Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1863-11-17
The State and the Railroad.


a severe blow to the hopes of the Central
Pacific Railroad Company and to the
people of California, who feel the deep
est interest in the construction Of that
road. The clause reads as follows:
NsThe State shall not subscribe to or be in
ested in the stock Of any company, asso-
ion or corporation"
vas proposed to amend it so. as to
Except for the purpose of hasten
ompletion of the Pacific or other
across the Sierras." And a sub
offered as follows:
Nv vote of the people in aiding
s,ssion of line Of railroad within
3 OF this State, which shall connect
Ne bv railroad line with the nayiga-
fters OF the State Of California, provided
.&uch aid Shall be afforded only to such
4ailroad line as shall be first completed and
n in running order to the westerly line of this
State; and such aid shall not exceed the sum
OF s., 0GO,O00.'
All amendments and substitutes were
defeated by an overwhelming vote, and
the prohibition clause stands as the law of
the State. The Sacramento Union, the
most influential advocate of the Road, has
much 10 say upon the subject, and urges
many reasons why the exception in IA
vor of the road should have been made.
1t says:
GAS general proposition this section may
be well enough, but an exception should have
been made in favour of the Pacific Railroad.
The building Of that road over the mountains
is matter of such vast Importance to the
people of Nevada that we confess our surprise
that Il portion of the amendment of Johnson
was not adopted. 1t provided for vote Of
the people on any proposition to aid the Pa
ci6c Railroad, and unless delegates are I'M
willing to trust the people we do not see why
they voted no. That portion of the amend
mcnt which proposed 10 assist in construct
ing railroad line exclusively in the State
was properly defeated, for such aid would
amount to none at all. 1t is not needed with
in the limits of Nevada all the assistance is
required on the western slope OF the Sierra
Nevada. That new State, if she ever moves
ut all in the matter, should so appropriate
her means as 10 hasten the completion of the
railroad across the mountains. To her peo-
pie the question of the time when the rail-
road mav be finished and ready for business
to the Truckce valley is one Of vast moment.
II involves millions annually which they now
pay for freightS, fare, etc, etc. Three mil
lions would be saved to the people were the
railroad in operation. They would make,
clear-fOr money saved is money made-three
millions the frst year fo- every million the
State may appropriate toward building the
rlilrOal over the mountain,
The Union scouts at our dread of
State debt, and says:
1T is a wholesome fear when properly d.
rcctcd but debts for internal improvements
have occasionally embarrassed States, while
they have always improved the condition and
prosperity of the people and added immensely
to the aggregate taxable property of the State
herself"
1t then draws a parallel with the case
of the Erie Canal, constructed at such
enormous expense, by. and with such glo-
rious results to the Stare of New York.
We fail to see the aptitude of the compa-
rison. That State, by that great enter
prise, not only opened up the commerce
Nof her own vast and fertile agricultural
territory, bringing, as it were, the whole
interior to the seaportS- of the State, but
it opened also great highway for popu-
lation and commerce to the whole North
west, and made the port of New York the
depot and seaport of more than half the
commerce of the whole Union. While
the railroad would, beyond all doubt, be
of vast benefit and convenience, we can
not conceive that they would be common
surate with the great burthen that would
be entailed by the appropriation. Wesay
appropriation, because it would virtually
have amounted to that, for the history of
such aid to internal improvements, shows,
we believe, no instance of the money ad-
vanccd by a State ever being returned to
It's treasury. The State of New York ad-
vanced towards the construction of the
Erie Railroad the sum of $4,000, 900, and
that money is still due and owing to the
State, and always will be. That sum is
but a trihe to New York. but it would be
"big money" to be saddled as a debt on
a population of fifty thousand people.
Furthermore, the only argument of any
force in favor of the appropriation is that
it would "hasten" the completion of
the road. 1t would do so. 1t would
bring it over the mountains about
three months sooner than it would
Otherwise come. If that would have been
sufficient object to this people, for the
outlay, we are sorry the amendment was
defeated. We think differently, however,
and are therefore satisfied with the action
of the Convention.
G.Something SensibIe.,3