The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-07-22
The Pacific Railroad and Telegraph.


The Pacific Railroad and Telegraph
The select committee 10 whom referred the bill to
provide for the establishment Of railroad and telegraph
communication between the Atlantic States and the Pa
cic Ocean, and for other purposes beg leave to make
the following report ...
The necessity which exists for constructing lines ot
railroad and telegraph communication between the At
anc and Pacific coasts, is longer question for argu
ment conceded by every one, that in order 70 main
tain present position on the Pacific we must have
more speedy and direct intercourse than
present afforded by the through the possessions Of
a foreign Power
The importance Of Pacific possessions felt In every
pursuit and In every relation Of fe The gold Of Cali
forna has furnished the merchant and trader with CAPT
tai by which enterprises have been undertake and
compished which were before deemed imprac-
ticable. Our commercial marine has been nearly
doubled since 1s4s; internal improvements have been
pushed forward with astonishing rapidity; the value
Of every kind OF property has been doubled,
and the evidences Of prosperity and thrift
are everywhere to be The security and protection
of that country from whence have emanated nearly all
these satisfactory results s OF the greatest Importance
and that be accomplished only by direct and easy
communication through territories. Railroads
will effect this. At present forced to resort to
very circuitous by sea- through the tropics and
the continent at most scky point in the torrid
Should war break out between country and
any other maritime Power, should difficulty arise
with of the petty Spanish American States through
which these routes lie, communications would be
interrupted and the unity Of our coniederacy actually
broken up.
Looking facts alone secure the construction
Of these lines OF communication has given them such
importance as never attached TO any work of internal
provement since the time whit during President JEFF
ferson's administration 1t thought necessary to con-
Lect the States lying the Atlantic seaboard with the
States lying the valley of the Mississippi by means Of
roads across the Allegheny mountains. Insignificant
as the undertaking of the building OF wagon road
across the Alleghanies may appear now, the pro-
position was then deemed exceedingly difficult,
and occupied quite as much Of the public attention
the Pacific railroad does at the present tme The
States then separated only by the mountain range
OF the Aleghanes but the Western country was so re-
mote and access to it SO difficult that the construction of
road considered absolutely necessary, and sufficient
to authorize the attention of Congress- The
pie of the Western frontier were at that time exposed
frequent pcursions Of the Indians The country was ex
ceedngy fertile but the markets distant that the
production was rather an ncumbrance than profit to
the farmer and vast tracts OF rich agricultural lands
suffered To remain an unbroken waste The action Of the
attracted public attention and awakened pr
vae enterprise Canals were projected and then follow
ed railroads, until every part Of that country which
but few years ago called the "Far westo hss been
brought within three or four days communication with
the cities on the seaboard, giving new impulse 10
merce increasing the value OF property and relieving the
frontiers from all the dangers Of hostile No bet
ter example be given Of the benefits resulting
the construction OF railroads TO both public and private
property, than that Of the Illinois Central Railroad
On the line OF that road the public lands had been offered
for sale for many years without finding purchaser and
at last reduced to the lowest minimum price,
twove and q hall cents per Even this reduction
not sufficient to induce their SALE but when the GO
vernment had given away half TO assist In building
the road the other half very readily sold for two
dollars and ifty cents per Similar results have
followed the building Of nearly every railroad in the
country although In many instances in this the roads
came In direct compeon with river and canal transpor
tation.
railroad across the continent would open up a vast
OF country settlensn& mach OF what Is now
believed 20 be sterile and barren will no doubt (as In
Caforr be found TO yield bountully to the agricu-
turist
These lands totally without value no matter
how fertile they may be, and TO the gov worth
less. By giving away one half for the construction
the proposed road government will thereby attach
value 10 the remainder aud whatever that value my be
will be the amount the government Is gamer by
the transaction. Your committee have thought pro-
per step aside from the long established system OF the
government In granting lands 10 aid in the construction
of the railroads under deraon except incidentally
in the pay ment for Of troops munitions Of
war; &C. and for carrying the mails; at the time,
they have endeavored TO extend to every portion Of the
country equal share Of the benefits to be from
H. Every part Of the country, extending from Lake Su
pcror 10 the Gulf OF Mexico, brought in direct contact
win one q ne osnsr 81 ss proposed roads and nom the
sipp connections are easily made with roads already
completed to the cities on the Atlantic seaboard.
