New-York tribune., 1868-06-01
CONGRESS- SHOULD VOTE TIE AID NECES-
SARY TO COMPLETE THE hANSAS
PACIFIC RAILWAY.
wAsIINGToN. May IS, 1868.

Bonds to the extent of $4,000 mile were loaheu 10
the road to enable it to get to Fort aiace on the
plains terminus which Northumberland sher-
man hos described as "a point which is simply no.
1yhara heinz mere naked spot in limtless wilder
nessp That wilderness. however, is the heart of the
Ruaalo-range and the Antelope and Deer-park of the
mounted Indians, and perfect grass land.
The road will be completed TO Fort Wallace al
smiles West of Kansas City, and 694 miles West OF ST.
must stop there and the vast organized force of
Strained men which is constructing II, ana Wmch y
sufcent to build 800 miles year must be disbanded
aud scattered, unless the road soon receives adui-
iOna aid from the Government -,
The road is before Congress, applicant Tor % oah
TO enable it to go on and reach Its objective pon'
The route it proposes to follow from Fort Wallace
Ss to the foot hills of the Rocky Aion@ta', @ ',aned
Hre densely covered with pine timber ana seaioo o
with thick veins of the best bltnmilous oo'i fo6t
there for the elements OF an lIlIenSo I!t .j IN,
traffic to turn south-westward, ana skut s tllo oir
6rad boSa of tbe mountains and cross the numerous
Rioh valleys which open out from lheln nv ;lr @
Plains cutting mineral raj regS" and cong through dis
Irct now productive OF wheat, cOIi' anu oss, a. Dc
abOundiug in sheep and cattle; 10 1n fbence on
the Sjth parallel of latitude 10 the COoIaG4 ltYel
going for hundreds of miles OF the way IN w estLn i
New-MexicO and Arizona through forests 0l W t tlo
largest pine timber in the interior OF thus cOnthehI
going most Of the whole way on thdt alalIel 1uIouSh
good agcultgEal SOIL ana az fSe gcbest and most
abundant deposits of "copper" gold, silver ieaq ron
quicksilver, and rocksalt which exist N the un'tSa M
States AT Fort Mohave, on the Colorado river, the
road will probably unite with the san Joaquin Sa
Icy line, running up the State OF California To oan
Congress should Immediately vote the required aid
10 the Kansas Pacific Road. for these reasons:
J. Tho road is a military necessity.
Gen. Sherman has declared this. Limiting as was
natural the expression of his desires aud opinions to
his own departmental command, which does not eX-
aG%A AZ of March LAST wrote to Gen Grant: 1.-The
completion of this road during the present
year to Fort Lyon would be ln9st nlPOrmd} POI od
event to the military interests of that frontier ana
the completion OF the other branch 10 Go3l anu Moou
would also be most important TO all the interests
along the valley of the Smoky Hill chiefly so 10 u.s.
who have to guard that line and provide for the
wants of the necessary gaTrsons lmS
road is military necessity" ,....,,,
tary necessity. In letter to Gen. Grant dated Fort
LeavenwOrth, May last he urged the import II &c
of continuance of Government aid TO the road at
oneep and said: "Preemnently, 1t would be to the
advantage of the Government to help this road 10
almost substantially ends our Indian tr2u9ies Dy ,ne
the facility which it gives TO the military ln cOntto
ing them. No one unless he has personally Vislteu
this country, can appreciate the great assistance
which this railroad gives to economy, security,
and effectiveness in the administration OF military
affairs in my Department"
Apart from this high testimony, the road mani
festly is a military necessity. 80
FIRST: Because our system Of fighting the Indians
of the Plains with regular troops is dlscredltaby aD-
surd and wastefully fruitess. The savages are
mounted. They are the best h0rsemen III the world
and beyond pursuit in a moment. They have no per-
1nauent homes. They have no fixed property. Ihey
have crops to watch, no stores TO guard no lnva-
sion TO fear During the season OF grass TO war on
them is to pursue shadows in an endless circle. De-
cember leaves the vast field of strife exactly as April
found It. save that the graves of White soldiers
roughen its surface. But how many men have seen
on the Plains mound that covers dead Indian
Second The gold ana p9,, ts
Americans of the East TO adventures which VIII I'M
D. yhem, in constantly augmenting volumes, across
The Buffalo range and into Colorado, New-MeNlco,
and Arizona. 1t is not to be thought OF that tins
movement shall be permanently imperned by the
Ceaseess warfare of thousands of robbers ana muir
derers. mounted and on foot. The ony possible way
of preventing 1t is TO settle the country ana line lt
with towns and villages. The only way known among
men to do this is to cut the plains ana territories
with railroads The water-statiOn, the freight-sta-
tiOn instantly becomes town, the center of military
operations when neCessaTya covered position from
which the Indian who never fights at disadvantage
sheeTs far and wide. To the CheyenneS, AIapahoes
Camanches, Kiowas. NavajOes Plntos; Mailapis, anI
Apaches the locomotive and car are bad wagons,
the track cause of fear and dlstrust, ana the hegh
boThOOd of the road a place of constant danger
H. The Kansas Pacific Railway is Commercial
necessity. ~,
tiOn between their initial and objective points. I'M
location OF the line Of this road was determined il
large part by climatic considerations. At no point
the line will SHOWS interrupt the regular running
of the road II be operated for S6j days In the
year The intercourse between the Atlantic anG
Pacific States, and the commerce between New-foTb
and China japan and tho East Indies never bC
permanently drawn over tias continents upon any
line of railway subject to long periods OF ODstruc
fon by snow. The loss of markets by loss Of time
and the augmented cost of transportation on such
line would kill the trade III its infancy and revert
St TO its old channel around the Cape OF Good
Hope.
Iif The completion Of the Kansas Pacific Railway
will settle forever tho " Indian Question" IN West
Kansas, Southern Colorado, New-MeXicO, An
gOna and the portions of Utah and Nevada to which
At will be the outlet.
First The hostile Indians will be whipped and
Overawed by the road and its influences. As fast as
the line went westward last year on the Plains, the
Indians receded 10 the west. As fast as the road
went by fort or military post, that became useless
and was abandoned The road settled the country
il went Indian OutTages ceased IN the rear OF the
lime. and occurred only IN its front. The road daily
pushed the border" westward, and pushed the IN
dian and the buffalo with II, and left line OF self
sustaining White settlements behind. IL Is destiny
inevitable by these Indians, mounted and afOot
alike that the road will force them to quit then
lives of hunting robbing and numbering, and CON-
pei them TO permanent homes and the cultivation OF
The soil.
Second: The construction of tho line through New
Mexico and Arizona will not only settle the " Indian
Question with the waTike and predatory tribes but
will change the condition and life OF the Indians, and
lead,tO blessed change in our whole policy and sys-
tenn of Indian management. An end VIII come 10
such costly and senseless folies as coOpng up 5000
NavajOeS loose prisoners OF war, under military
guard in the BOsque ROdOndO and there feeding them
In deness at cost of million dollars year. The
leo and Arizona at this moment skillfully using
lOng-handled shOvels and picks in the construction
SOC. day currency and their food. Parties III that
Territory and in New Mexico stand ready to contract
with the Kansas Pacific Road to buIld its road bed
with Indian labor The Superintendent of the tribes
in Arizona has declared that he could get 6000 of
them 10 to work and to stick ut il, for 50c day
and FatIOns And these Indians are partially Of that
fierce breed that have barried and murdered the
Spanards and sMexicans out of most of Arizona and
made mining there impossible TO Americans except
under military protection. Indeed, these Red men
are very much like White men-ther vices, like ours,
OflSDrInQ lQleneSS.