Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-11-18
INTERNATIONAL PACIFICs
An Appeal for 1T from the New
York Round Table.

We have before now laid before ouI
/ readers the plan Of the contemplated In
ternati0nsI Pacific Railroad, 81 outlined
! in q bill now pending in Congress.
! There already exists a railroad line from
! Toledo, on the Canada border, through
Indianapolis to Vincennes, Indiana; and
/ Gen. Burnside is building continuation
/ from Vincen1es TO Cairo. Connecting
/ with this road at Cairo, the International
| Pacific road win pass through the south
eastern corner of Missouri, through the
| center of Arkansas srd the most popuious
! part Of Texas, to Larsdo, on the Rio
! GTande, whence it continues, bifurcating,
| to the city OF Mexico, and to the pert OF
/ San Bias on the Pacific coast. the i'm
portsnce Of such road cannot Be OveE<
estimated. It will connect the South
with the North, Nav York, Pennsylva-
nia, Ohio, and the Western States with
Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and the
tier of soathernmOst St2tes-ths frozen
regions OF Canada with the torrid plaissssg
and valleys Of Mexico-the Great Lakes
With the Pacific. Itcuts a large number
o! the great rivers Of the continent.
whose commerce viii be tributary to il.
It does not pass through al undeveloped
country, cut through territory slready
psopled SEd giving az annual produe-
ton Of vast wealth snd Importance.
Cities, towns and villages will rapidly be
founded along its entire line. Other
roads, running east and west upon q
parallel Of latitude, esn facilitate only
ths eEcLanEeg which Eastern commerce
calls fFOnl the Western farmer; but this
line, hsving its northern terminus on
Lake Erie, ia latitude s10, cuts sll the in-
termediate parallels to latitude 2l9 on the
Pacific. By such a road the inhsbitants
OF the South readily reach the North in
summer, and those OF the North as read
ily reach the South in winter it opens
the natural exchange of Northern pro-
ducts with those Q, Southern gFoWth,
aud the exchange Of bullion from the
mines Of Mexico fOS the manufactures of
the Western States. When built, it will
De the great connecting chain, binding
the South and the North and West to-
gether by the indissoluble bond OF COM
Glsreial prosperity.
It is satisfactory, therefore, to see
that intelligent people in the Southern
States are being aroused to the impor-
taHce Of this work TO them. At public
meeting, held the other day in the city
OF Memphis, 5 com Gittee was charged
with the duty OF inviting the attention.
of the people OF the States South of the
Ohio and east Of the Mississippi to the
subject Of Pacific railroad, and securing
their cooperation in some plan which
W.ll extend to the citizens Of these States
the benefits OF the enterprise. The COM
mittse includes prominent members of
the business community at Memphis,
who, on the 10th inst, made and pub
lished very able report upon the
subject.
This demonstration of one OF the
greatest commercial cities CT the Missis-
sippi will no doubt bring a ready re-
sponse from every Southern State. The
international road has the features to
make ii the great national line, confer
ring blessings alike on the North, the
South and the West. That the South
ern people, in their present PROSTATE con-
Gition, should ask for help IN the loan of
the national credit, in building or COM
pleting those projected links which |
would unite the entire railway system Of
the South with this great International
thoro0ghfsre, is natural and reasonable. !
To build the International railroad itself
the credit Of the Government-in other |
words, the lean Of Government bonds
Is asked only to the amount Of fourteen |
million dollars. Six or eight millions |
more would probably complete the three !
connecting liuks-that is, from Mem |
phis, VicksbuFg and New Orleans-with |
the main stem, making at most but a |
total grant in aid amounting to twenty |
or twenty-five millions. From a ma |
tionsl point Of view, the sum is insiguifi- |
cant ia comparison with the great end |
TO be attained. For the building Of the |
Union end the Central Pacific roads gov |
ernment gave some forty million acres |
Of land snd loaned its credit for sixty |
millieDs of money. To build the North. |
ern Pacific like land grant hiss been |
made and at least an equal amount Of !
credit Will have TO be loaned. Important |
as both these roads will be, and costing, |
as each of them will, double the amount !
of the Southern road, for the grand OBJ
jects OF developing tne resources OF tAsRs
the Industry Of the, pa0pie. a I
binding the North andstfSa Saath to- |
gether In the bonds ofs1tlks snd pros
porous intercourse, Tall far below /
the INTRINSIC sEsllb of this road to the 1
iafkes But there is another /
copzs 80 which adds immensely to 4
i4Portance of this project. It looks 4
8ifectly 10 the developmentf of Mexico, |
That fertile country, touGhiDg our South
ern border for two tbofssand miles, ex-
tends from the Gulf to the Pacific, and |
contains population of eight millions.
It's commerce, its mines, and wealth are
largely iu the possession OF Europeans. /
The construction OF this road viii secure 4
to US the present trade Of that people, /
and will in no long time double and /
treble it. Our ssgacious pioneers viii 1
rush into The silver regions Of Durango 4
and the adjoining States, receiving their
chief supplies from US in exchange for /
their precious metals. The Mexican
will quickly feel the effect of
this new element ia her population, and
the nation will have a chance to rise
from her presen: fallen condition to a
greatness worthy Of her natural position,
or, failing in this, will be peacefully
merged, through the votes of her own
and 20 the satisfaction Of the
civilized world, io the Great Republic.