The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1869-03-10
The.Atluntic and Lake Ere SI liall:
y win Meeting NJ NcNN'H' w."

80 tI 1IaiIscad. mectin8!bSI$at M q y
ayED.!! ofgiaveIund, C0'G,i 9us, !SnII
lduME, TSssdo, GAINESVILLE, AAenfs 70
saIthy country ofthesal osaei'! g
vSIIcv. ofOhio, with the Atlantic sea
ho,r,l At Norfolk, by way Of the Ches
n,cake and OIio Railroad, the. Column
bus Jou,mai says: 49,.
Show me tho highways Of any nation
,uI Twill show you its civilization.
iirrc is a turtivc, ZiSza% tran, W'n
,,a.c,v;i, tracks and hOoI-lrAckS inter-
mixed mo grade; no road ben' nc
' mM }ya,rccs for saving curve or DIS
Th"rc is a rude wide track, WIN
some effort at road bed, WIN oc ,.',; :,
al cuftin. or filling, with pcr rI :; !"
simnIc bridge or corduroy: llat -, ~
frontier civilization - frontier ~ .no
worlds history or our own,-'t y '"'
! same. -; o,tI,
Now We have = broad and Smoo' y
bi"Lwur, grades, heavy culilh@ anu
Gllinr. solid road bed, ma$nli'crnl
masonry, curves stlHigltcncd "'it' hi'Is
leycIcd. rayiucs lillrd up. s0ne'Ii!h"
near. tic mathematical stra'Snt Inc
from point to point. That is rIV''!"a'
lion. IT. may be Egyptian. Grcci''l'
Roman. or niolcrn-it il CIVILIZATION
ull the snmc. # modern, 80 with nc
to one side and will show you canals !;
wait with Inc till full noon and VIII
show YOU that greatest achievement OF
tho highest civilization, RAILROADS.
Pebble may DC separated ior ages D!
roads running parallel with each other,
never coming together. One IS on 'H's
side Of Il river, tho other on tIal; one
is at the hithcr base OF range OF
mountains, the other beyond. u '''
those two purallcl lines Of road TURN
1T right angles and melt into one, I'LL
the laws in the worlds statute book
cannot make Onc nuiiOH OF The peoples
thus separated.
See how terribly suggestive our own
history has been in this naitrf. otir
Northern States had been thorough!
kni, together by great lines Of ra''""!
yirling each oilIcr,-tIHvcrsIn@ ra,I
other like the threads of Il web. lIc
Southern States were similarly knli.
There WAS no great Northern and
Southern line. TO bind these together
us i unit. Two spheres. were formed.
The great natural highway-Ihc Mis-
sissippi riycr-wu>lird slave territory
Oh one side. from our frontier settle
nculs.to its mouth. On the other side
lav free territory. until ihlrr>cclrd by
the Ohio at right angles. and cut OH.
On one side the Qhiu lay free tcrr'ior!
on the other slave. These peoples
Grew farther aud farther apart, until
the connecting links one by one snap-
ped. and war was the result.
Aud now. struggling back into mat
rrial prosperity alter this war. one oI
our first tasks should he. To. knit 10.
-cthcr these two great sections into
one, by the imdissolubIu ties Of railwa!
aud highway. Every motive ot pairi'
oliSln. pride aud sclI-inlcrcst demand"
ii oIus.
The Atlantic and Lake Erie Railway
must be the grand umLiiical cord to
Ibiud the TWO sections like mother and
child, carrying the life blood from one
to the either. vivilyinS and unilyinS The
whole rs with one soul.
Let us look 1T il moment: l. il moi
great and noble work o. patriotism
TO 30 bind these two sections OF our
Union together that they shall he one
! in every intcrrsl-poIiliraI, commercial
and social: Let Us be- JOINED by rail-
frouds and all these interests become
one practically for both SECTIONS. and
there is no longer either the wish or
! the possibility OF division or rupture.
The aspcri,icS which have grown out
io: un,i.cuntact will soon wear away.
and the incrI'lIaion OF The people, will
be perfect. 10.
! Men cannot wiy ia their daily life
for any great length. OF time without
, inscnsibIy. polishing away each others
angles and unity and Interest OF pur-
suit iS Il great lcvclcrof both social and
! political differences. II there were no
! other thing 10 he Gained than the social
and political amity between our people
and those Of The South. this enterprise
would pay This is not The ground.
. however, upon which il is chiefly to BIZ
urged. CO. -. ..,,, ....,.. .,...,,.
TO you, citizens of Ohio, as practical
men, it must appeal for its commercial
! importance and value. Will il assist III
developing tho untold wealth Of the
South, now ,lormut!., Will il throw
this wealth into the lap OF olir State. to
/ be exchanged for our manufactures. and
products Of skilled .labor?. VIII il
bring Il desirable market TO. our doors
for our. surplus productions or all
kinds - agricultural, mechanical or
what not! Will it open, up. TO, our
enterprise field worth occupying?
1T is 10 poor, unpruGtablc. country
which is to be opened, up 70, orr prod
uciS, but one rich in untold wealth, OF
character totally different from most
OF that which wc'havc in such abumd-
ancc. and therefore oilcrin. the best
pOssiblGInarEct for our exchanges.
Toledo, Santlusky and Cleveland
wish direct communication with tliC
great mincml2rcgion. OF tho Hooking
! valley: {" Roads from all'thcsc; point,
conve-ginS upomnthat ocentcr will ihC
built'n mt no-,lisnInt day .The>necessi.
ties, OF trade and commemorative more
imperative. demand of nan u!acturcS-
have rsct tlctlntlmt.o .Thcn;how easy i,
will be- to'unitc. upon one mtsin,Stcin. oil
scventy.nhilcs.in length. antllpicreo,th the