The Placer herald., 1856-08-02
AUBURN, AUGUST 2, 1856.

election comes to be strife of principles, more
than is wont for many quarternous of years. On
the one hand in the person Of Mr.. buchanan. is
represented every principle of the present admi
nistration, including the policy Of the government
against Kansas; and, in addition to this, avowed
hostility TO any aid being extended from the gov
ernment for the Pacific Railroad
Our sphere lies not within the range of party
politics. For this very reason we speak our sem
timents freely: we have nothing to lose, nothing
to gain. but duty to discharge '.-Pacife "a inst
The foregoing rcwarks are extracted from
an article headed "something political" We
notice them for the reason, that we would
correct an error into which our religious
contemporary has fallen, in relation to the
position Of the party upon the question Of
the rairoad-a mistake we apprehend on his
part, but which others less scrupulous are
knowingly falsely uttering.
The territory of Upper California was ac
quired during the latter part Of Mr.. Folks
administration, and before time or the I'M
portance of the question would permit any
action upon the topic of a railroad or any
other overland facilities. During the four
years succeeding, the only appropriation made
was upon the Sd Of March, lS53-the day
before Mr.. Fillmore went out of Office. Two
additional appropriation were made in 1854,
and under these appropriations, the only
work relating to the railroad has been ac-
complished. The first engineers in the army
have been surveying and otherwise exploring
~, ] T.,
&c and have performed an amount of labor
that is almost incredible. Of these opera
tons, elaborate reports have been made to
Congress, printed and distributed through
out the country. The Secretary Of war in
lis reports, has urged the necessity of the
work. and so far as acts 60, the administra-
ton of Mr.. Pierce has shown itself favorable
to the road
Mr.. Denver has devoted all his energies
during the existing session, to this great work,
and has bill now before the lower House
of Congress, which, it is confidently believed
will pass that body and become law before
the adjournment If it does not pass the
House, it will be the fault of the Republicans,
who claim to have a majority there. At the
recent Cincinnati Convention the following
resolution was passed by very large ma
jority, and became a part of the declared
future policy of the party, to which Mr..
Buchanan is Pledged
"Resolred, That the Democratic party recognizes
the great Importance, in political and CONNER
cial point of view. of safe and speedy commune
cation through own territory between the At
lantic and Pacific coasts of this Union; and that it
is the duty of the Federal Government to exercise
promptly, all its constitutional power for the at
tainment Of that object, thereby binding the Union
OF the States in indisSoluble bonds. and opening
to the rich commerce Of Asia an overland transit
from the Pacific to the Mississippi river, and the
great lakes of the North.H
Our opponents raise a qubble regarding
this resolution, and say that it was not pas
sed at the time the general platform of prin-
ciples was adopted, also that the words
"Pacifc Railroad" are not mentioned in it.
The first objection should hovo weight
with any reasonable man, for if it finally re-
ceived the hearty endorsement of the con-
vention, it is all that it could have had at
any time from that body The second OBJ
lection is scarcely worth pointing to, when
the resolution is before the reader. 1t re-
solves that 'it is the duty of the Federal
Government to exercise promptly, all its con
sttutional powers to provide ''for political
and commercial purposes, safe and speedy
communication through our own territory
between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of
this Union" The greater includes the lesser
proposition, it does not only provide for a
railroad, but for more than one if necessary,
or on the other hand, should necessity
or policy combine to dictate the establish
ment of wagon road in tbs first instance,
it may be done. The surveys have been
made with view to a railroad.
With regard to the view of the Pacifc, in
relation to what it calls "the policy of
the Government against Kansas" we shall
make no comments at present. What we
have said about the Pacific Railroad, are
facts, and having called the attention Of the
Pacific to them, we shall look for some cor
rections from that quarter.
The Volcano Ledger, a paper heretofore
unattached to any party, has hoisted the
names Of the Democratic nominees for the
President and Vice President, and declares
its determination to battle henceforth for the
Democracy. The editor in a well written
leader gives his reasons for so doing, from
which we make the following extract
Now what is the condition of affairs? We have
Mr.. Buchanan presented, supported in every State
of the Union by the united Democracy-a party
national in every respect, party detyng every
ism of the day, party equal to every emergency
n narty that RECEIVES in its embrace every man