San Andreas independent., 1857-05-02
[From the New York Daily News.
The Wagon Roads to California.

From the New York Daily News.
The Wagon Roads to California.
Three great trunk railroads at least will, be-
fore the third quarter of the century is complet-
ed, bind our Pacific Empire to the valley of the
Mississippi, and with the system of internal i'm
provements which now radiates from the chief
seats of trade on the Atlantic and the Lakes
form a complete network over the region east
of the Mississippi California will be linked to
the other States though mountains and deserts
intervened far more formidable than the ranges
of the Rocky Mountains, and the arid plains of
Utah and New Mexico. We believe that if any
necessity demands it, the General Government
have right to aid in the prosecution of this
work as most important means of military
defense.
Before, however, railroad is built between
the Mississippi and the Pacific it is necessary
to survey the route, and we think that it may
bo fairly doubted whether, notwithstanding all
the explorations, sufficient data are possessed to
locate the line of the railroad and commence
operations. 1t is a far different problem to lay
out a line between termini in the same region
and not more than two or three hundred miles
apart, from that which involves the investiga-
ton of the best line half across a great CONT
nent and extending over nearly twenty degrees
of latitude.
AS a matter of prudence to prevent expensive
failures, as well as dispatch in fastening the
construction of railroad to California the
building of wagon roads through this region
will be found doubly important. The railroad,
even with all the resources of the Government
at command, must be q matter of time Ten
years at least, will be required for its compile
tion, and in the meantime the ever increasing
demands OF emigration, and necessities Of mill
tary occupation and protection, make the con-
struction OF wagon roads imperative. These
lines are indispensably useful, and furnish ex-
perimental lines of great value in determining
the best route for the railroad The Govern
ment will thus be the pioneer, and these wagon
roads become the feelers to secure a near ap-
proximation to the best and cheapest Railroad
route.
We suppose there are few so blind in their
advocacy OF a railroad to California who would
urge the. work to be prosecuted at the risk of
obtaining line which would involve needless
expense in its operation.
The wagon roads will then become the avant
couriers of the iron track over the slopes and
through tue passes of the Rocky Mountains and
perhaps to some extent its grades may pursue
the line finally to be determined for that of the
Railroad
In some of the long lines projected in the
East, as for instance, in those once astonishing
conceptions OF enterprise, the roads pushed for
ward from Baltimore Philadelphia and New
York, to secure the harvest of Western trade
the roads began to be employed for years before
they reached their Western termini on the Ohio
or the Lakes.
This cannot be done with the great Pacific
road, its way business is next to nothing its
through traffic will be enormous Instead then
of completing the road by sections which NAV
ho 4 (,
stages, the California Railroad will be nearly
worthless until the last rail is laid. \ different
plan must be adopted to turn it into immediate
advantage. 1t may first take the form of the
rude trail of the emigrant, then wagon road
for the United States Dragons and their NUM-
tions OF war, then more accurately graded we
may lind still better and more level road with
bridges, walls and all the appliances of modern
skill, and then the superstructure and rails may
be put down, and the locomotive, the car OF en-
pire, will begin to follow the sun in its vest
ward course.
If any doubt ever existed as to the Constitu-
tonallty OF constructing railroad by the Gen
eral Government TO California, they have been
disspated by the statesmanlike letter of Mr..
Buchanan on the subject No one, we believe,
ever doubted the power Of the Government to
rconstruct, for military purposes wagon, or
even macadamised road, like the once famous
National road which crossed the Alleghanies al
most parallel with the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad. By the time this road is completed
there will not be wanting competition and COM
panies ready to take the privilege of laying
down the iron track along the line. They will
endeavor, like all such monopolies, to get as
much land as possible thrown in but the enor-
nous business of the trunk line between the At
lantic and Pacific will be enough to make this
California Railroad one OF the richest corpora
tions in the world.
The Government will be invited to keep hands
off and leave such a work 10 individual enter
prise. We rely on the necessities of trade to
build this road but if the stimulous of the COM
mand over the shortest and best route to China.
India and California-the lands of silks spices.
and gold, does not compel its construction, then
the military exigencies of the Union will require
it to be undertaken at the general expense In
far less time than it has taken to link the VAL
ley of the Mississippi and the basin of the Lakes
with the Atlantic cities, we shall have regular
trips between St. Louis, Memphis and New Or
leans to San Francisco The commencement
of the work will be another of those events to
mark the auspicious Presidency of James Bu-
chanan, the statesman who placed the con-
strucdon on the only safe and constitutional
basis.
y y NJ