Arkansas intelligencer., 1858-07-02
the Pacific railroad should Be, II the north

the Pacific railroad should b. II the north
and south wish {, do justics to each othsr -
BY thus fixing the eastern terminus, the road
will have the advantage resulting from con-
nections with the Others which converge to
those two points from all parts Of our north
east. east and southeast Atlantic coasts; It
will b - nearly central, between northern
and southern States, as itcan be conveniently
and il will also become the commercial neu-
clus Of the Union. Northerners and south
erners, easterusrs and westerners will be bro't
into more frequent intercourse; their interests
will b more closely united, and the habits,
manners aud customs and institutions of
different sections, will by acquaintance lose
all their strangeuess. by adopting the route
along the S5th parallel, it will have this 9TH
er advantage, in connection with the States
west Of the Mississippi river; it would be
more equally convenient for branching off
northward, to the priuGpsl cities OF Minneso
ta Iowa and Missouri; southwark to those Of
Louisiana aud Texas, and to those Of all new
States that may hereafter be formed either
north or south of it.
From what has been said, it will appear
conclusive, that the route along the 35th par
allel, 10 the shortest, the most direct, the most
central, and the offering the best local adj
vsntages and the fswest natural impediments
to its construction.
let whichever route DO adopted that may,
San Francisco, California, must be the west
ern terminus, because it has the largest and
safest harbor Of either north or south Ameri-
ca on the Pacific coast, and has every other
advantage requisite for becoming the empo-
rum of our Pacific trade, which will in few
years rival that Of the Atlantic. The rail-
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, will not be
used solely by the people ofthe United States
but will become a great highway for mer-
chandise and pa sengers between western
Europe and Eastern Asia and the Isles of the
Pacific. Merchants will then have more
safe and speedy transportation fer their fine
goods than they have now by doubling Good
Hope or Horn, or by crossing the lsthmus
either of Suez or Panama, and trusting to the
merces Of the stormy Mediterranean or the
Mexican Gulf The trade Of Western South
America will be secured for the United States,
instead Of being distributed among other ma
tons; two thirds Of the foreign commerce Of
the civilized world will pass through our lim-
its. Let the people Of the United States
consider that we are to advance national mo-
ney and property, not for the special aggran-
dizement Of any particular State or geograph-
ical section of the Union, but for "the great
est good of the greatest number" ofths States;
and then the spirit of our institutions will be
expanded, our Union will be more firmly
bound together, and all become equsl parti
cipants in the advantages arising from the
greatest national enterprise that has ever been
projected.
Having shown in the commencement Of
this article the duty assigned me, in connec-
ton with other gentlemen, by the meeting at
this place, hope its discharge will be suffi-
cient apology for this intrusion upon the at
tention of the public.
HEZEK IAH s. JOHNSON.