St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-01-20
No: e..

parties would tender, is likely to be ac-
cepted, without the Intervention Of Con-
gress. Hence bills have already presented
at Washington oy Hon. II. NJ Rice, Sen
ator from Minnesota, and by Hon. i. B.
Washburn, Representative from. Illinois,
either Of which, if enacted by Congress,
would be satisfactory to the memoriaiists.
We repeat and urge the request, that one one
Of these bills may speedily become law.
The preceding statements Of the cur
rent expenditures for Pacific mail service,
is produced with no invidous motive. We
disclaim all sectional prejudice on this
subject The transit Of Central America
land an overland connection eff the Gulf of;
Mexico with the Pacific, are objects Of
such Importance political and commercial,
as fully to justify the appropriation in !
question. The citizens Of Minnesota ans
accustomed to regard the debouchre Of tn.
Mississippi upon the Gulf Of Mexico the
junction of the Ohio and Missouri in Md
channel Of the Mississippi, and the head
OF navigation upon the Mississippi, as the
prominent points Of departure and distri-
button to the great plains of the centihtu1;:
and they will advocate in behalf OF ,v,.lcs
from New Orleans to San Diego, and from
st. Louis to San Francisco, the identical
measure which they ask for an Overland
Mail Route from Minnesota to Oregon
and Washington. Safe and speedy com
munications between the Cults Of Mexico
and California should be and have been
established, but why not join, by similar
enterprise the converging Mediteraneans
OF the Northern Lakes? Not a subscri
Der to this memorial, but would rejoice, il
at the present session Of Congress, three
millions per annum were appropriated to,
open three great post routes as already
deilneated-an expenditure, which, in
connection with the extinction of Indian
titles along the lines, a corresponding cx-
tension Of land surveys and pre-emptinns,
and some aid in the construction Of roads
and bridges, would accomplish more to ad
vance the Pacific Railway interest, than
the passage Of any Of the measures now
pending at Washington Indeed, any vr
all Of the routes of Pacific Railroad must
be opened in their whole extent to set
Element must be made accessible to emf
grants-must be transferred to the pos al
and political protection of the Government,
as completely as the settled districts #
Minnesota, before any substantial pro-
gress is made upon the question of :, Pa
cifc Railroad; s@-ss: Ia. '.-.'} .,,-5
The undersigned need not enlarge upon
recent events, which have made it ilupos-
sible for an American statesman longer to
ignore the importance Of the Overland
koute to the North Pacific The discov-
cry Of the extensive Gold Fields upon
Frazer and Thompson rivers-thc orsanl--
zation Of British Columbia with
drawel of the Hudson's Bay Company,
to the Districts of British America norti.
Of latitude 55o-the abundant evidence,
that there is IN inhabitablc :, district.
North West Of Minnesota and beyond
the international frontier, fertile, ,ich i'll
coal and minerals, and which, including
Vancouver Island and British Columbia,
has an area Of five hundred thousand
square miles-the late treaties with Japan
and China, opening to the commerce and
manufactures (even to the lumber &c, Jon
of Oregon, an illimitable markct-t!l,
rising power ot Russia in Asia with the
we'll known friendly disposition 10 the
people of the United States-the annex
alton by Russia of the navigable Amor
river, with its tributary valleys fully,
three hundred thousand square miles i'll
extent, and constituting most attractive
field of adventure and speculation--,he
arrangements, made and making, by Rus:
sia and England to- cover the North Pac.6c
with war and postal steameas-the British
scheme of Pacific naval station at Vic
toria on Vancouver Island similar
scheme of Russian ACCOMPLISHMENT upon
the sea Of Japan project believed e,n-
inetly practicable for telegraph and per-
haps railway extension from Moscow to
Japan, and telegraph thence by the
Aleutian Islands across the North iaciic
to Sitka in Russian America these, and
other events Of no less significance have
transpired within the half year closed,
almost within the Congressional recess.
Certainly, Senators and Representatives
cannot be insensible to the Importance Q
a direct connection between the heading
Atlantic cities and the scenes Of such.
imposing events.
/ Passing from the topics thus enpncrn-
ted, and whose relation to the immediate
subject may seem rather remote, ne urge
upon the attention Of Congress some rad
& ditional considerations in favor Of senli-
weekly Mail on the proposed route.
LIST. The southern boundary OF Minnie
|sota is in latitude As degrees aud 80 min
utes. Extend that parallel to the Pacific,
and the belt Of the territory enclosed b.
the British boundary on the. north, would
be traversed by the Mail Route under