Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-07-14
EDITORIAL coanaspoADANcE.

Railroad-M Nationality and Fa-
tave Importance .Scenery--Rema
bic Works General Remarks.
At this writing, havejust returned from
a tour east and south lasting over month,
having in that time visited the places here
tofore named in published letters. My
free pass, the favor Of the baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company, was honored
by the conductors of all railroads named in
the catalogue over which passed during
the excursion. Many and enduring are
my obligations to that railroad company
for this favor, worth in cash at least $780,
that being an amount for which my seri-
ces must be quite inadequate. But, as ed
itorial life has become in me habit, not
liable very soon to be exchanged for any
other trade, may continue topay in slight
instalments till the whole debt is fairly
squared
The recent editorial excursion, which was
enjoyed by hundreds of the attaches of the
western press, was a generous offering and
was carried out, on the part of the Bal
timore and Ohio Railroad Company, in a
most commendable manner. We are sorry
Ito notice that SO many editors who had
received free passes transferred the same for
"a trifle to loafers and others incapable of
rendering any account Of their excursion.
At least a third were so transferred, and the
receivers travelling on such passes were
trespassers If not swindlers Of the company
the editors who transferred such passes
to persons who rendered no account of their
excursion should be properly exposed
How much better to have returned the pas-
ses to w. P. Smith, Master of Transpor-
tationl
Though I failed to be with the main body
of invited guests on the days designated,
| as fully as they enjoyed all the privileges.
Alone, / took plenty Of time to see and ar
range thoughts for the many columns Of
matter relating to the excursion, which
have since appeared in the Herald. After
fourteen years of absence from this field of
trayel.recollection and youthful play ground
in tha l,,,rcth ord Lroa1tL of H. ID IT,.
and Ohio Railroad, | was more than as
tonished at the changes in that time. The
reviews of early home and training
grounds, of familiar rivers, mountains and
valleys. Of persons and places Of note, also,
Of occurrences to scenes of early history con-
nected with persons and plaees-all these
afforded me showers Of pleasing remem
brances. Familiar in youth with The Yicin-
tiles Of Wheeling, Paramount, Cumberland
and the Potomac valley and various inter-
mediate places, ] could note the changes
effected by this only power capable Of re-
claiming region SO wild and SO fortified
within mountains and vallies--this power,
greater than was ever conceived, even in
brain so boupdless in conception as that of
Napoleon, until few years ago But for
the cars and the iron steam horse, this
mountainous waste Of country would be
almost lost ia all time, and at best be but
i vast hiding abode for fugitiyes and John
Browns.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is
the only great central route east and west;
taking commerce and population into ac-
count. it is also central as well as in respect
to the national domain. By its connections
west through Cincinnati, to st. Louis, it is
from Baltimore to the latter city.
Thus, link by link, this great arterial
trunk has grown to a length exceeding
twelve hundred miles; and the design, or
rather the fixed purpose is to extend the
work to the Pacific, further distance of
near 1000 miles; for by whatever name
the continuation may be known, it must be
one of the family of the Baltimore and
Ohio, subject to its laws, government, time
and action. No railroad company can ever
risk the expense of building another central
road for competition with this, so that the
Baltimore and Ohio road must ssfeiiY re-
main for all time the national carrier of
the central regions of the United States be-
tween the Atlantic and Pacific; and more
than any and all others, the government
highway for transporting munitions, sup
plies, soldiers, arms, official servants and
mails to and from the great west; it viii
be the carrier Of Asiastic commerce and Of
J ich distant foreign countries as have nth
ssto been REACHED by way of the Isthmus
and more formerly by rounding the cape Of
South America. Even the commerce and
travel between Europe and Asia will pass
over this route.
The reader should turn to any commop
map, though railroad map would better