The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1859-08-20
Onward Is the Word.

oiSSIiu u Hhc w III
+ The Opelonsas railroad is now about to
take its westward start in earnest, the cnmpa.
ny huving put a portion Of the road beyond
its present terminus under contract, and con
cluded to push on the entire work until it
reaches the Sabine. The time is most pr"pi-
tious for The undertaking, for the prospect for
The sale Of the securities held by the company
is most encouraging. and The mon,y market
gives Indications If unprecedented ease. Uudef
this fortunate conjunction of circumstances
the Great Western direction have determined
10 60 ahead. and we are pretty well satisfied
they will do so.
The delay which has already taken place il
extending the road beyond Berwick's Bay. had
induced the belief throughout the 4Atlakapas
that its further %prulongatiop would not be AT
tempted. and. in consequence, great apathy
and indifference came to deaden the interest The
people Of the fertile. rich and beautiful conn.
try to he benefited By the extension Of tn
road. would otherwise have taken in the enter
prise.
All things considered, however. we are o
opinion thai no time has actually been los, b,
neglect of its duties by the company. which
throughout. manifested a must laudable anx
tStJ ~ ~ i1C SVCUI III us hIiUS vi
the prosecution Of the great undertaking. from
being FILTERED away at a great depreciation
or in payment for a work neither Immediately
remnnerative nor Of urgen, necessity. The
case is at present in a very d ffere t position
aud, consequently. the work is now being taken
up and will be pushed along with proper vignr
and energy, nltil the original intention i'll.
duIged in regard to it. be accomplished.
Ma rtr,.l,,. ,,-nt 80, zee. ax.s :. -sn l..
more for the prosperity Of NewOr'cans. than
This Great Western railroad. when completed
to the Sabine. and connected with The roads
now in course Of construction in Teyas To
connect with it. The trade which will come
aver it will be home trade almost exclusively.
and the country thus made tributary to orr
city, is I'M snrpassed in resources, mineral and
agricultural. by any eqnal extent of territory
on the continent. All Texas and Northern,
Mexico, will be, as it were. brought to our
very doors, and here W II come as 10 a common
centre an unlocked for and as yet undreamed
If Western and Northwestern commerce. BE-
fore seven years have elapsed, we expect to see
a railroad running in connection with The
Texas Central and our own Great Western
from Kansas in the Northwest. md a vast
proportion Of The trade now being done by that
region with The North. via St. Louis, trans
ferred to this city. This is the trne outlet for
all the country West Of the Mississippi river.
Individually so of the immense region West of
its great tributary, The Missouri. and it IL no
fancy or exaggerated idea to look forward to
the day, an early one at that, when no unim-
portant portion If our import trade, a. well Us
our export. will be with the regions we are
here abiding to. A large portion Of Kansas
will be as near NewOrleans as st. Lonis. whc,
The former territory has the railroad connec;ion
direct to the Calf Of Mexico. which is certain
to be made, and the railroading being equal, it
follows that trade will go where it can be mos,
advantageously conducted. An interior town
cannot in the nature of things hope to cope
with a seaboard city of the magnitude of New
Orleans. and its nneqnalled facilities If posi-.
ton. resources aud accessibility therefore
nothing is more certain than that within the
period we have named, should no distnrbers of
public tranquility, like Bonaparte and Francis
Joseph again appear. the connections by rail.
rnad we spoke of will be made. The first great
links in the chain are here-the Opelonsas is
one, the Texas Central road the other-theSe
complete. it will be a necessity Of the North
west lying West of the Mississippi. to make
the connection above spoken of, for without Il,
one OF the best markets in The world for their
productions is absolutely lost to them. With
such a line OF communication always omen to
them. and extending over five or six hundred
miles of the most inviting country for railroad
purposes to be fourd in any portion If the
globe, we cannot be mistaken in SAYING that
seven years will be amply sufficient time TO
allow from the present to see it in operation.
If our readers will only glance their eyes over
any map .f our country, they will SIZE for
themselves both the feasibility and practibi!i,y
of such a road. and at the same time cannui
fail to perceive how greatly more advantageous
it will be for the Northwestern farmer TO cone
llrre to sell and buy, within thirty or forty
hours pleasant %lraire travel of his home. than
go to Northern cities twice as far distant, and
over some dozen different railroads. Within
he entire ronte the climate is UNSURPASSED 10
>alnbri'y. or the soil in fertility, and in three
years from the extension of O road from the
Texas connection To Kansas. the line Of il
would be well settled throughout. For pasture
or agricultural purposes il cannot be surpassed
aud here nature has indicated where The de,,o,
of all its surplus shonld be made and from!
VII cl all its return wants should be supplied
vi The realization, early and sure, If ali the
hopes this view Of our position inspires we
have n" doubt. provided only than "ur own
eser'i"ns To forward the movements tn accom-,
p ish it are worry Of ourselves and The grear
p"rPnse in contemplation ; and this. we caino,
doubt. seeing tina, nav The Great Wester,
branch of the more imposing Undertaking is
being put into active action with a drter,uina
ton, the earnest of early and complete success,
to push it vigorously through. The d rec,ion
must not be too timid nor too careful of
picayunes. forgetting the dollars. but acting
with prudence, wisdom. spirit and proper
economy, energeticaily and steadily proceed to
The inltil'nen, of all the s'ipnlations their
charter contains for. the construction Of the
great domestic enterprise. [l'ruc Delta.
The NEXT House. OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Although Kentucky aud Tennessee have gone
largely Democratic, at the late elections, on
their State tickets, The Opposition have gained
several members of Congress in each, OWN.
lN tho I1nn,Nrrots, l;,..- e -,