Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-03-26
Appropriation 70 the Wagon Road.

We presented to our readers last week the very
able and convincing speech Of Senator Tirrs, upon
The bill AppropratinR E5oOco for the completion Of
the Wagon Road from this place to Carson Valley.
Tho bill is still pending before the Senate, md We
feel called upon TO Suggest few reasons why the
bill should become u law, Nlthoughii will lie difficult
70 present the arguments IN favor Of the measure in
any stronger light than has already been done in
the admirable speech Of Mr. TIrrs.
There is no legal or constitutional impeachment TO
che proposed expenditure, and SO far as we have
followed the debate, no objection of that character
h.a been urged. Neither would such an upprOpria-
ton Of money by the State Legislature be in contro-
vention Of any Of the tenCts Of the Democratic party
either here or elsewhere. II Is true that Democratic
doctrine denies to Congress the rghtto commence
aud carry on general system of internal improve
mcNts," because such power is not given To Con-
Rrcss in the Constitution OF the United Stacs, aud
Congress eau exercise no powers except such are
expressly or implicitly granted in that instrument.
But the Legislature Of State is clothed with
crcgn authority, and may perform every act Of SOW
crciguty, except such expressly forbidden by
the Constitution Of the State or Of the United States
The appropriation by the Legislature Of moneys for
internal improvements Is nowhere forbidden, and
may therefore be lawfully exercised.
II We look for precedent for such q use Of the
public moneys, We find II In every State Of the con.
fnlcracy. wherever an enterprise has been shown
to promise general and public advantage and has
been out Of the line Of or too stupenduous for uu
aided private undertaking, all the States Of the
Union have given examples Of cheerful and libe-
ral grants Of the public moneys. We might cite
innumcrable instances, but they have been too nu-
IT,. \
persons TO require particular mention. The Lcgis-
lature Of this State in 1856 appropriated 10000
" this very rad, and although u legal difficulty
prevented an actual use If the money, yet far
We remember the public sentiment Of that time,
the people Of the State cordially approved the
urc. Indeed Il would eminently just that the
public funds should DC used fur the completion of
such improvements as must result in benefit TO the
State at large, and not merely to private advantage.
The building Of good wagon road over the Sier-
RI Nevadus which could be safely aud easily Travelled
at all Seasons Of the year, would be Of the greatest
advantage to the entire State. Who doubts it?-
We will not 60 far impugn the intelligence OF any Of
our readers to present the question as doubtful
one. No man can tell to what extent the want Of
such Q road has already retarded the growth Of
young State. The rugged aud hoary mountains
which line our entire Eastern boundary stand frOwn
ingly 10 the way If many, who would gladly emf
CRATE hither, especially Of thOse who coming, would
desire IA bring their families with them and dis
tance leads to the view" an exaggerated estimate
or the real difficulties to be encountered in CRUISING
the dreaded Sierra. Let US remove this bug bear
to emigration, and at the cntirc State will be-
gin to reap advantage from such wise Legislation.
II may be true that the grcatcSt and must imme-
diate advantage" from the completion Of such road,
would accrue 10 the counties through which pass
Ct, or to the town situated Of Its tcrinn This re.
suit 10 inevitable In the Of every public work,
yet Il by follows that no advantage
to the State at large, that public work should
DO constructed with the peoples money. Utica,
Rochester and Syracuse were built up by the Erie
Canal but not to the dCtriment Of the State of New
York. but the CONTRARY greatly to its general ad
vantage. When the opponents Of this bill insist
that f the road over JOhnsons Pass is built, II
should be built by III Dorado aud Sacramento cOun-
ties the argument Is the same as II the people OI
New York had insisted that Buffalo, Rochester,
Utica, &C., should have built tho Erie Canal, be-
cause those places derived more advantage from its
construction than any other cities in the State.
hut VIC do not cOncedO that Sacramento and FL
Dorado counties would derive more permanent ad.
vantAges from the completion Of this road, than
other portions Of California, Let us take the coun.
" Of Monterey, represented in the Senate by Mr.
GrcgOry, who We sorry to see, opposes this bill
That County, We are informed, 10 exclusively agri-
cultural, admirably adapted for farming purposes,
and capable If supporting dense farming popula.
uon. We have seen how the dread Of the rugged
Sierra NcvadAs prevent men with their families
Nrnun n.A,KtnU tn thia IT hv nnk in0 n
wagon road, we increase that kind of emigration,
the agricultural counties are the which profit
the most by Il; for mon who come here from the
Western StatCs with their families, almost always
come seeking permanent home, desirous of cOn-
tinuing In the same pursuits in which they were
engaged before coming bcrr, and most Of them have
been farmers. AL these necessarily seek the agri-
CULTURAL COUNTESS and once settled are settled for
lie. Would not the addition Of dozen or more
stlrdy farmers with their families to the permanent
population Of Monterey county, be Of more real ad
vantage 70 that county, than the expenditure of
even eS0,oOO Of the public moneys thcrciut
But Il is objected that there other passes into
this State besides the johnson pass and il claimed
that some Of them arc better. We know that there
are passes over the mountains, both North and
South Of u.s. but we do not believe that any one of
them North Of the Tejon, offers anything like the
natural advantages possessed BY the one between
PlAcCrville and Carson Valley. But whether they
do ar not, We do not see how that should prevent
the appropriation for the road. While we firmly
believe our route for road to be the best we dO
Hoa wish 10 upiustly disParage any other route
II Act u any discOvsFsF shall 6nd pass either
NOEA South Of ~ which is better In all respects
tAAn NAy yse Discovered, We shAll consider him
Pablc 6sHssAcsOr and ShaIl hope to eco him better
rewarded than The diDoOvsrSr Of gold has YET been.
We shall not oppose any reasonable request for aid
tsnm The State Cor The Improvement Of any route
ever the mountains, when Il Il shown that public
coaveHisuce or the general advantage requires such
cid 10 Be sivsa. But We say that the State cannot
end OagAt not 10 attempt 70 construct oil these roads
81 tAe eAnae time One good road completed IL bet
~. b every way. than two, three or half dozen
katf aUns o. imperfcty built. Il is better TO ex-
psHd oSoOoo % Ons rOad. than $4,000 each on ave,
kpcaaas L p better TO have one good road than ave
hid Onea.
Il then. L b proper that the State should expeud
woaey toward he construction off public highway,
and The OAiecsiOn is not 70 the purpose or to the
anSant bat TO the rOuts upon which il s to be |
unsA We viii state briefly the reasons why the Pla-