The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-02-17
Pacific Railroad.
Extract from Col. senton's Speech

Extract from Col. Benton's Speech.
The following is the closing portion
of Hon. THOMAS III. BESroN's speech,
delivered in the House of Representa-
tives on the 10Th of January, on the Pa
cific railroad bill:
This great central trunk road from
Baltimore to the mouth of the Kansas.
along the parallel of 80 deg, is already
almost finished, and for all the purposes
of its continuation from Missouri to Cali
fornia, may be assumed to be now finish
ed; for it will be completely so before
any part of the other is ready to join it.
1t is now complete to the Ohio river
complete to Cincinnati--complete through
the State of Ohio-complete half way
through Indiana, and the other half in
progress-complete half way through H.
iaois. and the other half in progress
complete (nearly one third of the way
through Missouri, and all the rest under
contract, and under the daily energies of
two thousand laborers, led by most en-
ergetie contractor. We may assume,
then, the great western trunk road to be
finished from Atlantic tide water to the
western limit of Missouri-that is to say,
half way to the Pacific and to the COM
mencement of that vast inclined prairie
plain which spreads from the Missouri
frontier more than half the distance of
the remaining half, and which is nearly
prepared by the hand of nature for the
immediate reception ofthe iron rails, and
their solid foundations. What a tempta-
tion for company to begin the great
work when so much is done to their hand,
and so much of the remainder is so easy
to be done ! and then, how advanced all
the Atlantic and Mississippi valley con-
nections with this great western trunk
On the Atlantic side, from Maine to
Georgia-from Bangor, on the Penob-
scot, in State of Maine, to the State of
Georgia man may now go by car to
that central trunk in Ohio and Indiana !:
from the southern shores of the northern
lakes, he can do the same !: from the
borders ofthe southern gulf, he can partly
do it. Soon all will be complete and
every part of the Atlantic States and of
the Mississippi valley be ready to 60 into
communication with the Pacific ocean as
soon as the trunk is completed from Mis-
souri, to California.
Telegraph lines are ready at both ends.
In California they extend over the State,
into the valleys of San Joaquin and Sac
ramento, and would be ready to meet the
road at the State line. On this end, the
wires now extend to the western limit of
Missouri-to the mouth of Kansas-from
which point intelligence can now be
flashed to every part of the Union; so
that, on this Central route, there is only
a gap to be filed up to complete these
magic communications between the shores
of the two great oceans.
This is the object that road COM
pared towhicb, those "Appian and Flam-
inian ways " which have given immortal
ity to their authors, are but as dots to
heightened lines-as sands to mountains
las grains of mustard to the full grown
tree. Besides the advantages to our Union
In opening direct communication with
that golden California which completes
our extended dominion towards the set
ting sun, and a road to which would be
the realization of the Roman idea of an
nexation, that no conquest scas annered
xntl reached and psrpaded ty road
Ibesides the obvious advantages, social,
political, commercial, of this communica-
stion, another transcendental object pre-
ssents itself! That oriental commerce
which nations have sought for, and fought
for, from the time of the Phenicians to
the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope
which was carried on over lines so ex-
tended-by conveyances so slow and
imited-amidst populations so various
and barbareus, and which considered the
merchant their lawful prey-and up and
down rapid rivers. and across strange
seas, and through wide and frightful des-
erts-and which, under all these perils,
burdens, discouragements, converted Ash
attic and African cities into seats of wealth
and empire-centers of the arts and sci
ences-while western Europe was yet
barbarian: and some branches of which
Afterwards lit up Venice. and Genoa, and
Florence, and made commercial cities
the match for empires, and the wives and
daughters of their citizens. lin their lux
urious, oriental attire, the admiration
aud the envy Of queens end Prinoesse&