The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-13

or long fours at Ear, and allow them to con-
vert their fve-twenties into four per cent.
cOnsol or short five, rather than compel
them to take the gold for thir bonds, on which
the five years. option has matured or is ma
turing. To do this, he has but to make gold
plenty and bonds scarce. The means are in
his hands; has he the ability and the nerve to
use them steadily, firmly, persistently We
believe he has; and in that faith trust that he
will make few proolamations Of his doubts or
his purposes, but ACT.
THE SKELETON AT THE FEAST.
From the " Y. World.
The Egyptians used to parade skeleton at
their feasts, possibly as hint Of what every
guest would come to when the meat was gone
and certainly as reminder that the gayest,
most hilarious hours have their drawbacks.
In like manner, it may be permitted to at
least one paper-while the whole country is
jubilant over the completion of that truly
national work. the Pacific Railroad--to tone
down the general enthusiasm by showing that,
great as this enterprise is, it is by no means
the "big thing" it is made appear on paper,
and that serious obstacles interpose to prevent
that success which sapguine people look for
at the very opening of the road. Those who
expect to see the silks and teas of China and
Japan and the mineral wealth of the Pacific
slope coming by this highway in untold
quantities this summer, and the coal of
Rhode Island going to the far West by the
same means, will be sadly mistaken. There
is great danger Of our over estimating the
freight traffic to bs done by this road, and for
the following reasons:-At the start, We con-
cede all honesty in the expenditures for and
the equipment of the road. No doubt, the
projectors, builders, and directors have done
all they promised, perhaps all they proposed.
But the construction of the road has been
hasty and necessarily fimIy, and it has but
one track. For hundreds of miles this single
track runs through wilderness, which would
be a bowling one If there were anything to
howl at, and the rails are laid over the other
wise trackless waste, where the first rude set
Elements are yet to be established before the
Poet-Laureate of the West can sing:-
''There the red Indian once took his delight
There tit and bled;
Now the inhabitants is mostly white,
With nary red"
Consequently, it does not need even a rail-
road man to see that such road through
such a region will waste an enormous proper
tion OF Its power in running itself. Double
track roads in civilized and settled sections
and all railroads which pretend to do pay
ing business are doubled -tracked-have wood,
water, machine shops, locomotive stations,
and general material to retit at proper inter
walls along the route, and, in common phrase,
"everything is handy" meaning literally at
hand. But this road, running through the
wilderness and over wastes, must expend
great deal of its power in conveying men
and materials for repairs from one point to
another, in some places even in carrying
wood and water, and hence will be unable
to utilize itself to any great extent for
other purposes. If we should reckon the
power of double track road in favorable
| locality at so parts out of 100, the power
in proportion Of this single-track road
across the continent would not be more
| han 10 nf Thn
would be wasted on itself in Carrying men
and materials for its own repairs, and wood
and water for its own consumption. So that
we need not look at the prsssnt-oertainly not
till two tracks are laid, and they in the most
substantial manner-ior the wealth of India
and China and the riches of the West to be
| brought over the track now laid. Two tracks
are necessary to make the road efficient for
freight traffic. Even then the rates of freight
| will necessarily be so high that We can ex-
| pect only the transport by this route of bull
| lion and costly articles for which there may
be a pressing demand, while for many
years to come, perhaps till several roads
cross the country to the Pacific, the bulk OF
the Sc things, as now, will come by sea. That
there will be lively passenger trade over the
new track, especially during the coming
summer, and in spite of the high fares, there
is no doub'. Curiosity and the spirit OF
speculation will draw many men from the
East to the far West by this road. But the
first snow will check even this tide of travel
which will then be attended by many discom.
forts and much danger; and the amount o.
freight brought or carried over the entire
length of the line for the few coming months
will be quite incOnsideTabs. We DO not writt
these words to dsparage the great work
which was so we'll begun aud has been 80 sue
oessfully concluded, nor to dishearten those
who have full faith that the road needed bu
to be opened TO fulfil at once all that they
hoped or dreamed. But it is we'll enough tC
state the actual situation pretty much as Il
really is, and to anticipate the bowIs of dis
appointment which some of the most san
guine believers in this scheme will be SURE 4
set up next November.
AN ILLUMINATION FOR THE "SUN.".
From the n. y. World.
In his published telegram to the President Mr.
Yrain calls upOn the Executive ~ stnn nj -. w.