, 1854-10-21

Something must be done for the bust
ness of this city and State" said gentle
man yesterday, :" or the worst of our hard
times will not be seen or felt for years /"
OF course something should be done. Our
population is scarcely increasing, except in
the one clasS-the Chinese. We have in
proportion to the whole mass, too few pro-
ducers, mechanics artizans-too many Of
those classes usually termed professional
men, too many brain workers, too many
big men, too many merchants for the num-
Der Of purchasers, too many who live by
trade, too small a country population for
the support Of this city, and too dark a
prospect ahead, unless something turns
up"
What, then, should be dono2 We want
four times our present population, That
every one must know. We cannot expect
that increase Of population suddenly, with
out an increase of the facilities, and de-
crease Of the cost, Of travel The steam
lines have 6xed their rates Of passage at a
rate probably as low as they can Afford
But how few Of the many who wish to
come to California, who would settle here
could they reach us, and who would become
most valuable citizens, can afford to pay
three hundred, or even one hundred and
fifty dollars for passage, besides what
might be necessary for an outft2 Not one
in Eve can do 1t. 81 N.-'
Those who do come are not generally
men who have families-the very persons
the country most needs. They are single
men, who come for venture and return,
not for q permanency. Could the way be
opened to all those with small means TO
to come with their families, safely, quickly
and cheaply, in two years, perhaps in one,
our population would be much more likely
to remain permanent. They are the peo-
pie who would come for home, and they
would make each for himself one, where
with half his former toll he could enjoy
twice the comforts previously his.
Nothing can so effectually ensure this re-
suit as a railroad from the Eastern States
We want many things besides-the steam
line between here and China, the telegraph
across the continent, all restrictions which
would operate against whalers removed, in
order to make this rendzvous for that
class of vessels to re6t and discharge their
cargoes--but most Of all do we want the
railroad. Every body knows this, and has
known 1t for long time, and yet scarce
one has moved in the matter We have all
talked and called upon Congress and the
President, and the Cabinet and Congress
has talked, and the President has re-read
the resolutions Of '9S, and the Cabinet has
also talked.
1t has been all talk, and no railroad
Five years Of talk have passed, and not the
first shovel has been put to the work, the
road has not been located, and probably
viii not be while any aspirsnt can make
capital by defeating It. What theAi Will
our people here who are almost immediate
ly and deeply interested in the result, do
nothing for themselvesl Had they shown
the proper spirit and enterprise, we should
have had before this at least one link of
the great iron chain completed. We should
have had at least the beginning, q railroad
or two within our own borders, built by
our own money, and paying an immense
per eentage. What would have been the
eject Of thisi Not merely the benefit re-
sulting from the few miles completed, but
the incalculable influence 1t would haEe
upon capitalists abroad. They would have
seen that no country in the world offers
such inducements for this kind Of invest .
ments, and they would have seen, too, that
We were ourselves aware Of the fact, and
10 earnest about It. Now we can build
some Of the roads which we need here, but
not all We are rich enough. We should
induce capitalists abroad to seek hsrs that
rate Of income which thsv caupot obtain else