Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-01-22
GENIUS, PLUCK, MONEY AND THE
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD.


UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD.
The Genius 60 plan, the Pluck to undertake
and the Money to do with, are the three grand
essentials in all great and successful enterprises
Each is good in is way but each is powerles
without the other. it is but rarely that all these
qualifications are combined, either in an ndydu-
al OF company; but when they are difficulties
vanish aud magnificent results are obtained. Old
Colonel Tom Benton was thought man Of genius
yet he never planned Railroad across the Rocky
Mountains, except where practicablei' j. but the
old hard-money Senator is dead, and the wcrld
and its people and It's ideas have moved on. The
Rocky Mountains don't look as high as they did
and, Ike many other difficulties which seemed in
surmountable in the distance, they have been got
orer without unusual effort. The locomotive will
run up TO their highest summit at grade Of only
eighty feet TO the mile, and down again on the
other side upon a slope Of but ninety feet, while
the Baltimore & Ohio winds It's climbing way over
the Aleghanes at an incline Of one hundred and
sixteen feet to the mile, for twenty miles togeth-
er.
A few men saw that Pacific Railroad must be
built. There was no other way to the Pacific,
without traversing two oceans at great cost Of
time and money. The defles of the Alps were
not higher than Evans Pass, and, as they were be-
ing tuuneed and tFaversed, why not the Rocky
Mountainsg So Genius sent out its Topographic
cal and engineering corps, and, after two or three
years Of surveying and mapping, it was reported
that practicable line for the great inter-oceauic
highway had been found Genius further saw,
that when finished, for magnitude and amount Of
traffic it would be of the wonders of the world.
But Arithmetic said, s. Nothing less than hundred
millions Of money viii create it," Pluck, nothing
daunted at these figures replied, Let us bring
in All the great parties in nterest and do our best
with them The United States government wan
ted 10 the ''worst way.n Uncle sam had an i'm
msnso farm Of millions Of square miles lying waste,
Of which nobody would buy acre until he made
railroad through it; and then, nothing else
would ciyili2e those Troublesome Indian tenants.
Besides, the old gentleman was pretty deeply in
debt, aud his enterprising family were willing to
help him out if he would only open a way to his
great gold mines and 80 he came down with an
offer to lend nifty million dollars in bonds, and to
make liberal donation OF land, if Pluck would
20 to work and "ppi the road night through"
Pluck accordingly went to work with will, and
Congress chartered the Union Pacific Railroad
Company Most Of the " solid men laughed al
him; others would venture but a trihe, while few
brave spirits pledged their fortunes to the result
Two brothers invested million dollars, and sew
eral other individuals half a million each, and the
road was begun. But Money or Capital, was
still timid, and Congress wisely gave nothing eN
cept as each section OF the road was finished
The truth was, that if the child lived, hrived ant
grew strong, Old Capital was very willing to pal
him on the back and to lend him helping hand
but he was to be kept out in the cold, to if bt
had inherent strength enough to stand it Then
il he did not freeze TO death, he was to be taken
in aud adopted into the great Wall-sueet family
lie did live and, under the name of UNIoN PA
crrIc he became a giant, and has built and il
running a longer line of railroad than any body
or company besides in the country. Old Capita
now runs after him, and begs that he will borrow
his money at the lowest rate, and the public buy
! Union Pacific First Mortgage Bonds faster thar
the Company can continue to issue them, at th,
present price. II is this united and rresistabl,
power of GENIUS, Pluck, AND MONEY that drive
the work so brayely on, and promises the consum
nation OF our material national union, SO long
aud deyoutly wished for, in 1870. If all the
worlds great undertakings could secure such
combination, we should hear little of delay anC
less Of failure.