, 1868-10-16
NUMBER A.


There no longer appears to be a question
Of the intention of the two Railroads Compan.
les that are now pushing their works across
the continent. Neither Company desires to
connect with the other at Salt Lake as a
permanent arrangement, but both are desir-
Gus OF pushing their respective lines of road
through from the Missouri to the Pacific.
Months since, corps Of engineers in emplov
OF the. Union Pacific we're 10 thi, State.
making reconnoitres and surveys for a rail.
road route through the Sierras, aud -;
worth's Passes, aud the country Intervening
between those places aud tide water. Their
work was conducted with great secrecy, and
no direct information has been given as 10
its results. There are, however, strong
reasons which lead some to believe that
BeckwOrth's Pass was decided upon as the
route for the road through the mountains,
connecting with Marysville by the Oroville
Railroad, aud with Vallejo by the California
Pacific Acting upon this belief, parties in
terested in the construction of railroad
through Plumas County, from 0rovile to
Virginia City, are pushing their enterprise
with vigor. Others have good reasons for
believing that Walkers Pass has been select
ed by the Union Pacific as its route, and
that the road is to come hence through Tul>
are Valley 10 this city, by way of Gilroy, and
that the railroad now being pushed forward
to Gilroy from San Jose is to form one of
the connecting links ofthe road. But whether
Beckworth's or Walkers Pass is TO be the
crossing poiut, it appears to be established
that the Union Pacific has fully determined
to push its road through to the Pacific. Ou
the other hand, the Stanfords of the Central
Pacific have their engineers at work hunting
for a route through the Rocky Mountains,
aud their financial agents in the East have
announced that necessary steps for securing
the pecuniary assistance required to build
the eastern end of that road have been tax
en-. Government aid, so far as lands are
concerned, must necessarily cease as soon as
the two roads meet. Aid in the shape of
bonds must also cease at that point, unless
the Companies can engineer the requisite
legislation through Congress. That two
roads will be necessary to accommodate the
trade aud travel across the continent is so
apparent as to admit of no question. But
we think it would be asking too much of
Government to solicit its aid in constructing
the roads from Salt Lake eastery and vests
erly. Both roads are now earning handsome
dividends, which will be more than double
as soon as they make their connection at
Salt Lake. The lands already granted to
the roads-equal to a solid belt of territory
twenty miles wide across the continent
with the rapidly increasing earnings of the
roads, should enable the Companies to obtain,
without further Government aid, all the
pecuniary assistance they will need to con-
struct their works. While, then, VIC trust
to see both roads extended across the con-
tinent at an early day, We do hope that
there will be no more bonuses granted to the
Companies by Government. The Railroad
Companies have been dealt with literally
princely, in fact-and the people are already
taxed heavily enough without adding TO their
burdens by large donation to corporations
already enriched at the Government ex.
pense.-S f. CdU