Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-09-16
THE PACIFIC
National Importanee-Vrgon Need
for It's ComPleti0n.

needs OF the naUon' SoPAS~ haS oeen
: q great extent thrown out Of its recen
, channels, and become stagnated by tn
, sudden cessation Of war. Its most natura
and useful employment would be foun'
: in opening and developing the vast min
= eral resources Of the mountain regions o
the West. But until the railroad is built
; it is plain to every practical man that mos
of the mining schemes, so beautifully pro
iected, are sure to be Improbable. Elk
penses Of transportation and subsistence
eat up all the income of enterprises SIN
cerely pursued; while empty speculation
building its silver and gold fancies in thu
clouds, in pro6tless interchange Of worth
less stock the money which ought to b
swelling the stream Of legitimate business.
With the railroad built. however. capita
would be at no loss to discover opportu'
mites for paying investment in the actual
working of mines, not on paper, but in
the ~all-producing earth. So much would
such a result rebound to the general good,
that it is to be hoped that Congress will
lend all possible aid to the work; $ll6,.
900. 900. the estimated cost Of the central
route from Council Bluffs via South, Pass
to Benicia "a distance Of 2,0S2 miles),
would soon be repaid by the nation in
more ways than one.
First. in the way already suggested, Of
increasing the production Of wealth.
Second, in the increasing income of the
Government derived from that increasing
wealth.
Third, the decrease Of Government eS-
penses for transportation of mails, troops,
ETC., and for subsistence Of troops in re-
mote regions.
Fourth. as o means Of national defense
in case Of foreign war, it would pay its
cost in a single year ; and as a security
against such a war, and as an additional
bond of unity between East and West, its
ounce Of prevention outweighs the pound
Of cure.
Fifth, the rapid accumulation of specie
consequent upon the completion of such a
road would soon make q California of the
whole nation and even the anticipation
of such a result would enable the Gov
eminent to esune a specie basis Of finance
at an early period, thereby saving both
Government and people a large percentage
of present outlays.
These considerations, involving both
the national defense and the general well
fare, seem to make the completion of at
least one through trunk line a duty as
we'll as a privilege of the General Govern
ment. There is but little doubt that the
penple a. large clearly recognize the COM
mon interest in the matter, and are unani-
mously minded to have the Pacific Rail-
road built in the quickest possible way.
They perceive the propriety Of a contribu-
ton of expense where the benefit is com
mon, without q~uibbling about its exact
distribution, which is impossible. Espe-
cially so in a work like this, so vast that
private enterprise cannot grapple with it,
and would accomplish it, if at all, only by
piecemeal, nibbling its way along as it felt
itself supported or impelled by the oncom-
ing tide of population. 1t is doubtful
whether indeed, private enterprise would
ever get through with it. The vast tracts
of unarable land on these routes seem to
make the work impossible except as a
public one.
On this central route, above mentioned,
there are estimated to be only 6S2 miles
Of arabic land to l.400 miles not capable
Of cultivation-about 81 per cent. On
the great northern route, from St. Paul's
to Puget Sound, the proportion is go
miles arabic out of 2.025 miles-total,
about 261 per cent. On the coast, near
the 32d parallel, from Fulton to San Fran
cisco, only s34 out Of 2.034 miles are ara
BILE. This last is the largest proportion on
any practicable route, being about All per
cent.
In this view Of the subject it would
seem that Providence had yeined and
crypted these mountain regions with the
precious metals in order to insure the
coming together of the people from the
east and west, and the consequent unity Of
the nation forever. 1t has thus made a
bridge Of what promised to be an insepa-
rable barrier. And where a h~eaven-high
wall of ce.crowned rock seemed to mark
n natural boundary between two peoples,
liver gates have opened, and the east and
west have met in chambers Of gold.
For thus it is this road must be built,
in two sections prosecuted simultaneously
from the east and from the west. The
two parts coming from either side to the
great barrier-ridges, will there tap the
golden current. the outflow of which will
give them vitality to toll OIL and over
come the mountains, till at last they
are united in one great trunk line. This
being completed, it would be more
natural and easy to run branch lines
north and south over the valley routes.
than to construct other trunk roads across
the heavy mountain ridges. Such branch
lines would quickly and efficiently develop
the country. and it is therefore doubtful
whether more than one trunk road can or
ought soon to be built. The southern
route seems to he quite feasible; but for
This species Of development it is evidently
| insufficient other routes would still be
required. The central route. having me-
dunn difficulties to overcome, presents the
most obvious advantage for the speedy
development Of the country. And its
great present advantages is this one ad-
verted to. Of striking the gold and silver
regions as a sort Of midway house on
| either half of the route; in the Pixies
Peak region On the eastern hall, and in
the Sierra Nevada on the western portion;
while its solitary middle way through the
| deserts of Utah is cheered by the oasis of
salt Lake City. Here meeting in the
mountain. hedged valleys, the two currents
| from the east and west, will spread out
\ over regions otherwise to be long unin-
habited !; and that apparently barren and
inaccessible region will become eventually
the seat of empire, as it is the rocky sum-
mi, Of the continent. Thus the future
throne of America is literally one Of native
silver and the golden sceptre which God
hath given her. she shall WELD sitting
above the clouds.-Seientifc American.
DISTRICT CoURr.-Before Judge Rising