The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-22


forego all the associations OF friendship ne has
formed in the Atlantic States, and to repair, in
this his old age, to San Francisco Thus are
the free soil spoils Secretaries attempting to
rivet their tenure of power, and to obtain
fresh lease of the glorious plumber.
But General Scott still remains. Can't he
be sent away too?
THE PACIFIC RAnRoAD-CoLoNEL BENTON
VS.. DR.. GwN.--Senator Gwin is out in a long
letter in the National bateligencer against
Colonel Benton's great central route for the
Pacific railroad. DR.. OWNS evidence, how
ever, was hardly necessary to prove that this
central route crosses vast mountain ranges,
timberless plains, and horrible and bowling
deserts, for hundreds of miles. These facts are
we'll known. Nor is there any route between
the Mississippi river and the Pacific ocean. by
which these deserts and timberless plains can
be escaped. The wilderness in which the
Israelites were kept ioundering about for forty
years as a punishment for their sins, is mere
pea patch compared with the volcanic, sandy
wastes stretching away from Oregon down into
the very heart Of Mexico, and which cannot be
evaded by our Pacific railroad neither by the
central nor by any other route. The noun
tains may be circumyented by the southern
route where they descend and melt away into
the Mexican table lands; but that route in
wolves purchase of Mexican territory We
must wait, then, the issue Of Gen. Gadsden's
mission to Santa Anna before we can adopt
that route. For all practical railroad purposes
however the differences between Col. Benton's
route and DR.. OWNS are scarcely more impor-
tant than the differences between tweedledum
and tweedledee. The road is humbug.
The INFLUENCE OF ExAMPLE--We notice that
two Cincinnati journals-the Gazette and the
ConmerciaA-have recently been sued for libel,
in consequence of some statements which they
deemed it their duty to make in respect to a
pending forgery case. The damages have been
laid at 100000 This is the first fruits Of the
Fry verdict With the precedent thereby estab-
lished before them, every man who fances
himself injured by newspaper assertions, or
who, failing in business. chooses to ascribe that
failure to the impudence Of the journal which
records the fact, will henceforth proceed to CON-
pensate himself for his losses by an action OF
libel. The damages laid will be much greater
than formerly. If we are condemned to pay
$4,000 for criticising an opera, journal which
warns its readers against notorious forger
may well be called upon to make the rascal
comfortable for life with neat sum Of $50, 900
We must prepare for these things. We must
expect libel suits as thick as mushrooms until
the rule established by the Fry case is reversed,
juries as they were in that suit
IMPORTANT FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.
We learn from passenger just arrived from
the City of st. Domingo, that French steamer
OF war had obliged the Dominican government
to pay three thousand dollars for having ex-
PEELED two French Haytians from the country.
Also, that the French had demanded of the Pre-
sident-General Santana-the dismissal Of has
CABINET. dnd'the appointment Of another more
in accordance acith French interests. Through
French intrigue the downfall of Santana may
be expected in January or February; and his
mulatto Excellency, ex-President Baez, a
thorough Frenchman in feeling and sentiment,
viii be reinstated as Dictator. Will the United
States government permit this fragrant and
open violation Of its protested principles to be
thus abused? Will not the Cabinet at Wash
ington sift this matter, and if they have good
proofs that the French are filibustering with
the Dominican republic, oblige them to desist?
We understand that the greatest excitement
prevailed at the City Of st. Domingo on the
25th ut
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR Fry VERDICT.-We
notice with amazement that some Of the jour-
nails which exulted over the Fry verdict, have