Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-06-25

lance as great as from Cincinnati
to New York-togethcr with the
vast local as well as through trar-
ic which must necessarily pass
over them, precludeS all possibility
Of their becoming rivals-each
having full scope to work out and
accomplish the object OF It's crea-
tion-the development of the re-
sources Of our common country;
therefore
Resolved, That this Chamber
heartily indorsc tho proposition to
afford liberal aid to the Southern
Pacific Railroad, by such dona.
tons Of public lands lying along
their proposed route as may be
necessary to secure the early COM
pletion Of said road; Provided,
That the land 50 donated shall at
all times be subject to purchase
by actual settlers at u price not to
exceed the Government price OF
land adjoining.
GSigncdl ROBERT HOSEA,
SAM'L DAVIS,
ADoLPn W. WooD,
b. W. WATSON,
ABNER L. FRAZER,
Committee.
On motion Of Dir. ). Lester
Taylor, the report Of the commit
tee was accepted, and the commit
tee discharged.
On motion, the resolutions were
adopted, and the subject of the re-
port referred to the Board of OH
GERS, to prepare as they deem all.
visablc, and forward to our Repre-
scntatives in Congress.
The concentrations Of the
Southern Railroad route by the
Chamber of Commerce are not in
more tulsome terms than the mer
its Of the route deserve, nor the
necessities of the country, and es.
pecially Of the Southern States,
demand. The Southern route was
the first that was prominently
brought before the attention Of
the country, and its merits are
we'll understood by the country at
large, viz low grades, less alti-
tude in crossing the backbone OF
the continent, perfect immunity
from snow, q natural road. bed
nearly all the way, and the short
est line TO the Pacific ocean, tax.
ing even Chicago as the starting
point.
These being facts, not only the
Southern States, but also the en-
tire country, is deeply interested
in its construction.
The Union Pacific is built. Ii
was constructed as a "war meas.
ure;" it satisfied the cravings OF
California, and saved that State to
the Federal cause, and quadruple
the cost of the road to the general
Government; it has developed the
resources of the section of the
public domain through which il
passes saves annually more 10
the Government than the interest
on its entire cost (although the
road is not only self. sustaining,
but remunerative;) has brought
/! into market and made valuable
lands that would otherwise have
been unsaicablc for at least an
hundred years; has bound the
East and West together with
"bands of iron and hooks OF
Steel" and has awaked Il com.
merce on our Pacific coast that will
speedily rival, If not surpass, that
now existing. OH the Atlantic.
The construction Of the North
Pacific has been guaranteed by
the recent action Of Congress, SO
that We may now consider it q
fixed fact. This will result in adj
vantages to the country fully
equal in extent to those of the
Union Pacific, as the route is
through a better country. 1t
will cross, for nearly a thousand
miles, on the great cereal basin Of
the continent, and will be the out
let ola territory as genial in eli
mate and as extensive as ten States
like Ohio. With lower attitudes
in the mountains than the Union,
its practical working will be less
subject to interruptions by snow,
while its terminus on Puget
Sound will give it a distinctive
traffic Of IFS own, and make il
practically the shortest route for
the trade of China and Japan.
The fearful outcry that is raised
by some Of the journals Of the
day about "wasting The public
domain" is all bagatelle. The
truth is, nothing is, or has been
wasted; but that which was worth
less is made valuable, because
available. The onscry Il not the
lrasnlt OF noYar-Haaninp hnnaskvn'