The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-19
TFRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

The South is to have Pacific Railroad, with
eastern connections at Charleston and Norfolk.
| Unlike the Northern Pacific roads, it is to be
built without one dollar of financial subsidy
from the United States, and, possibly, without
even soliciting an acre of the public lands. The
Congress can certainly do nothing less than to
grant the right of way through the public do
main, and furnish the company with charter
restrictive of the government rights and pro-
tectiye in its character to the stock and bond
holders of the road. The Southern road will
not be a lobby scheme, and Will have
no conflicts in Congress against the
cohesive power of public plunder. 1t
is to s-be the work Of the capl-
talist, unaided by Congress, and is in the
hands of men in this country and in Europe
who will furnish the sinews of the road. Yes
terday your correspondent was informed OF
all of the details of the great Improvement.
Suffice that it be said that it is the intention OF
certain New York capitalists to place, this COM
ing winter or hext spring, loan on the mar
ket for sixty millions of dollars in coin or
currency six per cent. bond, secured by first
mortgage on the road. Assurances have been
received that more than half Of this amount
will be taken in Europe. The road is to have
three eastern connections-the first with the
Kansas Pacific Railroa>- at Sheridan and thence
east to St. Louis the second with Memphis
via Little Rock, and then with two termini on
the Atlantic seaboard-at Charleston and Nor
folk. The latter will be reached by notifications
of existing railroad lines running east and
southeast from the Mississippi River. Notonly
have the projectors ofthis line all the confidence
needed from Eastern capitalists, but some OF
the wealthiest men in California are just as
earnest for the Southern road, and will come
forward, as they used to say in war times,
with men and means to build it.. The coming
winter, it is believed, will block up with snow
the preseAt overland line for three months,
and demonstrate most conclusively the neces-
sity of a great interior continental line south
of the snow belt. The contractor who laid
every foot of iron from Omaha to Promontory,
distance of eleven hundred miles, is now
here, and says that the Southern road can be
easily built and put in running order in four
years, and is willing to risk the prophecy that
the cars would go over that Inc on the first
of January, 1875.
During the past week there have been quite
a number of immigration agents, capitalists,
&C., passing forwards and backwards through
Washington to the Southern States, looking
out for places of settlement, the purchase of
lands, &c. In every instance they have funds
which they intend to seek for liberal invest
ment. Just now Virginia seems to attract the
bulk of this capital, for the conservative course
of her new State Government and the death Of
carpet-bagism there have placed her f re years
ahead A company of thrifty, well-to-do Poles
have about decided to leave the cold climate OF
Minnesota and Wisconsin and buy one hum
dred thousand acres of land near Lynchburg,
Virginia. They are pleased with the land, the
| climate and the people, and are already ar
ranging their plans to develop manufacturing
interests. The Hon. Caleb Cushing is at the
head of the Polish colonists, and represents
them as a very intelligent, worthy, industrious
class, who will add to the material prosperity
of any State in which they may be located.
The Radicals here-even Forney-are not
disposed to be very jolly over tn. recent elec-
tions in Ohio and Pennsylvania; and II they
had carried those States by any respectable
majority, their. rejoicing would have been
dampened by what they call the President g
cruel treatment Of the Republicans Of Penn
sylvania as exhibited in the recent appoint
ment of the unknown General Belknap as
Secretary Of War. The Pennsylvanians felt
quite confident, to the day of the election,
that they held kind of life-estate on any
vacancy in the War Office. The fact that STAN
ton and Cameron had been Secretary Of War,
and that ex-Speaker Grow and other Penn
sylvanians desired it so much, made them
confident that they would not be disappointed.
Besides, they say that the President acted
cowardly in delaying the appointment until
the very morning after the Pennsylvania cleo
ton. True, If he had selected the unknown
Belknap from far off Iowa week before the
election, the little majority on which Geary
has squeezed in as Governor would have been
swollen the other way in favor of Asa Packer.
But as mean as is the obscurity of Belknap,
the Radical element here are boastful that he
is good substitute for General Sherman, and
will so manipulate the military in Texas and
Mississippi as to secure Radical triumphs
there. From what can be learned, this seems
to be true.
The Yerger case was argued yesterday in
the Supreme Court, in the presence of large
assemblage Of spectators and lawyers. There
is q good deal of feeling in the case, and va
riety of opinion among the members of the
law as to what the court will decide. 1t is
mostly agreed, however. that the resutwill
be the same as in the McArdle case-whercin
the court said it had no jurisdiction, and de-
clned to pass upon the constitutlonality of the
military Reconstruction laws. II decides thus
under the second clause of Section ., Article 3
of the constitution defining the Jurisdiction Of
the court. But how plain is the very next
clause, which stares in the face the illegality
of the military commission which tried and
convicted Yerger: "1he trial Of all crimes,
ercept in cases Of impeachment, shall be By
jury = or Article Of the amendments But
forget that am living in Radical rule, and
talking about the constitution
Hon. Reverdy Johnson is in town. looking
the picture of fine health, and bidding fair to
survive many years. He is still active in his
law practice, and will argue case before the
Supreme Court next week.