New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-29
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.

4
or National necessity and use for Railroad from
the Missouri to the Pacific.
/. The Federal Government il now paying some
Twenty five Millions per annum for Military ser
vice, mainly west of the Mississippi Nearly half
of this heavy bill is paid for Transportation in 10
various shapes-for the conveyance OF Provision
Munitions, &c, to the Army in Utah and 70 Tue
various posts scattered through the Indian country;
for Horses, Mules and Wagons, required 70 iacn'
tate the conveyance of soldiers arms, munl'on'
and baggage from post to post &C. &c I'ev
regiment employed in the Indian country or on inc
Pacific costs the Treasury at least 81 ,O0O per man
| ner .nnum of which we estimate that nearly nall
would be saved by Pacific Railroad Certainly,
the saving from this source could not ia snor' VI
| Five Millions per snnum
9 But the efficacy, the power of an armed iorce'
in the defense and protection of vast empire,
depends less on its numbers than on its mobility
| on the facility with which it can be conveyed TO
| the point At which il may at any time be wanted.
For ip,tapce: our Government has now some Blk
| to Eight thousand Regulars scattered over Ne
| braska, Kansas, New Mexico, Northern Texas,
Utah, California, Oregon, and Washington. Theie
Six or Eight Thousand are not q efficient {" Two
thousand would be if it were in the power of the
Government instantly to transfer that Two Thoas-
and, by mere order, TO the point at which they
might at any time be wanted A Pacific Railroad
would not indeed, fully effect this; but it would
20 far toward it.
3. Suppo,e our little Army, now largely eoncen'
trated in Utah. were urgently needed to repel some
sudden danger whether on the Pacific the Atlantic
coast: 1t would be good three months work to
provide the needfu animals and remove that force
to either seaboard. But, with Pacific Railroad,
tho whole might be in New-York, Charleston,
New Orleans, or San Francisco, within fortnight
after the order was dispatched by telegraph from
| the War Department at Washington. The value
of this facility of movement can hardly be overesti-
| mated.
q. At present, the regiments employed on the
Pacific are almost or quite wholly raised and re-
| cruitei in the Atlantic States. Their removal
thence to their destination costs largely, heavily,
in direct expense, and in that time which il
money Suppose regiment to cost Half Million
per Oh mum, and that six months are now consumed
in ,endirg it from Baltimore to Puget Sound, while
enc month would suffice with Pacific Railroad:
In addition to the saving on the present cost of ts
transportation, the AyiDg in the time Of that regi
ment would be $500, 600 directly, and practically
much more as part Of the cost of recruiting drill
ing, &c, cow lost in the tedious transportation,
would be saved by the accelerated movement.
S. In case of war with any great maritime
| power, in the absence of Pacific Railroad we
should be compelled either to surrender the Pacific
States to subjugaton and spOlStion or maintain
| double armament at enormous cost Our army
on this side of the Rocky Mountains would be
utterly Ineffective as against expedition launched
against the Pacific coast and rice rersa. But, with
Pacific Railroad, and the Telegraph which would
inevitably accompany it, it would be morally im'
possible that an expedition directed against either
seaboard should not be anticipated in its arrival by
the concentration to oppose its landing OF our
soldiers drawn from every part of the country.
| Our Government, in aiding the construction OF such
Road, would inevitably stipulate for its use-exclu-
sive, if required-in times of public peril, and
would thus be enabled to transfer fifty thousand
men from either coast to the other in the course of
twenty or thirty days.
| g. We have already expended some scores OF
millions of dollars on Fortlfcstions, and are ur-
| gently required to eIpend ~ many more. ~
pecially on the Pacific il their construction press
| ingly demar ded We do not decide how fast nor
bow far this demand may or should be responded
to; but we do say that Pacific Railroad, whereby
| the rihemen of the mountains could be brought to
the Pacific within three days, and those of the
| Mimouri within ten would afford more security TO
San Francisco than ever so many gigantic and
| costly Notifications
But enough on this head.
| The social, moral and intellectual blessings Of
Pacific Railroad can hardly be glanced At within
the limits Of an article Suffice it for tue present
hat we me'ely suggest them.
]. Our Mails are now carried to and from Cali
| fornis by steamships, via Panama in twenty TO
thirty days, starting once 3 fortnight. The aver
| .se time of transit from writers throughout the
Atlantic States TO their correspondents on the
Paef: exceeds thirty days. With Pacific Rail
road this would be reduced 10 ten; for the letters
written in Illinois or Michigan would reach their
de.tipat,ons in the Mining Counties Of California
ouicker than letters sent from New-York or Ph.-
delpbia would reach San Francisco. With daily
mail by railroad from eseh of our Atlantic cities TO
and from California it is hardly possible th,t the
amount of both letters and printed mat.er trans
United, and consequently of postage should not be
speedily quadrupled
. The first need of California to-day is . large
influx of intelligent, capable, virtuOus Women.
With q Railroad 10 the Pacific, avoiding the mise