New-York daily tribune., 1865-08-12
POLITICAL THEORIES AND PRAc
TICAL POLICY.

gerOus notion of caring for "the general well
fare" ard falling back on a certain force neceO-
sarily residing in and essential to all govern
mcnt In opposition to this, he insisted Oh
strict construction: State authority to luaee Vi
and resist Federal infractions OF the feoeI"i
pact. and ga sacrc.anct adherence to the Con-
stitut;on' in its letter. Bat Mr.. Jefferson was
too great man to be fettored even py Ms own
errors: and he had not been three years III
Office before he conceived and achieved the
Purchase of Louisisna--a measure not only
clor;noly unconstitutional. according to his
own theory. but freely admitted to be so
by himself This, however, did not invalidate
the fact that it was measure OF wise, COM
prehensiye policy and Of vast, enduring
beucGcence. Il was very easy for his adver'
saries, from this and kindred acts, to prove him
qlar.rgly inconsistent, and to speed an arrow
at the heart OF his political philosophy: it was
not so easy TO PROVE him an incompetent or un'
successful statesman.
We lately adduced the fact that the City Of
New-York owes its commercial predominance to
the Erie Canal and that the construction OF tins
Canal was not merely stOutly, persistently re-
sisted by our Democratic politicians in its day,
but was directly, palpaby at war with the
Democratic philosophy now current when
makes protection against violence and out
rage the sole legitimate fGnction OF Govern
ment. Several of our cotemporares have tried,
to flank our position, but without success. One
urges that the Erie Canal might better have
been constructed by private enterprise. That
NAV or may not be so; but the requisite private
ENTERPRISE did not exist and could not be
evoked in the years which saw that Canal COM
menced. prosecuted, completed; even so great
man as Mr.. Jefferson, when appealed to foraid
by De Witt Clinton. responded, "iour project
is noble one; but you ore half century IN
advance Of the times" Not quarter OF
century thereafter, Mr.. Clinton wrote him
again, to apprise him that the work was done;
when Mr.. Jefferson frankly "owned up;"
saying-"I thought you were half century
too fast: but find that il was who was half
century too slow When so far-Seeing man
"a Jefferson was thus behind, how can one
suppose that the mass Of capitalists and business
men will be wiser or more hopeful! IL the
Erie Canal had waited to be constructed by
private enterprise, it would never have needed
enlargement; for. long before its completion,
the mass of our Western produce would have
found other channels to the seaboard, and
Philadelphia, Baltimore. or Norfolk, wouid
have been the great emporium Of American
Commerce. He who would greatly achieve
must not only strike hard, but strike season
ably.
The Pacific Railroad is TO this age what the
Erie Canal was to the first quarter Of the pres
ent century. We are among those who believe
that Road, well built and well stocked with
cash in hand under honest and frugal direction.
would pay good dividends from the hour of its
completion. Yet we know very well that, il it
had been left to unaided private enterprise, it
would not have been completed before the close
of the present century, if eyer. 1t is an onor-
nous undertaking to scrape together the One
L. Hundred and Fifty or Two Hundred Millions Of
Dollars required properly to construct and stock
this Road; and those who put up the first
Twenty to Forty Millions must not expect TO
see their money again in a generation. But for
the very liberal subsidy guaranteed to this
grand enterprise By Congress- the requisite cap
ital could no. have been obtained for 4 lifetime
And yet, large as that subsidy is, we believe
the Road will have returned every dime Of it to
the Treasury in taxes within ten years irom the
day Of its completion.
The Albany Argus, we observe, shows is tech
at the Pacific Road, as well a. at the political
philosophy and public policy which justify Gov
il ignores or dees the fact that one Of the latest
authentic declarations Of its faith by its party
was put forth at Charleston, S. c., in April,
] 1860; and that this declaration or platform con-
tans the following:
"P,solr,d That one oS the necessities OF the age IN
military commercial and postal point Of view. IL a
speedy Communication between the Atlantic and Pa.
ce States and the Democratic party pedge such con
ton OF Railroad TO the Pacific coast at the earliest
practicable day
For the platform containing this resolve,
the vote of New.York was cast solid on call
of the Yeas and Nays. And the Breckenridge
split-of, while opposing this platform on grounds
relating wholly to Slavery, took care to embody
in teir platform a resolve favoring the Pacific
Road.
Are these pledges now to be repudiated Or
is the particular measure to be favored, while
the general policy whereby alone it may bo
justified is condemned and repudlated7