The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-28
THE sourHERN PACIFIC ROUTE.

The precipitancy of Congress in doing
those things which it ought not to do, and its
persistency in leaving undone those things
which it ought to have done, is only too noto-
rious The worst of routes, as we have
heretofore shown, for Pacific railroad, is
that which Congress fastened to adopt as an
especial object of government subvention.
They are only just now learning, or pretend
ing to learn, in legislative circles at Washing
ton, that the most material portion of this
road lies in the snow-bound region and is
impracticable for about half the year and
they are only just now waking up, or pre-
tending to wake up, to the national i'm
portance of connecting the Mississippi Val
ley by rail with the Pacific along a more
southern line which will admit of uninter-
rupted travel and commercial transportation
the whole year round Senator Kellogg, let us
in all courtesy suppose, is one of those who
understands the infamous abortion of the
Union Pacific railroad swindle, and is truly
alive to the positive and paramount claims
of the Southern route to the Pacific to the
consideration, encouragement and substantial
aid of the federal government, if such aid may
in any case, properly be invoked for railroad
enterprise His bill for promoting the con-
struction of railroad leaving the Mississippi
river at or near New Orleans, and striking the
Rio Grande at Rio Grand city, or Roma, is the
only sensible one, so far as latitude and natu-
raj conditions of transit are concerned, which
has been introduced into Congress. The con-
ception of such route, to be sure, is by no
means new. 1t is fully twenty years old; as
old, in fact, as the conclusion of the war with
Mexico, and as the first dream of opening to
American commerce by railroad enterprise the
mineral and agricultural wealth fthe Northern
provinces of that country, and of providing
railroad facilities for the predestined trade of
India across this continent. 1t has been ap-
proved, after critical examination, by the
ablest engineers in the United States. But,
of course, this did not recommend it to the
favor of Congress. The difficulty and costli-
ness of the Northern route gave it the prefer
ence. For these qualities involved invidious
benefits to host of special interests in con-
tradiction to public policy, and opened in
Vulnerable doors to direct or indirect corrup-
ton among Congressman and other public
servants. Now, since it is no longer possible
to disguise either the impolicy or the
swindle of the Union Pacific railroad pro-
iect under government subvention, there
is a disposition in Congress to pay a
tardy and futile homage to economy
and honesty by pronouncing against the gen.
eral policy of substituting either railroad or
navigation schemes of any kind. Hence we
are, apparently, to have, in this part of the
country, no cakes and ale-no government
bounties to railroad or canal projects-be-
cause the congressional Malvolio has con-
cluded to be economical and virtuous after
profigacy and corruption have done their
worst. 1t is only dyspepsia Stimulating the
symptoms of repentance. But, while it lasts,
we fear that the prospect of substantial aid
from the government for Southern railroad
to the Pacific will be very clondy. Neverthe-
less, we will hope, though doubtingly, that
Senator Kellogg efforts may result in placing
the enterprise to which his bill relates on
footing that will command success in which
event, let him be assured, he will be CRATE
fully regarded by our whole people as one of
the foremost of their benefactors.