Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1853-01-07
RICHMOND ENQUigTE.
wEDSEsDAY, JANUARY 5. 1855.
RAIL ROAD TO THE PACIFIC.


nuity and shall unite different portions of vast confe
t,racy BY constant communication and commerce between
the opposite borders Of lie tcrritory-is now attracting pub
lie attention, II is intention to undertake 10 solve
the difficult problem of the in which his grand Work
shal be constructed Of the route which II shall take
We confess that in the multiple projects submitted Tor con
sideraon great error and that Is The want OF
power in Congress 10 construct said work either b. the
use of It's money credit public lands Oar simple object
70 presen, 10 our readers brief sketch Of the most p"
nent schemes which now before Congress Bco" VIC
give abstracts Of the New York project and OF The scheme
of Senator Gwn submitted TO Congress. According 10 me
first the n York company offer TO make the road "i' i've
years and BY that lime to have in complete operation They
ask of the Government public lands except what may DC
for the purposes Of the road They undertake ~
nrocue the consent 0! every State States within the
boundaries OF which they may pass They ask Oh congress
loan of thirty millions to be Issued in five per cent s'ock
and delivered the company as they progress win he
road at the rate of fifteen thousand dollars mile mus
upon the completion and furnishing win necessary appata
travel fifty continuous miles they are 10 receive STOCK
10 the amount of hundred and fifty thousand dollars
Tie company are to pay of the loan in thirty years and In
failure thereof the Government is TO take possession oil The
road and its appurtenauces The Government may also,
the end of twenty years. purchase the road and take posses
sion of it, with all its appurtcnances paying the
single line of magnetic telegraph along the entire line OF
the road be ready for operation on the completion oil
the road The company carry of The Govern
mept without charge; and they also transport the mails
Of the u States mail agents. and troops ordnance mill
,ary stores naval and supplies Indian supplies &C.
free of charge 10 the Government.
According the second Senator OWNS p!an the road
10 have lis end co lines connecting It win The
Atlantic through the North and South respectively and sHo
at its Western end connecting it with The Pacic through
Oregon and California The contractors FORTS construction
receive in payment alternate sections OF public lands ioy
miles through the States and eighty miles wide through the
intervening territories Al the end OF thirty years. II IS 10
be surrendered 10 the United States The mall troops and
other ransportailons OF the government sa'i a'"'
free upon H.
There is another important project embraced in memo
rial 10 Congress necessity Importance and practical
bity OF building railroad from the Mississippi River (at
point opposite Mcmphis to the Pacific ocean-prcpaed by
committee appointed the Railroad Convention held at
Little Rock Jury 4th 1852 Ii is before u.s. and is
signed by P Trezvant of Memphis Albert Pike of Little
Rock and Samuel A. Roberts OF Bonham, Texas Ii pro-
poses that the Federal Government shall furnish neither
land nor money but shall guarantee any person or per-
sons will undertake complete the road that the road
shall pay nett dividend Of FIVE per per for fifty
or one hundred years-ha road shall be built under the
superintendent Of Government Engineer and shall not
exceed in thc total certain Spuatedsum ESTIMATED
al fifty millions of doars)-that the guaranty shall not be-
gin until the whole road be completed and ready for
use with all necessary implements, lc.that for this
gagement til. part Of the General Government the person
or persons bu!tipg This road will carry Government
mails officers agents. troops munitions Of war; &c. free of
all expense during the continuance of the guaranty.
Our own impression ,hat The country settles up.
States and individuals will The necessity .! mixing
-.
may be constructed agree with car neighaor OF The
Times that 1.-The idea of pushing this work forward in hot
haste through The heart Of wilderness 1000 miles in extent
strikes being nigh impracticube except al
p:odgious in Itself and wholly Inexperienced TO the OBJ
jecs proposed be attained But if The road be allowed
simply keep pace with the settlement of the county, lis
value and general utility must be thereby greatly enhanced
|, would then certainly scsustainng work. deriving
support from the region which il averses, and not relying
solely its rAtremites for sustenance. Emerants would
follow line and settle n its vicinity. Emigration would
push forward road end the road would promote cgra
ton. And when completed our Atlantic and Pacific pcs
sessions would be bound together, merely BY silent
thoroughc stretching through the but by unbro
Ken chain OF life civilization and productive industry"
correspondence Of The Journal OF Commerce.
ATLANTIC AND PACITlG ball KoAD-NEw YORK
wasHlseTos DEcEMuEn IS 1852
Il is known that the question VI the ayIhe great
political, comrctcal and financial question is The Pacific
Railroad questions. Shall we have national highway
The Pacific! That is universally responded alffnatvcy,
by the voice Of the whole country. Shall Congress take
measures the construction of the road immediate
v without usug another session. Yes is the answer 10
that. scarcely know Senator who is not in favor 50
his opinions known of securing communications,
through territory, 10 the Pacific But here con.
currence in opinion ends and dscord begins.
The practical question now is where shall the rail road be
agency shall be built and who shall and manage III
Numerous projects of routes for the road and OF
men, aid IN it's construction have been twice before Con
gross. That Of Mr. Whitney, upon which he lecturd in
this country and in England and which lie pressed with
ternng zeal upon Congress for several years is for
puten Col Benton had rival project which he brought
the Senate, and which was i'll great LOST
sight Of BY that body, the Colonels back was
but e will be ready TO press again when he gets 10
the House winter (which WILL however be too late
for the pressing demand for The commencement OF The work
Then again. have project OF route through the Great
Basin; through Arkansas three through New Mexico
then Gen Rusk's Texan routes DR.. OWNS prOniscuouS
route and half dozen So ia as these routes are
concerned sensible and practicable who view the sub
ccl in no sectional interested manner, say"gve the
road by any practicable route" Gen. Cass suggested the
other day idea of referring The question Of The route To
tie decision Commissioners But that will be productive
long delay Boards Of Commissioners would prolong
business long they could feel the salary coming
in and then Disagree and leave the question where they
found ii.
am quite certain that Col Benton cannot force his pro-
&C, down. Notwithstanding all his oburgutions against all
antagonist Nor his railroad ever be built 1t
asserted that the work could not be prosecuted
longer than three months in year. account Of The
ice; and certainly would be in travelling condition
more than three four months in year. Besides the
route lies through Wilderness and mountains which
neither pierced sealed. But it is not under
Stood time, that Col Benton has eNcl
sive patent for selecting for this road He claims
this right because he took very early and ccdabe interest
exploration and the acquisition and annexation of Cal
aud Oregon; and in fact through his son-ina
Col Fremont has right OF title to California, by discovery
and conquest The advocates Of all other routes appear
agree in opposition To his.
But besides difficulty TO the selection OF route,
fhpto and lis-n 10
fundsby which the railroad is be built This is another
great difficulty with Congress Most of the plans, hereto
submitted propose other aid from The
for work lhun liberal grant of lands either side of
the road for its whole length There nsuperahe ohcc
,iong this plan. The lands where valuable for u
ture cultivation be made convertible into money
pay for labor provisions, and materials The lands
relied upon pay the interest on any loan which the
might attempt TO raise. Money make the
road.
1t is question:, partly of expedcncy and partly Of con-
su,iuna character whether the work shall be undertaken
and managed by the government given
and Companies Col. Benton takes view n these
questions He proposes at once that the Fedora! Govern
ment make the road with their money aud own and
m, hat mari nj w,;,, ;sh