The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-11-18

per, the establishn ent, BY Government, ofa
semi monthly mail route from st. Paul to
Seattle, in Washington Territory, via Fort
Benton and the Occur d'Alene Mission. II
will run through the Pembina settlement in
the Red River vslley-and according to the
Missouri Republican, after crossing the
Rocky Mountains, will fork--the right hand
fork to go to Pugets Sound, and the LEFT
hand TO the lower settlements in Western
Oregon. 1t will preserve nearly the line Of
Gov. STEVENS proposed railroad, and will
have this advantage over the favorite South.
ern route adopted by the circumlocution
Office, viz it will be about eight hundred
miles shorter, and that San Francisco can
be reached by this route nearly q week
sooner than by the Southern line. We said
this route was established. 1t has advanced
so far towards establishment that proposals
have been advertised by the Postmaster
General for semi.mouthly mail service
over it. to leave ST. Paul on the LIST and
18th of each month, and m axe the distance
in twenty. five days. A st. Louis paper, in
commenting on the opening OF this route,
says the proposals viii be let shortly if the
bids are reasonable-a condition Of which
his Postmaster Generalsbip is to be the
Judge. What is reasonable bid? VIII
the Government award an amount for this
proposed service proportionate to that be-
slowed on the Southern route? 1t requires
nearly as large an outlay of capital to run
scmi-monthly line over route through an
uninhabited country, where all the stations
have to be provided at the expense Of the
contractor, as semi-weekly line. Let the
Government put the Northern roate upon
an equa! footing with their Southern favor
itc--and we will venture to assert that the
first experiment in mail transportation will
vindicate its immense superiority over all
its competitors.
"A southern paper says the three direct
routes, are for summer travel only-the
Southern route being for all seasons. We
have exposed the nonsense and futiity OF this
assumption before; if our limits permitted,
it would be easy to do it again.
.iu res'e, the Wissom, Republican thus a.
ludes to these four great routes
They viii all succeed; for numerous settle.
ments will be made on each at greater or less
intervals--prOvided that military protection is
afforded the settlers, and the stages, for stages
are TO regularly run on each OF these four great
routes across the G ntlnent. The average
width OF the country lying between the paral-
lei routes, may be stated at about five and
half degrees OF latitude, or 3sj miles, there be-
ing seventeen and q half degrees Of latitude,
or | 200 miles. between the 32d and the 4Stth
degrees OF latitude. This is not quite accurate,
but nearly so, and shows that the lines are 10
Gated so far apart az TO render the settlers up
on them unable to afford each other support. In
case Of attack -they are separate, distant iso.
lated routes through immense unsettled eoun.
tres. II We would have each Of them settled,
without reference TO others. each Of them must
be protected by the United States. This may be
dore IN many ways but must be done in some
way, or the itsea OF connecting the settlements
Of California with the settlements Of the Mis-
sssippi Valley will have 10 be abandoned.