Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-04-10
FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL TO- ls57'
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD QUESTION.

which it should be viewed, in order to tar and
proper understanding
There IS no festure In the democratic creed upon
which it has more Uniformly preserved its cOnsis.
tency, and in The rigid observance Of which 1t has
Effected more good for the country, than its opPo-
sition to Internal Improvements by the General
Government. It is With much regret therefore,
that we End an occasional member OF our party
from his esgefnsss to secure the success OF tins I'M
portsnt commercial enterprise, tempted 10 hSzsTd
his consistency BY lavorHg the construction OF this
work BY government means But, ike others be
fore them who have forsaken principle to suit the
uncertain ezigency of the times, they arc anvil
ling to confess to an honest cbsnge Of sentiment
on the subject and ara making tie vain and ludlc-
rous endesvor to show that it is perfectly consistent
with the democratic creed. There are not many |
such, however, and we trust that their sober Sc
cond reflection will satisfy them Of the ipolt4nce
Of Hdhering to old landmarks, even at the sgpPo.
sed expense Of mOmentary interests Thess va
verng friends admit that Congress has no consti-
tutionsl power to build roads as mere ayeru g
of trade and commerce but, ssy they i unde,
any combination Of circumstances the establish
necessary as means Of puolc defence" then tits
perfectly consistent with the democratic creed to
build them through cur territory out Of the fed.
eral treasury. Grant it. We 60 even farther tLau
this. If absolutely Necessary to The public defence
End the safety Of the country against foreign il
vader, Congress may not only suthorzs the con-
struCtOn of q road through the territories Of the
United States, but through the States also. Self
preservation with EstOns, as with individuals, i'm.
plies all power necessary 70 that end
But is the proposed co Instruction Of the Pacific
road case in pOint2 Are we threatened with in
VssiOn fIom fcreig enemy, and is the building Of
arOad att cost ofrom two to six hundred millions Of
dollars, necessary to our safety ard defencs! To
successfully answer this question it is only neces.
sary to ask another: Would sDy body have ever
thought Of such thing as a Pacific railroad, CT
been now advocating its construction at the ez-
psnse of millions of oney ftom the Of pockets
the people, If commerce and trade gsrs not requiI-
Eaq It! The veFiest simpleton will answer nc. II
such project, then, would never have entered the
head of any man but for the commercial nportay e
of the scheme, can California be in any very great
danger for the want of it. and is there necessity
for it as 9 means of public defence? We venture
the assertion that so far as safety from foreign
enemy is concerned, the people Of California VII
sleep as sOundy tonight IS if they bad dozen
railroads running to their State Mr.. PoIK and
his administration went through the important
work of acquiring and governing that territory
and the thought never once occurred to him that
it was exposed to sDy such danger, or needed any
such projection. That lar-seeing and patriotic
statesman died without, perhaps, ever h8viDg
dreamed thstsuch sproposition, upon such grounds
would be urged on the American people Il is
evident from these col sderatous, that the atempf
with a few scattering democrat, TO avoid the IN
consttutionality of this project by placing it OF
the ground of necessity as a means of public de
fence, is mere prsteri, as light as the gossamei
and as weak as the Attenustsd web the spider
wss7es.
We must do the great body Of those who are
DESTROYS of pluDgDg the government into such
reckless extravaganza, the justice to say, that it il
not more than one in 8 hundred Of them who base
their advocacy Of it on any such pretaZt, but g
upon the undisguised old fashioned, federal idea
that the general government IS every thing, snl
that Congress has unlimited power IN disp0sing Q
the revenue collected from the people.
We have seen it argued that California is g help
less dependent upon the general government, La
bic to inva ion, and il case Of war with stroDge
maritime power, would be perfectly 81 the mercy
Of the enemy; and that in such case it would
be worse than idle to talk about calling out " th,
militia Of the other States to defend her. Thos
who advance the last idea OF course forget tina
Cafornia has militia Of her own-a regula
standing army Of ice and independent citizens
such sa fought for Us in the revolution u1de
WAsBNCIoN; in the war Of 1912 under jackson
and as followed DoNGPHAS through the trackIes
waste in the struggles by which California hersel
was acquired. Il is poor compliment to tn
brave and entsrprsing people who have cast thCi
homes in this new land of promise, to be held ~
ct this day. as unable to defend them selves sggins
foreign invasion. If her danger is so imminent
what must be the unea illness of her people Will
this road shall be in course Of construction, les
England OF sons othsr powerful maritime nstiol
shall conclude TO "invade he'll California, to
day, if msde the object of direct attack, could
with present facilities, be successfully defends
against the most powerful maritime nation of tb
world In the event of meditstei attack,
would be less difficult to transport an immediat
supply of troops San Francisco to-day, than it wa
to send them from Nashville 10 New Orleans unds
JAoKsoH, before the introduction Of steam upon GU
waters. With our present Navy, small as it is
comparison with thstOf other powers, we have q
reason to believe that any government Of EurOp
could successfully blockade our ports.
But ccncsdDg to be true all the sha n pretenCe
that have BEEN made on this subject in order t
enable Democrats to favor this projeC; and ye
appear consistent and we deny that the ooustruc
ton Of railway to the Pacific would be the pro
per policy to pursue. If California is deencelesl
give her forts and Srsenslsan a proper proportio
of the government troops These are the mean
Of military defence, not railroads. If cur port
are likely to be bocksded and our commerce de
stroyed by stronger maritime powers, nothing bu
an increase off the Navy, and not aUilrosd vii
answer the purpose Nstrkss US as rather 6 move
idea TO construct railroad, in order to prevent q
blockade-to transmit troops by land, in order t.
protect our commerce on the seas.
The probable cost Of this Pacific enterprise hs