Arkansas intelligencer., 1858-05-07
Correspondence Of tie Missouri RepuS'icam.
From Washington.
WASHINGTON, April 1e, 1853

the Congressional Globe OF TO day, containing
the speech of Senator Polk on the Pacific rail-
, road bill of Senator Gwin. 1t is bref, mode
rate in tone, and presents several points in
favor of the adoption Of the Central route with
clearness and ability. There is ever observa-
bic an earnestness of tone, and directne.s of
manner, which strongly commend Senator
Polk to the favor of his audience, and com.
mands their genuine respect. Ills speech of
yesterday will please our people, not only DO
cause It will evidently do good here, and ben
eft the cause in behalf OF which it was dslir-
/ cred, instead of merely making point for
/ himself at home, but also because it is meas
ured, decent, and statesnianiike. Its desttu-
/ ton OF ostentation and OF parade of learning,
/ gathered for the occasion, and its general
modesty Of style, are strong points which sen.
( sible readers will appreciate. One of Phelps
! speeches upon an appropriation bill cannot be
/ more bare Of ornament, or be addressed more
( directly to the subject in hand, than this un.
pretentous speech Of Senator Polk.
/ A word upon the composition of that speech
Short, direct, unornamented, and modest in
/ its claims as that speech is, | know enough
| Of geographical and of Chronological investi-
! CATION TO be able to say, in very positive
terms, that such speech must have cost
weeks of nlnsa invas tiuntion and nfoc,r
Of routes; its very brevity proves to ine that
much labor must have been bestowed upon
the examination of the sublect-eIse hrevi.y
was unattanable.
trust that others Of our public men, in
and out OF Congress, will, in imitation vi Gov.
Polk, submit 10 the severe labor of an eabo-
rate aud minute investigation OF this mpor
tant subject. Read the few remarks of Sena
tor Johnson, and witness the embarrassment
that flows from his failure to investigate the
question of route lie is in doubt as to his
duty. lie asks time. He rather believes
that a railroad from Memphis running direct
!y west, and entirely across Arkansas, along
the principal valley OF the State, and thence
| westward TO and through the very heart OF the
settlements of New Mexico is not the very
best for his people. lie seems to believe that
the Nlcksburg, Shreveport, Texas, Fl Pssso
and Fort Yuma road to San Francisco, run
ming entircly, throughout its whole course, to
the south ot Arkansas, has the stronger claims
to his support.
But when Senator Johnson has investigated
the subject with the same patience that Sen
ator Polk Investigated it, he will arrive at the
same result and will not be behind hi.n in
in preference 10 one that runs far to the south
Of The State ae in part represents. When
Senator johnson stands in the door of his own
house. in Little Rock, he is nearly two hun
dred miles south of San Francisco. Inyesti.
CATION will convince him that it would be
uuwise to travel south 70 Texas nearly three
hundred miles to ind spot from which to
set out for San Francisco; Tor that spot would
be at the end Of poorer route to San Fran
cisco, than the route from Little Rock via IT.
Smith, Anton Chico, Albuquerque, and Zuni
To san Francisco. Investigation will quickly
satisfy Senator Johnson, that, when the rail
road from flcksburg through Shreveport is
flushed up to Marshall, in Texas. and there
connects with the Texas Central railroad lead
ing directly to FL Paso, the trade and travel
will follow that road to Ecksburg and to
New Orleans; and Little Rock and Memphis,
attractive a | admit them to be, cannot at
tract from Nicksburg and New Orleans any
appreclable amount of business. Whereas a
road from San Francisco to Zuni, Albuquerque.
Fort Smith, Little Rock and Memphis, would
convey through Arkansas the entire trade of
the cities aud country lying on the south side
Of the road. This great truth, SO exceedingly
important to Fort Smith, Little Rock and
Memphis has been SO clearly set forth in a
paragraph in the letter Of Major Phelps to
the citizens Of Van Buren,, that | do not be-
lIeve it can be made clearer If | am not
iaboring under deusion, this is commercial
truth | do not know when the period will
arrive, but it Will arrive, when not one man
III the wide and fertile valley of the Arkansas.
from Memphis to Fort Smith, will favor any
other route, as an Arkansas route, to Calfor-
mia, than the one from Memphis, BY the way
OF Little Rock and Fort Smith, to Albuquer-
que, Zuni and the Tulare valley 1t is the
true Charleston and Memphis route as the
crowd itself will soon see. Aud foremost in
that crowd will be the Hon. L. w Johnson.
| only hope his Investigations may not be SO
late as to seriously lessen the chances of sue
cess of a route which is not only the shortest,
but incomparably the best. And | do so
hope; for his instincts are all right, and his
heart beats in UNISON with what he believes
TO be for the true interests of Arkansas.
| hope you will publish the speeches of
MesSrs Polk and Johnson