Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-08-04

Pacific rail road.
Whilst we have been the advoea,o. :.
proposed enterprise ever since W.
brough. the subject before the country ~e
constraned 10 admit that the obstacles :
way of its early consumm ma ion are so M
Gus and SO serious IN th ir character III
indulge no very sangulne homes of SEC.
carried into successful execution e.,
years to come. II the PROPOSITION co1@ 'ol
received and acted upon. free from the o. V
rcssments of collateral political and peoc..'
! CT Considerations, its intrinsic imno,, 'PN
would command for it such concen,ra,; P
public sentiment as would insure lis mn =
adoption and its early Accomplishment eppE
IL our iudgm it would be imposshlo
conceive great natioral project which ~.
not be urrounded with fewer cmhar,..|"
incidental Issues than this Of connecti,n
Atlantic with the Pacific States by rail ,.| -"
Without regarding its attainment as mnr. o'a
cable, we think that glance at some of ~, :,
obstacles in the way may he probably -. .'
sdered by those OF its friends whose copyc,
of its vast importance have made them :.
gune OF its success within a reasonably s1a
time.
1t is safe and sound rule. that wbs,.,.
|
prise, the first C consideration should have r,a".,
10 its conformity with Constitutional pove1"
There are politicians, and they are MOI q f.u
in number or deficient in ability who meet,b.
proposition at the threshold with deriaIor i
its constiulionality. Those who have arrived
a. this conclusion are actuated by xed con.
vctions based upon settled principles of con.
sttulional con, ,ruction to which thew adbe,o
with rigid tenacity and from which they new,
er can be reasonably expected to depart. We
sci them down as fixed opponents,upon whom
no process of reasoning that may hereaierbe
adopted can make an impression We think
they err i'll making a wrong application of
sound principles. Without protesting our.
selves to be either peculiarly strict or atu.
dinous constructionst, aud with frank admis.
sion that we do not profess to comprehend,
with the exactnes of scientific definition The
meaning of these anagonistic terms, we have
been content to form our opinion On the ques
ion upon what we consider the natarrl, com
mon sense mode of constituting the constitution
the mode by which we suppose the intention
oil the constr tuition is TO be most certainly
reached. Upon this rule of construction, we
are satisfied that Congress has exactly the
same power to appropriate The public revenue
towards the construction of a railroad to the
Prcihc that it has To build forti6ca,ions to pro.
,ect our Pacific territory from invasion or ag
erosion. We arrive at this conclusion upon
The conviction that our possessions on the Pa.
cihc will be unsafe, and liable to be wresed
from US, either by foreign invasion orby do
nestle revolution, without the means OF trans
porting speedily to the Pacific the necessary
military material, both of men and munillon:
70 protect our territory and preserve the Uni
ION IN its full strength. In other worls,we re
gard the Pacific railroad as Necessary for GU
defence as government, and that the powe
Of the government 10 provide for its defence
IN this mode is as clear and certain as ii is t
provide Tor the erection OF Notifications to pre-
ect the City of San Francisco
The constlutonay of the proposition, il
our opinion is not to be worked out upon an
refined. hair splitting distinctions as to expires
and implied powers, but it stands fully Wind
Gated upon the plain power of self defence,
; obedience TO the obligation to protect the se'
, eral States, applied to the equally plain fac'
that a railroad connexion with the Pacific is nj
cessary for our common dfence, and that sue
connection cannot be secured without aid fro
the Government. The constitution authorize
l1OHSieSS 10 raise revenue Tor me common Oh
ience; 1t guarantees 10 every State protectlo
; against invasion or instruction. Armies, M
d vies, and notifications are the more obvol
means by which these obligations ofthe FED
eral Cover nment are TO besatisGed, but ii do
! not follow that they are the only legitimu
i and constitutional means. California is eni
d tied to the protection of the federal arm to 81
u u cure her against dangerfrom without and wit
= in. How is this protection to be provided
Can 1t be done eflettually by statonng are
g armies and erecting Notifications on the Paci
&c coasti That may be possible; and so
might be possible to increase our navy 10 sue
an extent as to protect her from aggression
t abroad; but locking at the actual condition
: the State, its location on the seahoard, the il
{ adequacy of its population to repel a foreig
| invasion, its immense distance from the milit
OF the other States. and the character OF the il
teivening country, we cannot suppose that al
one would deny that rail road would furnIs
> a more certain and reliable means of protectlc
and defence than the standing army. navy al
{ Notifications, all combined Indeed, we
not see how we can give to all the circumstal
y ces their full eonsi Iteration "a itbon beinus f)