Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-03-23
The Fl Paso Route.

we gave at the tune or puOilcaton the SIlb- stace of the views of the Postmaster General ill favor of the southern route for the overland mails to California. It contained an able and emphatic plea for the southern route road to the 1 Pacific as the best, and incidentally offered strong support to the Southern Pacific road via Fl Paso.
 These opinions have been combated at great length by Mr. Phelps, a representative in Con- gross from the State of Missouri He has pub ished an address to the people of Arkansas and Missouri, in favor of more norther route, be- ginning at St. Louis and terminating at San rancisco ud Albuquerque, along the 35th par allel Of latitude. MT. Phel ps agrees with the Postmaster General in dismissing the route by the Southwest Pass, not entitled to considera- | tlon and devotes his examination to the com paratve merits of the Albuquerque and the Fl PaSo routes, concluding the former to be the great central route upon which all should unite.
 The letter of Mr. Phelps has been answered also, at length, by Mr. Albert H. Campbell. of the road bureau at Washington City, who enters Into full comparison of the route along the 3oth degree of latitude, the Albuquerque route with the Ei Paso route along the 32tl degree. and gives solid and convincing reasons why the more southern route should be prelerred
 All the routes are nearly on an equality in one respect. With a few exceptional localities the interior of the continent to be traversei is sterile. There are oases in all, which are ex- aIgerated in beauty by the contrast with the long arid stretches by which they are reached. But these not of sufficient extent or value to be of any considerable weight in determining the choice of route. The distance, and the best means of overcoming it, are the consdera- tons without material relief from these scat tered patches of meagre fertility. The points winch MT. Campbell examined in comparison of the routes, are-the character of the surface the length, the climate, and the supplies of wa ter, and oi timber for fuel and constructions He speaks not only from fall acquaintance with the reports of other explores, but from personal eXamnation-havingi in 1853-54. been with Capt Whipple's party of exploration of the Albuquerque route, and in lS54-55 with Lieut. Parkes. explorations of the El Paso route and the Gila river. These were expeditions fitted out under the authority of the United States, and Mir. Campell assisted in the examinations with a direct reference to the question of the practca- bllUy of a railroad.
 The first inquiry is as to the relative amonnt of elevation and depression of the surface to be overcome on these two routes. The maxi mum points are given, with the following re- suits:
 The sum of the asceuts and dccents between Fort Smith and San Francisco (the upper route) Is 46, ,32l feet The formula of engineers makes rthls equivalent to all addition of 9l9 miles of level road, that is locomotive can draw as much load on 3Ol5 miles of level road as it can on 7, lJ6 miles of d road with these imeauaIi- ties.
 Along the Ei P!so route the aScents and de- scents from Fulton to San Francisco Bay amount to 3o, 2OO feet, or all equivalent to 723 miles of ievel route, showing preference of l96 miles Tn favor ot the southern route to San Francisco II the computation be made to the Pacific at San Diego, the difference in favor ol the south ern route arising from inferior grades would be 385 miles,
 The next question is that of relative surface length, the datalice ID miles from the trImu. These are necessarily lneXact q subirc- to corrections from future examinations But careful statement IS given uf the nearest rtsulIs "6aned by the several exploring parties. show iiS that by every computation New York is nearer to San Francisco by Ei Pasu than bv AL buquerque aud that on the most favorable csti. mate by the friends of the latter the difference IS so lmmAterial as to be of no practical nnpor- tance m the selection oi routes
 The subject of climate is next examined. and
 
 the Postmaster General. are reviewed and co..- frined. It s established, in direct opposition to the conclusions of Mr. Phells, that the c,l- mate on the B, h parallel, in the region of Albuquerque, and at the passes ol ,he noun talns, Is sometimes intensely cold, so as to make the translt ol passenger traiis in midvnter, over the deserts, terribly dangerous On the tower route the snow never lies on the pla.is and the mean temperature Of winter Is from IL io 24 degrees hisher than on the upper route; while the extreme heat, on the upper, is quite as high that on the lower.
 The supply of water, on the two rou.ues. is sad to be reariy the same and that of timber doe, Aot vary mach; the advantage, In one respect on one hae, belu5 counttrbliancel by preterul.- ceS ID other respects, on the other.
 Mir. Campbell next proceeds to quote the tes- t'moliy of L,eutenant Mlchler, Captain Pope and Colonel A. E. Grav scientific engineers. who have examined the country, aud that of ta. late Senator Rusk, of Texas, who was familiar Wlthit, toshoW that the line of g. de rees forms the most natural and level line for road; aud that thereby, the deserts to be crossed are very much narrower than at any other points, the boundary of the cultivatable re don extend .D., several hundred miles further to the west, than on any gwen northern route.
 
 ter are directed to all i'm mpeactiueut ol the actl- facy and candor of the letter oi Mir PheIs.- He charges that the letter is made up prIl.I- pai'y of "garbled extracts rom oniclal aud other sourccs," concerning he worst portion, of the Fl Pa,o route, and the best portions of the Albuquerque route; and he retorts by copvIu. serles oi extracts from the same documeuts- but winch Mr. Phelps surpresSeI-n " hch the AlDuluerque route Ia made to apper barren and lmpractcable, and other extracts suppressed il the like manner which aekuowied se the supe- nonty of that by Fl Paso. He alleges, tha, Mr. Phelps shows entire ignorance oi tAe couutrv, placing mountain ranges on the southern route where there are no mountains uthin forty miles, and mispAcing known ranges ill the most confused manner
 There IS something of this spirit in the whole style ot opposlton which the southern road meets from northern men--Who setting out Wltn detefmlnatIon to oppose ignore What is evident misrepresent the piaInest facts, and re- pulse the most clear and deinonstrabe plans for a great and acknowledged national waut.-N c. Ptcaysme.