it could be en-
HANGED on the line.
We are aware that some twenty odd lcgisla-
lures have recommended ouch work-that
committees of the House and Senate have re-
ported in it's favor--that there is considerable
party in Congress that advocate it, but it is
nevertheless the widest ehimera that has yet
obtained currency in this age of chimeras If
it should ever be undertaken it, will render us
the ridicue of the world and will demonstrate
the incapacity of Congress to administer such
trust as the public lands-the unfitness of
poor finite humanity to exercise a. control over
region three thousand miles in extent.
The conception Of the project has no parallel
mot even in the tower Of Babel. We have
not yet crossed the Alleghanies, with railroad,
and yet it is proposed to cross the Rocky noun
tains with one!
Navigation of the Ohio River Falls.
The West and South have deep inter
est ia obviating the obstruction to the nav
igation of the falls Of the Ohio river. The
canal on the Louisville side, is not large
enough to permit the passage of the class OF
boats now preferred in that trade--nor can il be
rendered large enough, without an expenditure
and delay, more than equal to the cost of n new
and adequate work. We publish to-day a me-
mortal of committee of citizens of Cincinnati
II
such work could be conveniently constructed
We observe in the Louisville papers, that this
movement is denounced on two grounds. One
is, that it interferes with the project of purchas-
ing with public money the stock in the Louis
VILE canal, now held by private persons, and its
enlargement Mt public expense. The other is,
that this movement is instigated by property
holders on the Indian side.
It is very probable that property holders, and
people without property on the Indiana side
would like TO have a canal there But it does not
appear more selfish in them than in those on the
Kentucky side, to insist on the exclusive i'm
provement of that particularly if it should
appear that it cannot answer the purpose with
out much greater expense.
There il another aspect of this question, TO
which, since invidious comparisons are made, it
is proper to call public attention. The Louis
vile canal was constructed by privatacorpo-
ration, in which the United States government
took about third of the stock-took about
third of million Since $40 the United States
las received TO dividend For at that time the
company got an act passed by the Kentucky
legislature to enable them to take the dividends
Of the United States, and transfer Annually in
lien thereof to certain persons of the company
in trust for Tie United States, the stock of the
company al their omn ?, ices. And this process
is now going on, the price charged the govern
ment being over two hundred dollars share.
The individual mcml ers of the company have
thus for eight years been transferring their stock
at annually increasing rates TO the government,
instead of making the dividends originally re-
quired by the charter, when the United States
subscribed and paid in third Of a million for
stock.
Now this thing of authorizing, by act of a.
Legislature, one set Of partners TO take the money
of another for their property, at their own
prices, and to create trust for The United States