, 1854-04-15
For the Pioneer and Democrat.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb, 1854.

Nh. EDIToR:
In letter written to the Washington
Pioneer" from some person in your place,
dated Olympia, January, 9th, 1854" |
am happy to learn that Governor Stevens
has been enabled, while on his trip across
the interior, to find an opening in the Rocky
Mountains, which is stated to be some
two thousand feet lower than the South
Pass" If such be the case, and can be
guaranteed, it is decidedly the best route
yet known. The fact that you have one Of
the best harbors in the world, where near
'ly all the fleets of the globe could moor
within in perfect safety, and that that point
is the nearest one that can be selected,
some seven hundred miles, and can't be
farther, at the very farthest, than one
thousand miles, FROM the head of steam
boat navigation on the upper Missouri, y
will, should think decide the great con-
troversy existing between the northern and
southern men who favor the establishment
Of railroad to the Pacific.
The railroad companies must have coal
for use on the cars, and to get it at San
Francisco they cannot at reasonable
price, for certainly shipped coal will cost
more than that direct from the bed. Tlis
is another great advantage that that point
has over other places on the Pacific 1t
seems that Providence has hewn out a
great harbor on the north west for no fool
ish purpose; and has dug down, and made
a great opening through the Rocky Noun
tains, that the week hand of man might
accomplish great work, which otherwise
would have been impossible. .... ~.
Glancing your eye over the map, you
will quickly sec that the commerce Of the
Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the COM
merce of the st. Lawrence, the northern
Lakes, and frigid Hudson's Bay, cannot
pass across the continent in a better track,
than the one selected by Gov. Stevens
We can look forward to no distant day,
when the growing villages on the shores Of
the Pacific will become great marts, equal
ing in point Of opulenco and population,
the most forward cities on the Atlantic
coast .r
+" Westward the tide has turned. Min
|nesOta and Nebraska Territories are filling
up" The Later Day Saints are making
great advancement in Improvement and civ
ilization, in the great bosom of the Rocky
Mountains Europe is pouring her thon-
sands of emigrants into the laps Of Oregon
and California, and it is evidently necessary
that our home government should do some
thing towards bringing them nearer the
uofrOr.olio Of AIfa Do,,,bi;o h., o,,,oA-,,.A
ing thoroughfare by which they could
pass and repass. The west must be con-
nected with the east by iron links laying
across the continent, and forming line Of
intercommunication between Asia, the Uni
ted States and'Europe. Those states and
territories now separate from each other, as
also remote from the eastern states, must
and will, in a very short time, be brought
in proximity with each other" and with
the eastern states, in all the sOcial and COM
mercial relations iMproVements can make
them.
By the construction of railroad across
the interior, you interlock the traffic of the
two oceans; you prepare way by which
troops can be conveyed across, to aid in
case Of an attack upon oar western borders
BY foreign powers; you shun that long and
hazardous trip around Cape Horn; and
you convert pedling traffic on the two sea
boards into whole continent commerce,
and interlocking worlds traffic, such as
" built up Tyre, Sidon, Venice, and Lon
dOn."
Col Benton, it is thought, will 20 heart
and hand against the passage Of the Ne
braska bill, for the purpose Of getting the
support Of the northern men in assisting
him construct railroad across the interior
by the northern route By this move, he
will no doubt retain the Missouri Compro-
mise in all its force; defeat the Nebraska
bill, and succeed in getting plenty of sup
port in constructing the proposed railroad
by his northern route. c.. M. c.