, 1859-11-18
Pacific Railroad.

uted amongst our subscribers limited
number Of the Ala California newspaper,
containing the proceedings Of the Pacific
Railroad Convention recently held in San
Francisco. We hope those proceedings,
as well as the resolutions passed by that
convention, have been carefully perused.
The subject Of Continental Railroad has
for years enlisted the attention Of politicians
IN various sections Of the Union for other
reasons and purposes than desire and toish
to see its construction. FREMONT may
have hoped to ride himself into power on
the once famous Rocky Mountain Woolly
Horse;" but the number Of aspirants at
the present day Is fur greater, who would
"ride ID " on more insincere bobby"
and that no other than the yaI. England
having lately made move in the matter
Ofa Pacific Railroad, it is high time the
ndsses should bestOw upon It q more car.
nest attention than It has heretofore re-
ceiVed. A Railroad across Ille continent
has now been agitated aud talked" of
nearly ten years the same space Of time
and work " could construct it. But we
are digressins from our subject, having in
tended 70 briefly review the proceedings Of
the "CalilOrnia convention, 1--WE style 1t
thus, because IL was not, as It's name i'm
ports, Pacific Railroad Convention" /"
not ! single individual present thereat from
the Territory Of Washington having been
delegated thereto BY lis citizens, and did mol,
therefore. speak orvOte her sentiments
a sprefulexaminaiion Of the proceedings
Of the late " California " Railroad COnven.
ton win at once show the many inconsist-
eneies which might be expected from par
tizan riewso Of the subject. A resolution
was passed directing the convention to me
niotiAIize our Legislature to have accurate
surveys made Of The passes in the eastern
portion Of the Territory. One was passed
IN favor Of the "centraI Route,p with q
branch 70 the Columbia river or Puget
Sound. These two are inconsistent. II the
latter resolution was passed, why was the
formeri But the whole question of the
Central Route i LEFT in an indefinite posi-
ton BY the Convention. Shall it 60 by
Pixies Peak II 50, the branch down
Snake river may be impracticable, and, at
alleyeuts Il practicable, viii be nearly as
long and expensive as the Northern Route.
The NOribern Route is Of transcendent i'm.
portance, TO give our country an immense
international carrying trade, as against our
great rival, Great Britain. II we adopt
The branch from Salt Lake, and lot the
Northern Route side. it will in fact be
abandoning to Great Britain the Northern
Route. which. ID that event, will pass
through British Columbia instead Of Wash
iHgton Territory If ps Aald faa 10 As
Narfksrs Ronis, Great Britain will neccs.
sarily abandon her own route, and why 7
First. Oar Northern system Of Rail-
roads, nov pushing through Michigan,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. Wisconsin, Iowa
and Minnesota, is rapidly advancing west
ward, and are the only western, and the
only possible western connection of the
whole Railroad system Of the Canadas,
(for the country north Of Lake Superior is
impractieable.) Our surveys Of these
routes are far ahead Of the English surveys,
Our route is shorter. much shorter-l5O to
800 miles-and it is better. Our grades
win be more favorable-more Of the line oil
the road will be over a prairie country.
There WIN be one dividing range less on
our route than on that Of the British =
Hence, il the Northern Route is adopted,
the British route must be abandoned. 1t
could not possibly compete with us in the
carriage Of freight or passengers.
Second. The state Of our population i.
better than in English territory. The
road surveyed in 1858, by Gov. STEVEN,
and party, has two branches eastward
striking ibe Mississippi at St. Paul and til,
Lakes at Superior City, and two branches
Westward-one to the Sound via the Sno
qualmie pass, aud the other down the Co
lumbia river. Thus we have at the west
ern terminus nearly all the population o
Oregon, and the whole population O
Washington, whilst at the eastern we hav,
a rapidly increasing population and the un
rivalled resources of the west and north
west.
Third. The idea that the western
eoast.-with its extraordinary productive
ness, It's great enegy, and the rapid stride
il is now making in population, bushes
and weath-is to have, even in our day!
bat one great commercial entrcpot, is pre-