The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-01-06


one that win strengthen the public credit largely
augment the public revenues and reduce :ne public
burdens. In attempting 10 point out some 90 the pc
cuar advantages OF this route he would not lie I'M
derstood 10 deprecate the merits of Others. While
c0nceding their mostimable value 10 the country he
would insist that in regard 20 length. climate water
communications agricultural and mineral resources
Ac., the Northern Pacific has advantages snpe
rior to them all. lie discussed these PROPOSE
tons at length, showing that by the North
ern route tue distance between the waters
OF the Atlantic and Pacific Is ESQ miles shorter than
by any others; and that from New York 70 Puget
Sound the distance II 400 miles less than from
1t has great advantages; that the highest summit II
Will have TO cross ~ S9l. rect lower than ON tho
Sen.ra, route Una, ~ 70 Hn,e snsre , nnm
official reports and other evidences that the climate
OF walla Walla. In latitude iortysix degrees h SINH
lar TO Washington city IN latitude thirty eight de-
grees: and that the Bitter Root Valley In latitude
forysix degrees to that OF Philadelphia with about
authorities showing the mdness OF the climate and
the freedom from SHOWS In the mountains through
n as r1ae w a sae EXISTING
After demonstrating the physical advantages OF We
Northern route he discussed the queston-is SAFE
expedent and necessary to grant the proposed AID
this timegr He insisted that &c Is safe because OF
the stringent provisions OF the b OF existing rail-.
mcnt OF one-haf the compensation for services rem
dered by the roads and the payment by the company
OF i've per cent on the net earnings as sinking lund
visions authorizing tho enforcement or the govern
ment iien as IN case Of default lt u safe Also pe,
and OF the engineers OF the War Department. the
company WIN have TO cxpend from $500 900 TO
sl000Oo,000 In It's construction which will
be . lien subsequent to that OF the govern
ment Its safety. Is also demonstrated by tho
working results of the other Pacific Railroads par
TALLY completed, by which the government made an
actual net profit in 1861 OF thiryhve million dollars.
enough TO pay On five years the entire amount OF
government bonds issued TO them at that time,
which net profits Will be proportionatey larger
s r Ss w seo ana ns
Great Britain and France, showing that Great Bri1
tain had loaned on credit within ten years to rail-
roads In India, four hundred and forty million dol
lars; that the debt OF Great Britain Is three billion
nine hundred and fifteen million dollars; ner stand
eight thousand officers and men; her cur
rent annual expenses four hundred and
sixty.nine million dollars; her increase in
population during sixty-eght years was
lo2 per cent; her increase IN wealth from 1880 to
1850 was 90 per cent. France also had loaned her
credit to railways for s62o0oooo0; her debt Is
$1,000 o00, o00 her standing army 100000 men; her
annual expenditures in time OF peace, about
only 81 per cent. her growth ia wealth.
about equal to Great Britain. Our public debt Is
annual expenditures, including interest on the debt,
less than $350,0000O0 being $4,000 900 per annum
less than those OF Great Britain and OOo per
crease I'm population In seventy years IL 100 per
cent, being seyenlod the increase OF Great
Britain and nineteen times that OF France.
During the last decade increase III
population was 5000 per cent greater than
that OF Great Britain; our Increase In wealth from
1880 to 1860 seven hundred per cent greater than
that OF Great Britain. During the same period the
working results OF the roads, aided by France and
Great Britain, have demonstrated tho wisdom and
entire safety OF that policy by which they were built
| with intellectually greater Inducements anu moro
ability 10 engage In these great enterprises OF tho
century The Northern Pacific Railroad Is military
necessity All OF our efforts TO maintain peace with
the Indian tribes Ihave been disgracefi and costly
| failures, and always win be until have proper
fac Titles for conducting Indian wars. The total Of
our Indian wars for six years has largely exceeded
| one hundred millions OF dollars. For all this we
have accomplished absolutely nothing except To
arnS or our ocsrs Why them have we so sanSy
failcdS Because OF the utter mpossiblity Of getting
at the foe; long az has behind him million and
half square miles OF unoccupied prairie and moun-
tain fastnesses place OF retreat the government
VIII be powerIess to control him and Will continue
osqnander untold millions IN futile attempts TO keep
the peace. There Is but one remedy. Tue construc-
ton OF railroads across the continent, thereby
sefprotectlng settlements and cities win spring up,
and by which troops can be speedily moved. Says
General Grant, "The completion OF those roads Will
go far towards . permanent settlement o. our In.
