Daily national Democrat., 1860-04-04
Letter to Gov. Downey.
10 his Ercsllsney, j. g. DowneH Gorernor Of
California

California.
Sin Some weeks ago, we, the under
signed, who now address you, took the iber-
ty of laying before the Legislature certain
facts, respecting the question OF railway
across the continent, which seemed to have
been wholly ignored in the Pacific Railroad
Convention The points to which we di-
rected the attention of the Legislature were
these:
lst. That one of the best and most ox-
perienced Engineers of the world S. NJ
FELTON,. Northern man and President of the
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore
Railroad, had publicly declared that the
route of the 92d parallel was by far the best
route for the Pacific Railroad. And, second,
ly, that this declaration was founded upon
actual surveys under authority Of the Gen
eral Government, which show, that the eli
mate of the Southern route is such as to
cause less interruption to work of this
kind than that of any other route; that
there is more snow in the Taheechayah Pass
than at any other point on the SD parallel,
but that there is no probability of its being
any serious obstruction: that there is a
greater extent of rich and cultivable land on
this route. and larger population along the
line of the proposed road that there are
better facilities for obtaining and transport
ing to the line of the road materials for build
ing it that the cost of building the road
would be twenty millions of collars less than
on any other parallel and that the distance
to be traversed between the two term.ui is
shorter.
In addition to the above facts, (for they
are undoubtedly SOY we would say that it has
been demonstrated by actual experiment that
the Southern route is open at all seasons OF
the year, while the Central or Northern is
not; for the overland mail stages by the
Southern route have run all the year round
without interruption from st. Louis to San
Francisco, while the stages on the other
route have been compelled to halt, and the
mails necessitated to he borne over the noun.
tains on snow-shoes. Wherever a stage can
be run in the winter railroad cars can be
run also and no one will undertake to say
that locomotive can find its way through a
region which must be traversed on snow
shoes.
There are various other strong and conclu.
sve facts to which we would like TO solicit
the attention of your Excelency, but we fear
that we trespass upon your time.
To come to the point of this commpniea-
tion, at once and in brief, we respectfully re.
quest, if it be consistent with your sense of
duty and propriety, that you will recon-
mend to the Legislature the policy of pro-
viding for a surrey cfMe different Southern
passes through the Sierra Negada, in order to
ascertain which is the best, and to determine
the precise character and er.ent Of any OBJ
StructionS there eriSting which are necessary
to be met and overcome. The Southern Pa
ci6c Railroad, beginning in Texas is now
advancing by private and State enterprise.
and without the aid of Congress, towards
California. 1t is the only road at all practi-
cable and it does seem to us that the State of
California should lend such encouragement
to her citizens as will enable them to meet
this road as it comes from the east, and thus
facilitate its construction.
All of which is very respectfully sub
mitted to your Excellency's consideration
CITIZENS OF YUBA