The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-03-24
WASHINGTON, ID. G..
LETTER FROM COL. BENTON TO THE PEOPLE
OF MISSOURI.
Central National High,cay from the Mississippi
TiUer TO the Pacific.

Central National Hightcay from the Mississippi
TiUer 10 the Pacific.
CITIZENS: The time has come when the long
disputed question Of q Railroad to the Pacific
ocean 10 assuming a practical form, and is
about to receive its solution in the authoritative
examination Of the country and the selection Of
the route. An appropriation has been made
by Congress for the examinations, and the Sc
lection of the route is referred to the next Con-
gress This is well, and will give the CENTRAL
route fair chance although the MEMPHIS or
SOUTHERN route has gained an immense ad-
vantage over it in the numerous surveys which
have been made, and the long concentration Of
the public opinion upon it,
The Central route has been advocated by
Col Fremont for four years and his preference
for it publicly made known. From the time Of
his first survey of the (mscalled) South Pass,
he deemed that pass to be too far north for
California, and subject to other objections, and
therefore sought along the summit Of the Rocky
Mountains and along its base on both sides,
for passes further south, and found them iii
several places, in the Three Parks and at the
head of the Arkansas But he did not consider
the examination complete until he should
search the head of the Rio Grande del Norte,
where the information Of the mountain men,
and the course of the bufialoes led him TO ex-
pect to find the best pass, and in the best coun-
try, and on the straightest line of cOmmunica-
ton between the central parts of the Valley OF
the Mississippi and the Bay Of San Francisco.
This was the object of his last expedition,
undertaken at his own expense, in the winter
l84s-'49, after he had resigned his place in
the army of the United States and the event,
though tardily and after great disaster, has
realized all his expectations. Upon his arrival
at Taos and Santa Fe, after that disaster,
everybody could tell INN land especially Mr..
Antoine LerOux) how near he had been TO his
Object-that he was on the point Of going
through the fine pass at the head of the Valley
of the Del Norte, when his guide from de-
plorablc mistake, and against his convictions
and remOnstrances turned him out of the val
ley, and led him upon the stupendous heights
and deep SHOWS of the Sierra San Juan. Though
baked and turned back, he had come near
enough to his object to know it was there, and
TO know that it was passable in winter-and
in that winter in which was one of the deepest
and earliest SHOWS ever known. He bad crossed
from the Upper Arkansas through the Sierra
Blanca into the broad and rich valley at the
head of the Del Norte, which leads into the
pass, and had surmOunted every obstacle that
lay in his way. In three days, without cross
ing even n swell in the ground, or being able
to detect the point Of the divorce of the waters,
he would have been on the west Of the Rocky
Mountains, on the waters of the Great Colorado
of the West, in a country of wood and grass,
and in climate comparatively mild In fact.
he would have been there in less time than his
guide got him to the place of his disaster. The
information received at Taos and Santa Fe
completed his knowledge, both of this pass and
of the country beyond it, and left him perfectly
satisfied in his own mind that the true route paS
found and he communicated this important
fact to the Railroad Convention in Philadcl-
phia, in April, 1850, in a letter which was
published and also sent to the Convention Il
sketch of the route Indicated on map.
Col. Benton publishes Col Fremont's letter
its views; but want of room prevents us from
inserting them here Ed. Era.
These two documents-the letter of Colonel
Fremont and the statement of Mr. LerOux-
establish facts which are necessary to give the
Central route place in the public mind, and
TO entitle 1t to an examination under the act of
Congress, and in the mean time to satisfy all
inqulrers that this great work is not only prac-
ticable, but easy, and on the exact line which
every national consideration would require it
10 be upon, and with every advantage of facilc
construction and universal use Central TO the
Union, and embracing the business centres of
the Atlantic and Pacific, and the Mississippi
valley States on II straight line with San Fran
cisco and st. LOUIS, and connecting at this lat
ter point with the concentrated steamboat
navigation of the Great West, and with the
entire railroad system from the Mississippi to
the Atlantic-straight and smooth, not a moun-
tain to be climbed river or swamp to be
crossed, hill TO be tunneed-wood water,
and soil, for continuous settlemcnt-coal known
to be on many points Of the line-thc whole
traversable in winter and all south of 80, 3S,
and 81 degrees. Such is the character of the
Central route, and which now claims share
of the public attention and of the Congress APP
preparation shall ask for it that justice, and
that it may be examined by some practical
man whom | can commend, and who will have
stomach to the work, and do it without talk
or delay
Regarding it as certain that the road il to
be made, now add some observations upon its
character and construction, believing that err
roneous ideas prevail upon these points, which
the public good requires to be corrected | am
opposed to all schemes of making job of the
work, against mixing public and private inter
ests, against furnishing the means of making
the road to jobbers and then letting them own
IT. and charge the people double upon condi-
ton OF carrying for the Federal Government
free hold that it should be made by the
United States, so far as their territory e1tends--
which would be almost the whole distance on
the Central route-leaying the two ends, where
1t would 20 through States, to the operation of
State laws and State authority. This would
be from the Missouri State line at the mouth
OF the kanzas, 10 u point on the California
State line opposite the end of the Sierra Ne
vada at Walkers Pass--a distance of p ,
degrees of longitude, equal to about 200
miles, $50 miles to degree in that latitude,
with southern DETECTION, ~ it went West OF
three and n half degrees This would be the
main body of the work, leaving the two ends
to roads 10 be made under State authority and
which are already projected and in some de-
gree commenced, both in California and Mis-.
souri, In the mean time, and as a permanent
help aud resource at each end Of the road
there Is now steamboat transportation OF sew
eral hundred miles at each end--from San
Francisco half way up the San Joaquin, OF
more from st LOUIS to the mouth of the Kan
zas, and up it las soon as the new Territory il
established) several hundred miles further
Stages also, aud all the usual land conveyances
would be at each end of the national terrific.
rial road
My idea il, that the road should be built by
the United States, by the creation of stock
hypothecated upon the public lands, and pay.
able ut fixed period at the Federal Treasury
and that an adequate force should be put upon
1t to do the work at once We think nothing
oil levyng an army Of fifty or an hundred thou.
sand men for war. Here is an object of more
moment to the United States and to the world
than many wars and | should DO in Svor Of
seeing an army of laborers employed upon it at
once and the work done in seven years, in
stead oil Pudding AZ it for lifetime And why
not We can have the money and the men ;