Pacific road, "rhis road Is q military neccs-
sityn says General sheridan, at almost
the opinions OF Generals Hancock, Meigs Ingalls,,
tary authorities OF the country there
on Tins pont-'The Northern Pacific road Ii ne.
further that this road Is judicious revenue inca.
sure, ana for several reasons First because II will
stimulate Immigration which was one OF the chief
causes OF our wonderful growth In wealth m u ma
ton. There had been added 10 the national wealth
within the last i've years. by Immigration alone,
more than 5000 1900, Sl6o,0ooOoo or which had
been added, In the shape OF coin, to the
circulation Of the country. Immigration instnc-
lively follows ts parallels OF latitude. Four
nfhs or our foreign population are from those parts
OF Europe which lie north Of the parallel OF tho
Northern Pacific road This road VIII be peculiarly
potent IN stimulating immigration, because II Will
open up settlement In that part or the public do
main which IN climate and productions Will meet
the wants OF the populations or Northern Europe.
Second 1t win develop agricultural AMI mining
resources, and thereby greatly strengthen the public
credit, augment the pubic revenues and reduce t0
public burdens true way topaz the national debt
Is 10 develop the national resources. The public
debt OF nation u great or small according to tho
that would have crushed the United States In 1s0O
would scarcely be felt to-day. To have paid tho
cent cent Of Of ali he property public and private n the
nation. To pay our present debt to-day would re-
quIre only eight per cent of our present property.
II the debt shall remain unchanged and our nationaI
wealth snail Increase In the future IA IN the past. In
the year 1900 Il win 81 Less than onecightn ~ great
burden ~ now. tax OF QUE per cent on tho
probable wealth OF the year 1900 will pay our entire
national debt, while Il now requires one per cent Tor
that the burden OF our debt dminlshes In
the same ratio that our wealth increases.
for 200 years prior 10 1880 when the first railroad
was built were estimated ut " 6os ooo From l,30
~ aas miles ~ rarosd anu onr na"ns es s
creased to oOoOo0. Thus It appears that dur
Ing me thirty year. o. railway development there
accumuations Of ythc 30 years prior TO thas
tine The average Increase Of wealth prior To 1870
was ga, 100000 per annum From 1880 ~ 1880, tho
period Ut greatest railway development In this
country, the average annual increase Of wealth was
500, 322 900. Montana and Idaho had In 1897 pro-
duced over sal 200 In gold aud silver. This mad
been done NJ the same time that the people Of thos0
Territories paying 500 per ton for feghts ana
for everything else Ia the same proportion. GIVE tho
facilities for cheap freghis and cheap labor that this
road will AFFORD and they will add 10 the gold ana
silver OF the country least ESQ., 600 00O per annums
lilo argued that the Northern Pacific road is COM
merc.al necessity because II will bc required by the
business OF tho country and because no other road
will 80 certainly control the trade Of Europe an0
Asia. This road was not only much the sn0rtcst lima
between oceans ~ already SHOWN hut, ~ stated By
the Chief Engineer OF the Union Pacific road, 30
would save the water transportation from the straits
OF San Juan de fuca 10 san Francisco, ~ oil vesselq
coming from China India, &C., make our coast neak
the mouth OF those sralts that from New York I'd
China the difference In favor Of this route
from one thousand W twelve hundred