Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1853-09-22
The Administration and the Pa
CifSc RniRrOaA#

VINO HuVe no opinion Oh tnelr own, are
about to creep out of the Pacific railroad
project, to which the speech of Mr.. Sec.
retay Davis, the open assent of Mr.. Sec.
rotary Guthrie, and the silent assent Of
President Pierce, committed them as a
Cabinet and as the heads of their party.
We have heretofore noticed the manly
declarations made in the speech of Col.
Davis, that il was the duty of the gen.
eral Government to aid in making the
Pacific Railroad, because, without tha,
road, the protection which il is bound to
give TO the States and Territories on The
Pacific could not be effectually secured.
Mr.. Guthrie endorsed these sentiments,
and President Pierce and others of his
Cabinet present on the occasion, by their
silence gave their consent to the truth Of
what was said, and The policy which de-
handed of the General Government 10
enter upos the enterprise. The Wash
inton Union-.he home advocate, if not
really the organ, If the Administration
took up the subjec,. and earnestly en-
dorsed all that was said and all that was
promised. Nat q .
So things wore a favorable aspect, and
the press of the counlry-some Demo
cratic as well as whig-were encouraged
to believe that they should have in the
message of President Pierce, a. the
opening of the next Congress, warm
and decided recommendation ia favor of
the general Government embarking at
once in the enterprise Of making road.
But the hope soon began to grow doubt
full from the misgivings OF certain DEM
ocrstic papers, as the policy as well as
to the power. OF the general Government
undertaking the work; and these doubts
were soon followed by fears--whch the
explanations and equivocations of the
Washington Union, justly exci,ed--that
President Pierce had no opinion on the
subject, ard did not really know wha, he
would do-his decision being controlled
by party policy, not public good and
cons titutional right. st .s#
The fears may now be said to have
reached their climax, and given way to
certainly. The New Hampshire Union
Democrat, published at Manchester in
that State, and edited by one who in the
Presidential contest was made the mouth
piece of the then simply Gen. Pierce,
has opened its mouth on the subject, and
now speaks for President Pierce. L,
sets out by stigmatizing the Pacific rail
road project as a "Gorgon" which has
raised its head within the Democratic
household, 10 distractiiheir counsels; and
says: aa.r .
I'VE regard i, as a monster whose
enormtty can only be measured by the
length of it--as much hey ond any for
mer conception of iniqui,y, as il must
transcend all such in magnitude and
cost. As such we mean to oppose it to
the bitter end
We need not say that there is no er-
pressed authority in the Constitution for
such an enterprise. No one pre,ends
there is. Ii is based upon mere infer
entiat power--and that extorted by the
most shameful looseness of construction.
The Washington Union, as we have al
ready said, advocates it as a military ne.
cessi,y-planting itself upon the Uar
po,cer in The Constitution. The pretext
is, that war may comc--that California,
in its opulent weakness, will be likely to
fall an easy victim to any foe which may
assail her; and that we are, therefore,
under political and fraternal obligations
to come to the rescue by means of the
Pacific Railroad.
The hypoiheses upon which this ar
gument is based. are as far fetched and
little worth as the conclusions to which
they lead.
These remarks--if in any sense they
may be taken as emenating from Presi-
dent Pierce, and tina, they do come from
him; or express his feelings, the Rich.
mond Enquirer insists is not doubtful
these remarks, we say, OF the N II. De-
mocrat, are nothing less and nothing
more than an official denuncia,:on of
Mr.. Secretary Davis, who made the
speech in favor of the Pacific railroad,
and Mr.. Secretary Guthrie, who endors-
ed what he said. We are not surprised,
then, to learn that there are rumors and
reports Of divisions IN the Cabinet, and
that now The probability is tina. Messrs.
Davis and Guthrie will Withdraw from
the Cabinet or be turned Out, If they do
NOT change their opinion Of the power
and duty of The government to make the
Pacific railroad.
These are the last reports from WASH
ington, and if they do come in "ques-
,ionable shape" the facts and circum-
stances on which they are grounded au.
thorizes belief that they are not with
out some reason to rest. So it may be
that the present lull in party politics may
Nsoon give way TO an excitement that will,
il the end, we trust. eyentLate in uphold
i1g the right, by exposing the weakness
81 those now charged with sustaining il.
~ Baltimore Patriot. e