New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-13

tuiders with the right 10 take freely TIN Der, stone
ocsl, rup and other minerals for its construction
| FRI sly part Of the Public Domain. Now these
| privilege We believe, VIII reduce thu cost OF ma
hing this Road at least twenty five per GEN.. Let
| whoever doubts this inquire how mu,h Is usually
pad by railroads in densely peopled commun ties
for land dsmsges, removal of buildings, a. also for
aerias, and be vii find our estimate not too high
1t may here be remarked that railroads over routes
Of equal atura feasibility cost more per mile 90 the
| continent Of Europe than in'this country, and far
more in Great Brita THE saving by the low wages
Of labor being overbalanctd By the far heavier
cbnges for laD1 damages, &c.
Tie coat Of bridges is usually serious item in
the construction account Of railroads. Unless our
knowledge Of the topography of the country is very
defective, the cost Of bridges either route pro-
posed for the Pacific Railroad Will be compare
| lively moderate.
We believe that, If the Government were 10 al
yertise for proposals for constructing National
Railroad, entirely within our own country, con-
nectirg, through existing State Railroads or other
wire the Atlantic with the Pscii., on the condi
ticns az 10 land and materials above indicated,
the work within ten years, for Fifty Millions OF
Dollars, even with provision that they shall run
through train each WY daily ior the ensuing twenty
yesra, and carry tie mail thereon without further
con- pensation 1t would be easy TO so graduate and
guard the payments absolutely to secure the com
plttion within the stipulated time and terms Others
may say that with the gift Of FIVE or Fix miles in
width, snd with materials frem Public Lands out
eide, the work may be constructed for q bonus OF
half the sum above named; if so, so much the be-
ter for our argument.
II. IL there any Constitutional obstacle to such
an expenditure for such purpose7
Everybody has seemed hitherto to concede thai
public works Of clearly National character might
be aided from the Treasury. Mr. Calhoun, Silas
Wright and other magoates Of the school Of Strict
Construction, always proc claimed this. We know
no statesEs n Of any prominence who ever denied
it. Mr. Wright earnestly insisted that bus one
work should be provided for in the same BILL
Now, if Railroad uniting the States Of the Allan
tic with those Of the Pacific is not National in is
character, what work can be We hold it unde-
liable that resistance on constitutional grounds to
the construction Of the Pacific Railroad as Ma
tOnal work involves resistance TO any and every ap
preparation for purposes Of Internal improvement.
We will add nothing on this point.
III. Is the Pacific Railroad needed and will it
pay
One Of our correspondents has urged that this
work is not needed, because there is more pressing
and instant need of good carriage-rosd. This
seems to us much like insisting that man can't
possibly need clothing because be is ferociousy hun
cry. He who don't know that railroad would
insure at least one good carrage.r0ad by its side
must be beyond the reach Of argument. But we
agree that good carrsge road ought TO be made at
once-this very year-and a mail run over 1t at
least weekly. That will satisfy an urgent need;
but it will by no means satisfy the need of rail.
road
This rresponde Mt urges that Pacific R4ilrS.d
would enhance the money cost of overland passage
to California So would carriage road. AT pres
| ent the Western emigrsnt camps out ct night aud
pastures his beasts of burden on the broad prairie.
He has seldom chance to spend dollar between
the Missouri and the Sacramento. Bot let carriage
| road be constructed and all the good land within
reach of it will soon be taken up; the emgrant
|
it will cost him ten dollars 10 cross the Plain, after
a carriage.rOad is completed TO one now. II our
correspondent ia right in his premises, therefore,
there should be not Only Railroad to the Pacific,
| but no road at al.
Now as to the utility aud revenues of Pacific
Railroad
We do not hear one word suggested against the
n. Il i. A. kar kaa,
urged with far greater pausbility and force against
the Erie Canal fifty years sgo. When that work
was projected, its route lay mainly through desc
late swamps and marshes. Buffalo was at beat
hamlet Utica d village; Syracuse, Rochester
and LockpOrt were yet unheard OF. Before the
Canal was completed, however, ito line was dotted
with thriving villages, and hundreds Of boats,
freghttd with goods and produce, were ready 10
navigate ito waters. We firmly believe that Pa
cifc Railroad, commenced in 1858 and completed
any tine between 1866 and 1870, woald find
millions Of inhabitants ranged along its immediate
Ene-say within thirty miles of the track-before
$50. and that il would have a way business
throughout equal TO the Erie. And as 10 through
travel ard traffic, We estimate the former for its
first year at fifty Thousand each way, yielding
revenue Of al least Five Millions while it's freghts
would far exceed that amount. We believe good
uble. track road from the Mississippi to the Pa
cifc would do business Of Twenty Millions per
annum before il had been FIVE years in operation.
In the foregoing have left all calculations Of
Oriental and trans Pacific Commerce out Of view.
That the construction of the Pacific Road would
add immensely and rapidly 10 the population aud
wealth of our Pacific territory-that the compile