Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-01-14
FkoIFlo RAIbRoAD BuRBlE.

EACIFlo RAILROAD BUBBBE.
The Washington c9rreas ondent ofthe New York
Tribune makes the goaoFiDg seas BE aud very
iast rsuiai on the subject of III Poetic railroad
"a cOiueotioa with eoIgr,sE - -
''The world in general and this country in par
tioulsF, have been FailFoading most energetcsly
these many years. One scheme after another has
been started and pursued, each following one more
vast than the last, till, in this country, we have
finally re ached what may be fairly considered the
master enterprise izluztsis hue. fHis s. tie
Pacific Railrosd 1890
Evsry6ody SAYS We need this railroad, and eve
rYbodY says it can be and must be built In our
Judgment We do need lbis. road, apd I1 our judg-
ment It viii not be built. The necessity for 1t IS
net great enepgh to take it thFoush. Build it on
Whstever route-you viii the cost of it, in good
working order, oWilh be bstween one hundred and
fity and two HUNDRED million Of dollars, = And al
people capable OF Judging, who, don't mean to
swiade WIl confess tRls TACT FzIn the next place.
rt money It will cost will be 50 much capital sunk
EAnd the s1ppert of the read will, in addition to
its busiafssg demand an outlay CT between ten and
/ twenty millions per snnum, &oWs in the first
place, no responsible cembinRtOnosu be- formed
out of existing corporations or indiBIdnAls which
will undertake to build the road tom che Mssis
sippi or the Gulf to San Franoiseb4 Hddto run it.
sterwsrd, for any sum that this GoYe nuent will!
contract to pay annually foC the use of It. And it
would probably be found im raetcRbie to find a
! sufhcientlY responsible. company TO do it under
any circumstances The Government Itself Is pro-
/ baby the only agency capable OF binding the
! road. This it viii not attempt, because OF the ex-
| pensiveuess of the undertaking, to say nothing OF
| constitutional impediments The latter would not
stand in the way, if it was thought best to make
the road. They are nothing against the demands
| of State necessity. They never were anything,
/ and thew never will be- Texas and Louisiana at
test the truth of this statement coneuslVely en-
ough But operating IN aid Of other objections,
i they will control the question. -se's
4 The various schemes before Congress to con-
| struct this gigantic work are bubbles. None OF
them contemplate the making Of the road. They
! are merely traps TO catch Uncle Sam, The ope-
rators want his land and want his money. They
will take either or BOTH just as they can make
out The plan of the whole of them is alike. 1t
is to run q road or roads toVard the Pacific, and
stop them Just at that point where the operators
think it wont pay to 60 any further No respon-
shle parties propose to run road tbTosgb 10 ne
Pacific, and none will Neither IS the idea OF the
bona fde construction Of such Rroad the basis OF
any OF the schemes to be pressed upon the atten
ton Of Congress. They are all simply projects tc
put money in the hands Of the operators. e
Are we, then, to have ne serious plan or design
| of running q raj lread 10 the Pacific None at al
among meno of sense 1t is project that won
psy, nor begin to pay, either to individuals or as
sociations, or to the Government itself. There
no necessity for it but the necessity state of wa
with some first-rate Power would create. Thel
we should really need the road, but it IS seriou
question, if we knew such necessity would aris
as soon as the road could be built, whether eyeI
then it would be worth while to construct it. ii
fact we acknowledge the need of the road, both il
peace and war; but the necessity for 1t IS not gEea
enough to Justify the expenditure it would involve
Let. then, the managers Of these Pacific Railroa
} plans drop their unmeaning titles. Let them as
sumo some name that viii designate their rea
purposes let them eau their bantllng Acts t
humbug Congress, Acts to swindle Uncle Ssu
3 Acts to construct Railroads t0tgdrd the Rock
Mountains or anything else that declares their rel
? Objects But let them cease 70 pretend there
q aEy serious design to carry 3 road 10 the PRclh
during the life time of the present generation.
{ A Railroad to the Pacific islt be the work (
D time, and its accomplishment is distant. It mt:
await the progress of settlement On cur Wester
frontier, and proceed pafi Passu, wfrHDthe sdVanC
ing stream of population, as it flows toward tE
base of the great Appalachian chain that bisects th
g Continent. Time, too musEbe giEentOCthe Pacf
r slopes to fill up. And then, when these condition
L of It's construction are fulfilled there will still
left vast mountain rdgesto scstej and wide, tract
less deserts to cross, where population can neVt
: dwell, the difficulties oil which viii require eve
e then tie vigorous energies OF a powerful Cover
ment 70 surmOunt.'