Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-02-19
THE RioIFIc RAILROAD INSTEAD OF A WAR

Yount America has of late been,gr0wing restless
By infallble signs it may be seen that something
must belone to relieve the plethora of health under
which tbs nation is laboring A slight skill IN
prognosias suf6ces to show that our national heart
has growi turbulent through excess of prosperity,
and that Is spasmodic beatings become measured
and welll& only by doing great work deed
When MINIS muscles quiyering with unused vigor
he is restless unhappy even, until he gets into hght
sets himself to hard work If he be lazy, the fighting
aternatvis the probable but whether he be lazy
or industrious the alternative of hard work is certainly
more profitable himself and ohsrs than any amount Of
fancy achievement Now, Young America has INDUCED
without stint strong appetite for roast beef until it
scarcely refrain from pugism, something equally alb
surd by way Of outlet to its excess of muscular vgor
The policy Of restraint does not suit him, can
course Of detetcs be enforced for Young America has
an appetite which rice Cruel The is clear
something must be done, and something great too, or
this growing giant viii become outrageous, thorny
neighbor and strongly bent suicide. Its peccant hu
mors must in some way be worked off, the decalogue
is in danger No cave of Polyphemus can entice this
young blood into dull and stupid drowsness but it de-
mands wdeswake action, the greater the better,
and in doing this it will course on like mettesome
steed who glories in the ground he leaves behind.
VERIFY the question is practical, though somewhat
NUMEROUS In .A-A-Ah-- hall Hchf or work
Work is the best and most original solution Of the
War; friend what do We want of war Think of it
ment what do We want of war What does il
this Cuba, Canada, and carnage few thou
sands, including perhaps enriching certain apocry
pha fields with bone dust while certain other thousands
egless or armless stump the States few oyess year
as vulgar fractions of humanity War; the demoraizer
the pain and pension founder the form Of gam
of grab between nations the treasury leech the colo
shoulderer Of honest panstaking labor, the marpot
philanthropic and religious endeavorwar is worthy
of us We do something better than to repeat for the
thousandth time play where al lose and none truly
gaina hackneyed play out by countless rehearsas
among all nations, especially the most barbarous; a
play admitting points; from the prologue to the
end tragic and full Of slaughter, and having but
moral known from the frst-whch is, play this tragedy
| no more
Thanks to our good fortune, Young America do
thing greater nobler, more original and effective
than war Let the treasure and force Of this nation be
erpended in building that communication with the Pacific
which is best fitted to the wants Of ten years hence be
It where it will be it long steep be it track through
the deserts and mountain SHOWS, be it phegmatic
canal across Panama Tehuantepec. All this matters
but little for it in any be potent civilzer,
great highway for family affections between States
and more than this its iron way win be conductor
through which the electric vgor Of national
can be discharged into the far Pacific Let the mudded
brains Of Europe have sole privilege in mutual knocks
but let us do in way, thing submer than Aus
tert1 or Waterloo The energies and expenditures Of
single war; large enough to be respectable these things
CO. would span entire domain with railroad anatomy
in which the blood Of mighty nations social and
mercia life can win for all ages Let the hear
of Young America fall in love with this kind o.
and let its resscss muscles respond to tba
ardor then better time win always be coming and al
| wnys be arriving too v while you and / viii
have the legs and we were born with instead o.
| wooden drumsticks few years to nothing In
which to wait the fument of manifest destiny while
the honesty Of waiting till the destined hour will be re
warded by selfrespect and manifestation Of still better
destiny That better destiny is to be great and honor
able nation with history full of pacific achievement
with calendar Of heroes whose works immortal in
ceaseess ministry to mans best needs with energies
sources and character far beyond question that wal
viii sink forever below it's patronage. E. b. H.