Daily national Democrat., 1859-03-29
Wagon Roads.

/ We perceive that certain interested par
ties in Sacramento and FL Dorado counties
are still urging the Legislature to appropriate
$50 900 out of the public moneys to the
Wagon Road from Plaeerville to Carson Val
lev This is of course for the direct benefit
of the counties named, and not for the bene-
fit of the State generally. For this reason
the measure should be rejected without cere-
mony. unless, indeed. it be the intention of
the Legislature to grant similar favors to
other sections of the State. general sys.
tenn of internal improvements would not be
Objectionable, but to expeLd the public
money in an act of favoritism to El Dorado
and Sacramento counties would hardly be
fair. The road alluded to runs through
Johnson's Pass, the very worst pass that is
known into Sacramento Valley, and one
which has already required vast amount of
labor in order to subdue, in any degree, its
natural difficulties 1t is inferior, in every
respect. to either Mobiles Pass or the Hen
ness Pass. and by all odds inferior to the
Yuba Pass, more recently discovered. If the
State is bound to spend any surplus money
that may be in the Treasury, let it be spent
either for the passes generally, or for that one
of them which is the best
1t is claimed for Johnson's Pass that it is
central. 1t is no more central to the mass of
the population of this State than is the Yubn
Pass Over this pass the larger portion OF
the emigration vid Salt Lake will hereafter
come, because it will be known and recogniz
ed us the very test pass into the Sacramento
/ Valley ltis at least thousand feet lower
than any other pass, and is now perfectly
practicable without any work at all, for the
passage of buggies or any other vehicle, how
e, er delicate, to say nothing of heavy wag
ons and the Sacramento Valley can be
reached, from the Sink of the Humboldt,
sooner through this inlet than any of the
others, not only because of the distance but
because Of the superiority of the natural road
running through it.
We claim, therefore, that if any money is
to be appropriated for any practicable route,
it should be for the best one, or that the ap.
preparation should be general and for all the
routes alike.
1t seems to us that enough money and la
Dor have already been expended on this Pla
cerville road to put it into decent order, if
it had not been originally most wofully un-
blest 10y nature. For several years, now, it
has been hammered at, and has been aided,
not only by private subscription, but by pub
lie contribution, from the treasures of Sac
ramento and Ell Dorado counties as well as
of the city of Placervlle, 10y vote of the peo.
pie. Had the Slme amount Of money and
labor been expended on this Yuba Pass Route.
it would have been in complete order long
ago. So much for contending against natu
raj obstacles. We do not blame the people
Of Sacramento or Ell Dorado for their enter
prise-of course nut-we admire them, rath. /
er, for their public spirit We do not blame
them. either for trying to get this appropri
alton fro"i the State but we very decidedly
object to the expenditure of the public mon
ey in manner which shall not benefit the
the Yuba Pass route stand on their own re.
spective natural advantages, and we have no
fears but that the State will I've benefited by /
a tremendous immigration over the latter
route, and that such immigration will always
select the better and easier route.