, 1858-07-30

tendencies of all these roads. Let us. b.
wise and prudent arrangement, endeavo
to give to all sections of the country thei
full measure of justice.
1t is somewhat difficult, Mr.. Chairman
in the brief space of an hour, to occupy tn
field and yet do Justice to many Of thes
important considerations. Ipropose, now
to consider the economical question 1t i
unquestionably q great undertaking t
complete even one Pacific railroad. NJ
man should deceive himself in this matter
Least of all should he allow himself to de
ceiTe Others 1t is a great undertaking t
complete even one road of course it is g
much greater undertaking, and will much
more task the energies of the country to
complete three. The question is, will they
pay Z The Government is now sending It's
mail by the southern route to the western
coast. 1t is sending its mail by the cen.
tral route. 1t will soon send it by the
northern route, over which an order was
given, little more than a year since, to
move a regiment and half of troops, and
was not carried out only because OF the
lateness Of the season. The troubles in
Utah occurred, and prevented the renewal
Of the order the present year.
We are now moving to Utah with troops,
and they are moving to and fro upon the
southern route. Thus there will be bust
ness upon each of those three routes, car
rying the mails and transporting troops
and supplies. A railroad upon the south
ern route will do but little, If anything, to-
wards the services Of the other routes. II
can perhaps do something for a short dis
tance over the extremity Of those routes
looking to the Pacific.
Now, will there be sufficient business
upon these roads, in addition to the bust.
ness of the Government, to make them
pay Well, that is dependent upon two
eements-the one is way business aud the
other is through business 1t has been
urged against these several roads that
there would be no way travel; and then,
the experience Of roads at home, connect
ing populous cities, being dependent upon
the way business, has been brought to bear
to prove that the roads to the Pacific must
depend upon way business. admit it all,
and / will speak upon that point for few
moments. You will observe that in the
railroad movements in the States, all the
railroads have been going on pari Passu,
twenty, thirty, or forty miles apart and
that the way business is only what has
been furnished from ten, twenty, or at most
thirty miles, on each side Of the road.
And yet we see how large way business
is developed along these routes. How will
It be upon the great Pacific road 7 Sup
pose we have three roads. They will range
from three to four hundred miles apart,
and that would be quite sufficient to fur
nish way business for the roads, In the
States the roads are so near together that
they even compete for the way business,
reducing fares and frsights, and, Of course
returns upon capital There will be no
such competition in the way of business Of
the roads to the Pacific. Granting that
you would have nothing but grazing pop
ulation, yet you would have a greater pop
ulation per mile than You have 10 the most
thickly settled agricultural'p0rtions Of our
country. But Il is not simply The question
Of a grazing population, but Of Q grazing
and agricultural population and on the
route the latter will predominant
But It Is said, how will the people get
there / will answer the question. How
is it With the grants Of land made 10 the
States for constructing railroads In
many cases how many people were upon the
route 7 How many people were at the
western terminus9 Every man knows that
the grants were made and the roads com
meneed going into a country almost unoc-
cupied. And those were not roads which
occupied ten or twelve years in their con
struction, but simply three or four years /;
and yet in that short time the people went
in, and the roads at once found popula-
ton TO furnish the requisite way travel.
How will it be with the great Pacific
routes, having twelve years instead Of three
or four years In which TO Gil up with pop
ulation I There is now about a thousand
miles Of country not occupied BY settle
ments. The frontier is moving . hundred
miles year and even without this great
stimulus Of railroad operations, experience
shows that in ten years to come population
will spread over the whole Of this distance.
Let certain Indian treaties which are now
before the Senate be confirmed, and this
year and next the population Of Oregon
and Washington will spread over the ihte-
Fior plains Of those Territories, and the
frontier will be extended two or three hun
dred miles further eastward from the shores
Of the Pacific. We have arrived at that
point where there Is reflex movement
from the Pacific. The wave Of population
has reached the Paci6c, and is now rolling
back towards the Rocky mountains. The
tide Of population is moving. westward and
eastward from the two frontiers. and under
the impulse Of a railroad it will Jsoou Gil up
the entire interior.
Now, what will be the effect Of even two
years employed in locating a railroadl II
is large operation TO locate a railroad
from the Mississippi valley to the Pacific.
Parties will have to open wagon routes, and
will have to winter on those routes The
very act Of location will carry with it trains
of emigrants | venture the nrediction