Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1853-09-27

once, and the work due in seven years,
stead Of piddling at it for lifetime.
And why not! We can have the money
aud the men; md on line of twelve
hundred miles there would be room for
fifty thousand men to work without cl.
bowling each other, It would only be
forty men to the mile. The preemp,on
system would give the money and the
setllers-the right kind Of settlers men
who would defend themselves from
d ans. and raise provisions for the sup.
ply Of the road, an occupy ii on both
sides, and from ono end TO the other,
the first season they were allowed to
do 30. The Indian title should be ex.
dnguisheI on a breadth Of fifty TO an
hundred miles, and mile reserved for
the different tracks Of railroads, and for
a common road. and Tor telegraphic
lines. 1t is work for poslerity, and
three continents; and we should elevate
ourselves to the grandeur Of the occa.
sion. The Main street in the city which
Alexander tho Great founded to super.
cele Tyre, in the East India trade, was
five miles long anil thousand feet wide,
with colonaded and covered foo,way
ofone hundred fee. on each side. There
wero men Of ample ideas in those times
and still it was not the ago that built
the pyramids. From the summit oil
those pyramids said the conqueror Of
the Mamelukes, forty centuries look
down upon u.s. The time will come
when forty centuries may look back
upon this road; and they should not be
left 10 repinc at the improviJence which
would dwndle it to the petty calcula.
tions' Of jobbcrs, corporutors, and spec.
ulators.
4 repeat. | deem all schemes Of ma
king this road by mixture of public
and private means; giving lands or
money to companies to make it, up;
getting, in addition to their own pro.
fits, interests upon the cost Of construc.
tion, and which cost was betrayed by
the United States; and all this crowned
with monopoly of the road: deem
all such schemes TO bo funlamently
unwise, unjust to the community, impo-
litic, and vicious. hold the United
Stul,s should build the road and the
fixtures 'i' let out the use of it for pc.
RODS Of seven OR ten years to con,rac.
tors, who will carry all freight, public
and private, and all passengers, ind.
vfdual and governmental, at the same
rate; the lowest responsible bidder to
take the contract, and furnish his own
cars and run them; and if under bid,
at the end Of his time, or superseded,
the successo! to take all his stock at
valuation.
1T "a an illusion anil cheat, TO SUD.
pose that contractors will carry for the
United States gratis. They will get
their pay somewhere, and onght; and
the fair way, and the oaly Ineligible
way. and the only way for each to know
what they are about, is for the United
States to pay like an individual for all
that is done for it. 1t is the only way
tokeeP the people from being oppressed
and plundcred. Besides, what is the Gov.
ernnent-our Government-but the
people? Why rob one pocket to put
in the other? Why rob individuals in
detail, to give 10 the community as a
government, especially when it is very
certain that individuals double charged
will never gel back any part Of their
money! The Untel States pay their
ocean steamers for all they carry, and
that enormously, AMI to the establish
ment Of oppressive monopolios; why
not pay their lanI steamers fairly and
eQuiiably, instead of throwing the bur.
den upon the travelling and the business
community? This road is to be a long
one, and intended for universal use; and
travel and freight upon it should be
made as cheap as possible. Besides our
own trade and our travel, the trade and
travel Of Europe with Asia should 90
upon it. A free road-that is to say,
road which like the ocean or a river.
charges nothing for its use-is the first
great step toward ch cap transportation;
and for the Government to pay like in.
diyiduals is the second and com pIetins
step to that cheapness. '-Bentons Let.
ter to the People cfINissouri.
To support these assertions and con.
clusions, Col. Benton gives two docu.
ments-one from Mr. Leroux and the
other from Col. Fremont-both con.
elusive enough. But there are other
considerations connected with this road
The road should start from Missouri. he.
cause the almost innumerable roads in