The Portland daily press., 1869-09-22

Tho completion of a railway to the Pacific
has excited throughout all the nations Of Eu-
rope popular desire TO VISIT the new world;
the number of transatlantic pleasure tourists
is largely on the increase, and SO vast is the
field open to occupation within the United
States, that immigration of the laboring and
industrial classes OF Europe is taking a new
form in the shape of families and communities
seeking homesteads and places suited for
towns and villages. Through tickets are now
issued SO that parties from the north and GEN.
tral portions OF Europe can purchase a ticket
Tor the farthest interior of the United States.
The old method of transportation by canal and
lake navigation is now avoided, both on ac-
the interior, and the liability of the separation
of families on the way. Hence emigrant
agents throughout Europe are anxiously wait
ing the completion of the line OF railway east
to Halifax and to Newfoundland; SO that emil
grant passengers can take the first line OF rail-
Way within their reach that shall transport
them without delay to their destination,
whether it be in Iowa, Minnesota or Canada
East. 1t is now understood that the emigrant
business will be changed on the completion of
the European and North American railway to
Halifax.
The amount of emigration from Europe, the
lower British provinces and the New England
States to the west amounts to hundreds of
thousands per year, and if these passengers
could pass directly to the west without being
and New York, there would be saving to
them both of time and expense.
A clear perception of these facts led to the
present movement, to construct line OF rail-
road by the most direct route from Portland to
Chicago, embodied in the call for the Oswego
convention If the theory on which that call
is based be correct, the line of railway from
Halifax to Chicago-or at any rate, the line
from Portland to Chicago-must become a
profitable enterprise; for, in addition to large
local business it has the greatest assurance OF
large through traffic of any line of railroad
built, or that can be built on any part of the
continent. .
The United States of America and the Brit
ish American provinces s-cOmmercially one
people-will before many years have as great a
population us all Europe, which now contains
from 280 to 800 mlllons of people.
With the general diffusion OF wealth and the
more active tendencies of our American popu-
lation, the number of pleasure tourists to and
from the Great West to and from Europe, will
be greatly in excess of pleasure tourists OF 9TH
er countries 1t is surprising to see already
the number OF western people who make the
| tour OF Europe, compared with what was wit
messed a few years ago with the limited amount
of capital then at command.
A connected line of railroad therefore from
HALIFAX to Chicago, by the most practicable
route: that shortest in point Of time and i'll
cost of transt-passing through st. John, Ban
gor, Portland, Rutland, Oswego, Buffalo, De-
troit and Chicago will command the support
of capital beyond any other project, as soon as
the people and the different communities
along the route shall themselves unite their
interests and their resources to secure its con-
strncton Halifax St. John and Bangor are
out of this line from Chicago to Portland; be-
cause it will turn into their laps the business
the treasure, and the travel that are now di.
verted from the west to New York city.