The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-03-17
The Three Pacific Railroads.
"There lies your way-due West.0

| The world is round. We grieve to say any
thing calculated to offend sectional prejudices
and yet we cannot shut our eyes to the fac
that the world is round. Being round, the fur
Their north you 60, the shorter the journey il
around it ;just as an apple pairing, taken arount
the stem, is shorter than one around the middle
of the apple. We deprecate Southern ange
on this account. We hope the Union will no
be dissolved on account of our asserting it, fo
in that case it will become the duty of every
patriotic doughface to swear that the world i
square. We beg it may be considered that tn,
North is not the only one to blame in this mat
ter Nature had hand in it. The roundnes
OF the planet, and consequent brevity of thu
Northern route to the Pacific were arranged
before the higher law was repealed by the com
promises. Otherwise, the South would I'M
doubleday have been the shortest
1t is thousand miles shorter to cross the
Pacific to Oregon than to Southern California
1t is nearly thousand miles shorter to cross
the American continent to New York from the
one than from the other. It is China, with
which we want trade, and Japan, with which
we are to have one, and a straight line from
Pekin and Jeddo to New York would run near.
ly due east and west. Add to this that the
great Lakes, the Erie Canal and the Hudson
river form chain beginning just where the
Northern route to the Pacific ends-that be-
sides being the shortest, it is the most level, the
best wooded and watered, and most thiokly
settled, and that the States nearest this line.
comprise two-thirds of the population, much
the greatest part of the capital, and at least
seven-elghths of the commercial and manufac-
turing interest of the UniOn-and that it termi-
mates in the great commercial city and harbor
of this continent. There is no question that il
but one Pacific road is made it ought to run on
or near this line.
And yet there is not the least possibility that
it will. When the subject is mooted in Con-
gress sectional jealousy is reused, and de-
mands that the road shall be taken aronnd by
Galveston-by San Diego-by Memphis-by
the Mesila Valley-by Mexico, and twenty
other places that have no more need to be on
the route than a man has to start from here to
Coxsackie in order to 60 to Buffalo This is
the explanation of the tagging of the measure
in Congress-ofi its postpOnement in the SEN
ate, and its delay in the House. Had nature
pointed out route through the Slave States
as clearly as she has through the free, miles of
rails would have been spiked down before this
time. This is the explanation, too, of the last
eXtravagant scheme for building three roads
one Northern and two Southern ones-one ne
cesar and two unnecessary. A bill for the
construction of a road on the straight Northern
route, would have no chance of passing Con-
greSS. "A Dill 1Or us CONSTRUCTION on the round
about Southern one, might. Hence, the bill
providing for both, and one between. Three
roads at some future day may be needed, and
if so will doubtless, in course of time be built.
But the enormous expense they will entail, will
be best borne if gradually incurred. All that
is absolutely needed for the present is one on
the most convenient route. If there were three
to-day, travel and commerce would flow in the
shortest and most natural channel from Asia to
Oregon or Northern California from thence to
the Lakes, and from the Lakes to New York.
There seems at present no great reason to ex-
pect that Congress will deal more impartially
by the Free States in regard to the Pacific road
than in regard to the Tariff. Yet while its
enactments, in that respect, have steadily aim
ed at the advancement of Southern interests
and disregard of Northern, the capital and en-
terprise Of the Free States have proved supe-
rior to them and built up the North in spite OF
them. So with the road. However Congress
may create artificial channels through Slavery
and strive to turn trade into them, the unaided
enterprise of the Free Labor will turn it away
into the straight and natural one and beat
them after all.-.Hlbany Foe. Jour.