St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-05-27
Pacific Railroad.

AS our readers arc already advised,
. the Pacific Railroad bill is to lie over
until the next session of Congress- 1t
is a stupcndous project, involving
millions upon millions of dollars.
Notwithstanding this, it would casi-
; ~ pass both Houses, were it not for
the slavery question. Many routes
have been surveyed, and vuluminious
reports have been printed by Con
grcss. Already six large Iuarto vol
u:ncs have been distributed, and five
more are in process of publication.
The whole subject, however, has mar
r"wcd to embrace but three compct-
ing routes the northern, middle and
southern. The question has become
sectional from the very nature of
things. Northern men will not con-
sent to invest millions Of the public
treasure to build a road where the in
stitutions through which it passes
will prevent the building of villages
and centres of manufacturing and
mechanical pursuits, which are in
themselves the great substance of
these iron highways while the South
looking TO future line of slave states
extending To the Pacific Ocean, aud
too poor themselves to build u road
connecting them, will not Ivy their
votes consent to have the tide Of buSi-
ness and travel turn nortl,ward. 1t is
too mighty an engine To he placed
in the hands of trce-labor people
Slavery would in few years become
Il representative cyphcr in the Senate
as in the House of Representatives
They made desperate fight over
Kansas in order to obtain an equilib-
rum in the Senate at this time, for be-
yond this point they see the mighty
strides which freedom is sure to take
in the great Western world To
give the North an iron pathway to
the Pacific, just at this time, is to
build up free States along its line as
if by magic, and the power Of slavery
becomes broken forever.
Tho central or compromise route,
having its eastern terminus at st.
Louis is not congcnial to the feelings
of the southern extremists either
Kansas settles the fate of Missouri
either for slavery or freedom. The
Judgment of the country is, that it
will be free In that event nothing is
gained to slavery Ivy central route
This question has not agitatcd the
country as much rs It's great impor-
) tancc would have led us to suppose it
would. The reason is found in the
intense interest which has pcrvadcd
all parties, since the repeal Of the Mis-
souri, compromise and the subsequent
events in Kansas. That settled and
out of the way, and this question, ST.
important in all its bearings, would
, absorb the attention of the entire
country. \ route to the Pacific would
receive II general acluicscence-he
route to bc selected would convulsc
the country. Action adverse to the
South and slavery, by building a
northern road, would form great
staple in the mad plan Of the disun-
ionsts. For that they would find no
power in the constitution. "Strict
, construction and a ncgation of in
, tcrnal improvements by the General
Government, would be instantly de-
manded. Southern disunion convcn-
tions would, in forming their bill o.
/ rights. (or wrongs allegc this as a
E violation of the compact under that
instrument and this has been one OF
the conditions to which they have
looked as means of uniting the
E South in their suicidal scheme. But
in building Il southern route they sec
no constitutional lions in the way. 1t
) can be covered by "strict construc'
: tion," and is military road for the
use of the government i'll the contln,
gcncy of war Practically it can be
: worth little else, for it cannot pay a
4 tthc Of its running expenses for years
: to comc,-a half century at least.
4 special committee was appointed
1 by the House during the last congress
+ to investigate and report upon the
best route. We had Massachusetts, IN
the chair and the rights of the North
: were protected Butno action was tax
en-. He who is familiar with the inside
work of Legislation, will know the rca
5 son why. Slavery is king in those
0 halls. Whatever is adverse to it's in,
terests is crushed by rules and parlia.
: mentary tactics, and il carried at all
a it must be by all open stand-up fight
and by victory severely won.
EXCITEMENT IN BURLINGTON, VT-
There has been considerable excite
,,opt IN RurliuufoD VI for n few