New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-06-08
RAILROAD To THE PACIFIC.
Col. Benton ON the Pacific Railroad and the inaiss
Tribes.


Col Benton having been invited by large number OF
the citizens Of Cole County Mo- to deliver speech stthe
city Of Jefferson on the Great Central Highway to the
Pacific Ocean" replied as follows;
GENTLEMEN; When return to Missouri shall do ay
self the pleasure to comply with your nyson ana spes
TO YOU on the subject you mention that Of the great roaf
10 the Pacific Ocean IL is subject above party aud ens
on which all the friends Of the State and all the friends To
the right location OF the road should exert themselves "
get up the proper spirit and spread correct Information,
seeing the prodgous efforts which are making TO turn on
the road into unnatural unfit and frontier routes where
there neither business travel nor any inducement
for road nor country it to make Il in Formerly the
old idea Of making road was to accommodate business
and raveo unite places which had something 10 do With
each other ard to unite them upon the shortest aud best
route And this still 20 be the popular idea Il mean
the idea Of the people aud IN relation to this road to tho
Pacific All that overland whole generations with their
focks and herds the frontier Of Missouri to start
They all this frontier and they all keep near
possible to the straight line to TIE great pon OF business
and population in Csifornis THIS Is the way the people
90 Not goes round by Albuquerque aud Sonora
The south by Canada and New Caledonia on the north
But new notions have about and great efforts
now made make roads where nobody where there
Is business and which one of them five degrees snd
the other ten degrees out Of the straight natural best and
proper line.
But my design in ihs answer to your letter to speak to-
practical point and 10 Ia relation To-
Indian titles tie line Of the road west Of Missouri ana
which were not cleared up in the debates the Nebraska
bill at the session of Congress II seemed b. be taken
for granted that the whole country out TO the Rocky Mean
isns covered by Indian tile. not 50 the fact-oay
Uni cd States extDgushed the indian titles 20 all this
tryihe Indians retaining small reservations and the rest
being intended for empatng tribes OF which only :ms
part directly west of Missouri has been allotted 10 them
The Pawnees relnquished all their titles s0th OF The Great
Platte and this up to the Rocky Mountains they ia
king reserve the north side of tbs river, Ihe Kansas
renauished all - far they claimed 20 the head OF the
Kansas river and to the dividing ground between the Nan
cas- and Arkansas rivers The Ossges coded all the country
on both sides Of the Arkansas ana ont 10 Red river Oar
of these cessOns the Kansas Indians received sup unrty
miles wide the Kansas river running above the juno
ton Of the Republican and smoky HIN FORKS Out hcu-
ding very little Of those forks and the Osages reserved
paTseogram the Arkansas nearly opposite the south
west corner Of the State The Shswnees and Delaw,res
have slips assigned them adjoining the Kansas reservation
on the north and south AID half dozen fragments OF
tribes have email assignments, some on the Missouri line
south Of the Kansas and the river north, sad
none running tsr back.
The reservations aud assignments west Of Missouri a
part of the great territory acquired from the Pswnee Kan
sas and Ossges further south the Cherokees Creeks and
Choctaws have il all but west from Missouri the large pur
chase remains more than three fourths United States terri
tory where citizens may settle without interference with
Indian rights The bounds Of the Indian lands can be cas-
lily sscertsned they lie 10 the eastern pt OF the great
territory near to our settlements All the lands not
included in these Indian reserves and grants are United
States territory, and in two places comes down 10 our
boundaryOne between the and the reserves
and graz the Kansas and covering The upper Water
Of the Neosho and Usage, and part Of the smoky l Fork
the other the north Of the kckapoo grant West Of the
different Indian grants and reserves all IS open out 70 the
mountains This includes fine countryside whole course
Of the upper Arkansas nearly the whole OF the smoky Hi
and Republican forks with thc efiniipn
erp waiers Of the embracing land ne as any
In Missouri and valuable from ts locality The present
Santa Fe road goes through il after e1ersog rom me
Shawnee grant and the great Pacific Railroad tAkes
the central route will traverse from one end 20 me other
from lie Missouri frontier 10 the head OF the huerAna
ahut half way 10 Caiorbia-s rich midland the coun
nv "a broad and open that the engineer might take hn
c6urse for the road by compass ship takes her course
al sea -. -. -.
,b ussour frontier out the Rocky Mountains Is free
from Indian title and from its beauty, fertility saubrty
and aphcal position must speedily attract the pre-
empter and csliivstor
Considering the settlement OF this country infinitely
connected with the location construction aud support Of
the Great Central Railroad have taken the troublsto ex
anime maps and treaties 10 verify this statement OF inda
lands and United States Territory west OF our state sno
with view to show where settlements can be m4ae WI"
out infringing Indian rights There tef'ory nsfs'
open settlement enough to makea great o.1s, "a
perate climate much Of Il fertile and on me stfssnI
10 San Francisco Both the Kansas ana Ipps, SAn,s
are rich and beautiful and high up 70 NE seo1os t
above Bents Fort good crops are raeo anu oc.
for themselves winter wei - SUMMER "inous iooo OF
shelter from their owners. A.. vxsn I'm -.
There was = great objection to the NeDrsska Dill last
rtSr IN becsue the Territory had but lev IN
hsIsts tbst objection need to apply no longer and the
I.vd oreer-thst mefitOrous citizen whose enterprise
cor,sgs and industry Is worth so much 10 his county
J1I9 oss no time IN commencing his pre- emp,on settle
msnt Respectfully your obliged fellow citizen,
'''" THOMAS II. Bssros
-. L. h