The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-02-22

Telegraph to the Pacific,
pur correspondent, whose communication we
Dlish below, entirely misapprehends our posi-
IN regard to the immediate construction of a
egraph to the Pacific. We are very decidedly
zealously in favor of an immediate co,n pli
ce on the part of Congress with the application
Messrs Alden and Eddy and their associates;
ID only ask such restrictions as cannot by posi-
hty interfere with prompt construction of a
ilroad.
little reflection will satisfy all parties that to
rant to any company continuous tract of land
pc mile in width from the Mississippi to the shores
the Pacific, might be bar to the early COM
elton OF railroad; because il mi CHIT be 30 located
repeatedly to the line of railroad; and then
be grantors would have it in their power to ertort
largely from the railroad as materially to OBJ,
ruct that great and necessary work. To any
UGH grant without restrictions we are necessarily
opposed. But nothing is easier than to incorpo-
ate in the grant the necessary restrictions; and
We are quite sure, from what we learn of the APP
Dhcants for the grant, that they will very cheer
ully accede to them.
We have now lying before us the application OF
Messrs Alden and Eddy, by which it appears that
hey do not ask that the grant of land shall be
continuous from the Mississippi to the Pacific, but
simply ask for grant of million and halt OF
acres to be given them AFTER they shall have con-
structed ssiberrGnean line of telegraph from st.
Louis to San Francisco; the use OF which they pro-
pose to give to the Government free of cost for
ever! Most assuredly, no man of ordinary intel
hgence, whether in Congress out of it, can for a
moment hesitate to give to such an application an
earnest and jealous support. They propose, more
over to have this line in full operation in eighteen
IN, DO l. !,
have the title to the land vest in them until after
the telegraph is in fine working order And they
also shpulate that if, at any time, they should
omit to keep the line in working order for period
of six months, the whole shall become the property
of the Government. Nothing could be fairer; ane
the people viii not hold excusable any member o
Congress who shall, in any way, obstruct thii
great work. No pay for it is asked until the en-
tire line of telegraph is in actual working order
and then they propose to receive million and
half of public lands; and in return give the Gov
eminent forever what is worth to it ten times tht
price of the land.
Sc very decidedly we in favor of an instan
compliance with this application, that we woulc
place no other restriction upon the grant excep
the usual one in regard to mines and minerals
and the further stipulation that sf hereafter any
railroad to be constructed by the Government OF
any company 10 whom the United States may
grant authority to construct a road, shall be 10
Gated upon any of the lands herein authorized to
be entered by Messrs. Alden & Eddy and their as
sociates the entire sections upon which such road
may be located shall be surrendered by the said
Alden & Eddy, with the exception of ten feet or
each side of their line of telegraph, which, when i
crosses any such railroad, shall be laid in con-
formity to the instructions of the engineer il
charge of such work"
By simple provision of this kind, we feel as
sured that every man in the nation would most
10.
gress and passed, without days unnecessary de-
lay. 1t might be that the telegraph and railroad
would never come in contact; but if they did, such
provision as We suggest would obviate all diff
Guilty; while of course another section would pro-
vide that in the event of any surrender of land to
railroad, like amount could be entered by Messrs
Alden & Eddy on any other part of the public
domain.
grants of the Government. Inasmuch as one con
tinuous section a mile square would not Absorb
the whole million and half of acres, the grantees
should be prohibited from entering the remainde
in larger contiguous bodies than four sections o
two miles square-the object of this being merely
TO guard against large contiguous bodies of publi
land being owned by single individuals or com
panies.
We will not stop to dwell upon the incalculabl
benefits which would flow to the whole countrJ
from the immediate construction of telegraph
line to the Pacific; and when we bear in mind tina
1t is proposed to bury the entire line deep into th
H.
surprise is that responsible men should feel war
ranted to make liberal an offer. 1t is impossi
bic that any body of sane men refuse the grant
and it is equally certain that, if Congress shoult
adjourn without accepting of this very liberal offer
all of all parties will unite in censuring then
reckless to the best interests of the whole coun
try.
But our correspondent ia wrong in supposint
that Congress will have done its duty if it merely
orders survey of railroad at the present session
In our judgment, they must do far more. The
must decide that the road shall be built by tht
Government without unnecessary delay; and il
the same bill provide for the necessary loan, tht
survey under the direction of the corps of Topo
graphical Engineers, the location of the ternin
both at the East and the West, and whatever il
necessary for the speedy completion of this grea
nationalwork. Under no circumstances whatever
and In no contingency, should it be permitted t
become an individual or private enterprise. The
honor of the nation, and the preservation of tht
Union itself, is at stake in this matter. Until thi
road Is built we dare not speak to Europe in the
language Of Mr.. Monroe; and this fact alone call
for ne immediate commencement and early com
pietion of this the greatest work ever undertaken
by man.
by the public treasury 1t would enhance the va
lue of the public domain than ten times it
entire cost; and ii would be worth to the people
the United States hundreds of millions of dollars
But all these considerations, important they
sink into insigncance before the simple fact, tina
until this great national highway is constructed
our Pacific possessions at the mercy of any
the great powers of Europe. If this be So an
there is not in either House of Congress an ind
Vidual who will deny it, how is it possible tina
they can permit the session to expire without To
necessary action in the premises to insure the con
struction of this great work? That the grant 70
the telegraph will be promptly made, we do nc
entertain doubt. Even private spectators, an
the most selfish of the paid lobby which hang
about the Capitol and disgraces the nation, wi
not oppose that; and we wish we could speak wit
equal confidence of the success of the railroad
OF one thing, however, we very certain: W he
the railroad is built it will have upon it line
telegraph; and by that time there will be bushes
sufficient for half dozen lines
To The Editors Of the Courier and Enquirer:
There very strong indications that some d.
cisive action will be had during the present ses
sion of Congress upon one or both of these impor
ant enterprises. The vastness of the railway pre-
jects, however, and the immense government:
patronage in the shape of land donations which
asked for them, must necessarily require muc
elaboration on the part of the guardians of th
public domain and the peoples interest, we
very careful and thorough comparison of til
various rival projects before the best one can b
adopted, either for governmental aid and actio
or for individual effort alone.
The routes of the railroad projects ye
nnsuryeyed, and even UNEMPLOYED. And whe
these preliminary matters are adjusted, and tn
precise plan is adopted and the route fixed upon
,,,,Ir, Lass, H.,