BY thus combining all the great interests OF the
uy, effort has been made to aay sectional jeaousies
and to bind together more firmly every part Of the
country.
The policy OF granting lands or the proceeds Of the
sales thereof for the purposes OF internal improve.
mcnt, and TO increase the valuc Of public property,
act Of April 80 iso2 one twentieth Of tho ne, proceeds
OF the sales OF the public lands lying within the State OF
Ohio was set apart To- "bc applied 70 the laying out and
making public roads leading from the navgabc waters
emptyng the Atlantic TO the Ohio, the said state
and through the same such roads to be laid out under
the authority OF Congress with the OF seve
raj states through which the road shall pass By the
act Of May l. 1902, IL provided that II shall and may
be lawful for the Secretary OF the Treasury 70 TO
be viewed, marked and opened such roads within the
territory northwest Of the Ohio In his opinion may
best TO promote the sales OF the public lands
and form the basis which all similar acts have
been predicated. Every executive since that time ap-
proved OF similar acts and the only chan made in
the manner OF making the grant the lands ving been
given instead OF the net proceeds OF the sales thereof
The plan thus precludes the necessity OF
ing into an estimate Of the expenses TO be incurred in
constructing any Of the proposed roads. Nor does
matter how many Of the roads thus authorized be
constructed. ff built, they will open up a
and the people win be mutually benefited If the
roads should not be built within the time specified the
lands revert 10 the government and the parties take
thing BY the grant. Nothing Is given without
pondng benefit 10 10 As a OF military de-.
ience the Secretary OF War in his last annual report
placed this in such strong point that your com
m,tee have thought proper to make the following cx.
tract Abiding 70 our Pacific possessions, he says
Th. territory not remote from the principal Euro.
would derive is military supplies and q those
haze colonies and possessions the Pacific which
sreay facilitate their operations agansih with these ad
vanages and those which the attacking force always has
cfoicc Of time and place an enemy possessing considerable
military marine could with comparatively little 20 him.
self subject US TO enormous expenses In giving 70 Pacc
frontier that protection which the duty Of the general
government 10 afford
In the frs, years o with any great maritime Power
the by could be relied upon for the
transportation Of supplies from the Atlantic the Pacific
States Our peace establishment would not furnish
adequate conveys for the number Of soresps which wond
be employ and orehps alone laden with sun
plies could undertake voyage OF twenty housand mes
passing numerous neutral ports where enemys armed
vessels even Of the smallest size, might lie intercept
them.
The only line Of communication then would be overland
and by this would be impractcabe, with any hereto
lore used 10 furnish the amount supplies required for he
defence Of the Pacific frontier. Al the prices over the
beet part OF this The Of land
alone for the annual supplies o. provisions clothing camp
equpaEe and ammunition for such " ID would
be necessary 10 maintain there, would exceed f1NDDs
and 10 anain troops and carry defensive operations
under those circumstances the expense would
elk times greater than s the land transportation of
each ned twelve FOUNDER, with due supply ammunition
for one year. would 500 of each twenty FOUNDER
aud ammunition, 5000, and Of coast gun and ammu.
nucn tl2U0u The transportation OF ammunition
FOR lW0 scacoast guns would SlO0cp0 Bu, the
pense OF transportation would be vastly Increased
nrd ~ The rates that raid the Northern frontier during
the sst war with Great Britain. The above estimates would
ebed The time required for the overland journey would be
from four 70 SIX months In point q fact however supplies