The weekly Arizona miner., 1869-12-18
Rival Railroad Routes..Their Chances
 Before Congress

that all we might have said upon the subject
 would not have built road upon either route.
 But now, as the time approaches when Con-
 gross is to meet, and, We hope, do something
 that will enable some company to construct
 Southern Pacific Railroad, and as the advo-
 cates of the S2d parallel route have been. are | yet, actively engaged in "puffng" their pet | route, we think it high time for us to ''chip
 inn few words in favor of our pet route | that rio the 35th Parallel Before doing SO | we will, however, inform our readers that | unless the foulest means known to specula- | tors and lobbyists are brought to bear upon | Congress, the S2d Parallel route stands no | more chance of being ribbed with iron in the ! next decade, than does the worst mountain trail on the Pacific Coast And why should 1t, while much better, shorter route is to be had through richer and better country Heretofore, we have not assailed the lower route, nor the spectators who have employed their time in writing and speaking in it's favor, except when duty and a regard for truth impeled us to refute slanderous aSser tons about our route and the country through which it passes. For doing so, we have been villified and sneered at by the pompous edi- tors of a newspaper down in San Diego which was first started into life by said speculators. and, for ought we know to the contrary. is still owned by them. In nrefuting the ground
 less assertions of the organ and it's owners. we have spoken plainly, as is most generally our custom. In answer, the organ has sisnr!y flung back at us the weapons used by fools and hirelings, the world over It has never attempted to deny what we have printed regarding its route, thus admitting that what we said was correct. We'll, it could not have done otherwise--brazcn as it has been. and is yet--for all who know anything about the 32d Parallel route, know that between the Rio Grande and the Colorado river. A distance of six hundred miles, it runs through q hot country, almost entirely destitute of wood. water and grass. In fact, the best and only argument used by those whose chances for fortune depend upon it's adoption by Con- gress as he route, is it's close proximity to the Mexican States of Sonora and Chihuahua
 Mind, they scarcely ever allude to any sup port railroad might draw from the portions Of New Mexico and Arizona through which their contemplated road would run, after leaving the Rio Gra1de. No. Everything in the way of support is to come to the road from foreign country. They speak Auently of the immense resources of those impover- ished Mexican States, but leave out of sight the wealth of our country, which looks as though they wished Americans to expend millions of dollars in building up the interests of foreign country. It is to the interest of these spectators to talk so. They own nearly all the land around San Diego, and some of them, we feel certain, have more interest in Chihuahua, Sonora and Lower California, (all Mexican territory, than they have in the United States Again, they tell us that railroad on the 32d Parallel would accommodate more people than one on the 35th, but facts do not bear them out in this assertion. Then they bloviate about the magnificent" harbor Of San Diego, lesean; upon the urgent necessity for making it the terminus of a road that is to do most of the business of the country, but they never under take to show how the harbor, the town, or the country adjoining them could make any business for the road Oh, no; that is none of their business. Their business is to vince. dIe Congress into giving them enough of the peoples land and money to build the road to San Diego, and thereby enable them to create an excitement and get rid of their lots and other property at fabulous prices. But, il
 Congress does its duty, and is true to tho trust reposed in it, it will never give dollar nor an acre of the public lands to help build mp weatber-beaten old seaport town on q desolate, barren and unfrequented shore.
 The Republic does not want a strictly Southern road, and the 32d would be no more nor no less. It wants Csntyd road, that will be accessible to every section of the country, at all seasons of the year, and the only route upon which q road of that char. acter can De built is the 35th. Starting out of the heart of the country, at Kansas City
 on the Missouri, and being connected with almost every Eastern, Western, and Southern city, it is cminently ne great National High way from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Then
 we must not lose sight Of the fact that it i, already completed several hundred miles out on the great Plains; that it is the favortC route Of the people Of n:ore than two -thir,i' of the entire number of States and TeTritorie. of the Union, and that the majority of tho