The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-12-05
SAINT "a u4
Union by Expansion.

That singular genius, Emu BuRRlrr,
/" the learned blacksmith, is out in, an ar
ticle, published by one of the New York
papers, reviving his project of a National
Union, to embrace the whole of North
America. Mr.. BURRIrr thinks that the
loyal and disloyal portions of the Union,
together with Mexico and Canada, could
be consolidated in a structure, allowing to-
each, part an. independent Congress and,
some other minor prerogati7es of a nation
atty, but with no right to enter into any
special relationsmpsswitlr foreign powers,
or to adopt any measure infringing the
Constitution of Hthe United Nations of
America. Each Republic would enjoy our
laws and institutions, and be mutually sep
aratefrom eachlothe as before, except in
such matters as might be delegated to the
Nations Union, There would be Federal.
Diet to make and execute treaties and con-
sventiens. AL the coast Notifications would
be the common detences of the Union.
Revenue would be obtained by duties on
all foreign importations, the same amount
being paid at New York as in New Orleans,
Vera Cruz and Montreal, internal customs
being abolished and free trade being es-
,tablished all over the continent. Other
details are gone into of a similar character.
The -"learned Blacksmith - is not entirely
original in his idea of "Union by, Expan-
SION" We believe Mr., JAMES ". TAYLOR,
a candidate for Congress from, Minnesota
in 1860, advocated the same idea very
strongly before the people. t12H lo'd7 ID
Important Southern Railroad Cons
. .,,-c nections Completed. orr
Itappears that at length the rebel Con-
federate government has completed the
railroad connection Ga distance of forty
miles or so) between Danville and Green
boro, in North Carolina, and haslalso made.
connection between the great central
railway line from Selma, in Alabama,
across to the Mobile, and Ohio road in Mis-
sissippi. With these two breaks closed
up, the rebels secure an inland system of
railways from Richmond, through North
Carolina, South Carolina, ,Geargia, Alaba-,
ma and Mississippi, to Vicksburg. We
may seize and hold their great railroad
line which passes through the. northern
borders, Of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia
and East Tennessee into Virginia, and we
may cut them off from their seaboard lines;
but still in the interior the rebels will now
have from Richmond to- Vicksburg, a
continuous system of connecting railroads
through the cotton States. *, In, ~ ,a,,.
The rebel Congress gave the authority
asked'tosJEFF. DAVIS, and he has done the
work. President LINCOLN has not been SO
successful with the present Congress ofthe
United States His recommendations
for railroad from some eligible point in
Kentucky to Cumberland Gap, in East
Tennessee, and for another from Wash
ington to the Point of Rocks, on the Up
per Potomac, for military purposes, were
completely ignored by the dominant Con-
gressional party at Washington; whereas,
had the proposed railroad from Washing
ton to the Point of Rocks (between forty
and fifty miles, been completed by the 1st
of last September, the rebel General LEE
would not have had the opportunity to re-
plenish his exhausted army wagons from
the bountifnl stores of provisions which he
secured in his Maryland invasion. His
starving army would have been driven
back from the Potomac into the military
desert of Eastern Virginia. There may be
no military necessity now for the railroads
suggested by President LINCOLN; but it is
to be hoped that some discretion at least
will be hereafter allowed him in reference
to the completion or improvement Of i'm
portant lines of military communication.
The Movement Of our Forces Toward
Richmond. o.. ... ..rH