The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-07-21
IFrom the Advance (Chicago)1
The Northern Pacific Railroad, Con.
gress, and the Public Lands.

The Northern Pacific Railroad, Con.
gress, and the Public Lands.
AMONG the great commercial move
meDts that characterize aid render
notable the present times, probably the
most important, both in amount O
capital involved and in the character and
extent of anticipated results, is the build
| ing of the Northern Pacific Railroad
with its branches, feeders and connec
tons. The Suez Canal, constructed un
| der the auspices of the French Govern
ment, cost about sixty million dollars
| The Union Pacific Railroad, extending
from Omaha to Ogden, distance of 1,03E
miles, involved necessary outlay of per
haps forty million dollars, and the Central
| Pacific, completing the line from Ogden
to Sacramento, 743 miles further, did not
cost more than al equal amount Tnt
| Northern Pacific Railroad, controlled by 8
single corporation, will span the cOpiinent
| from deep water navigation on Lake Su
peri0r 10 tide water on the COlumbis
River and Puget Sound-a distance q
| about 1,75O miles and the branches al
ready projected will increase the tOtal
length of roadhe to nearly two thousand
five hundred miles. The cost Of con
| structiOn and rolling stock will not fall fal
short of one hundred million dollars.
| II is the comprehensive design of the
projectors of the Northern Pacific, not
simply to build railroad from lake tC
ocean, and then wait for results, but tC
render results certain by Q } securing fa
vOrable connections with the railroad
| systems of the Pacific coast and the At
lantic States, and with the commerce o
the Pacific Ocean; (2,) by constructing Q
series ot lateral branch roads to the South
ana North of its main line, which will
drain the entire Northwest between lati
tude ~ and Central British Columbia
| CD and by organizing such q thorough
wise and humane system of emigration
| from Northern Europe and the thickly
peopled portions OF our own country as
will settle aud render speedily productive
the vast belt of fertile lands tributary tC
the road and extending across the CONT
nent. During the years occupied ia its
construction the road will give employ
ment to thousands of men, and create d
large dcmaRd for everything that cuI
people manufacture or produce.
1t Is impossible that such an enterprise
managed by the sort of men that control
this one, should not benefit the whole
country, while specially and vastly bene
filing the region known as the Great
| West. This greatest of commercial pro
| jccis, viewed as matter of national i'm
| port, is entitled to The same hearty sym
pathy and confidence that greeted the
| first Pacific Railroad and the recent at
tempts, ia Congress and by portion O
the press, to represent the Northern Pa
cfic Company as an Unsuitable devOurtI
of the public lands, were as unfair as they
were unfounded. A bit of Pacific Rail
road history may be in place:
The Illinois Central was, we believe
the first railroad TO receive a grant OF
lands directly from the government. Ol
| The wisdom and good results of that ini-
tiaI grant probably no one now entertains
doubt Wnen the Union and Central
Pacific roads were chartered in 1862, two
other charters were also granted-One toI
a Northern, aud another for a Southern
| Pacific railroad. Upon the Union and
| Central Pacific Companies, which pro-
posed to build their roads st once, sub
! sidy Of lands and bonds was conferred
more than enough in actual value TO build
! the Toads--the bonds, however, being IN
| the character of a loan. The Northern
! Pacific, which it was correctly believed
would be the second line built, received
only land grant, equal in amount, but
! far superior ia quality, TO that of the
Union and Central The question of q
money subsidy or loan 10 the Northern
| line was left in allegiance until the time
when its construction should be near al
| hand; and the Southern Pacific was left
with bare charter, the state Of tn.
country then seeming to Indicate tha
many years w0uli clapse before tn,
actual construction of Southern
road could be thought of In this way
the government made provisi 0n tor three
main lines of railroad across the cont
nent, and fully committed itself, iotM til
| heartg approval Of b0th political parties, I,
the policy of aiding the construction o
these three national highways. The mo
tives " which lead TO this action were OBJ
vious enough. ~ The Government
considered itself under some obligation t,
assist in opening communication Detweei
the older aud the newer sections OF th
continent, thus bened!ing both and be
getting closer sympathy and bette
understanding between distant COmmuni
ties and the General Government whicl
taxed them and claimed their allegiance
: (2) 1t was known that in time of peac
the bulk of our standing army is em
ployed on the Western plains acting as
police between the Indians and the whit
settlers, and that a large part OF the grea
expense OF maintaining troops at irontie
stations consists of the excessive cost {
transporting men and supplies wher
there are no railroads. the saving G
several millions year in army transpOr
tatiOn, and the redoubled efficiency Q
troops when they can be rapidly cor
veyed from point to point, were legit
mate reasons tor extending GovernmeD
encouragement to railroads built bey0n
, the settlements. (3) The third an
weightiest OF the reasons which Unfit
enced Congress 10 adopt the land gran
! policy was one which appeals even NOR
. directly than the former TWO to the con
mon Sense Of plain people, and is enOug
of itself To Justify the system, as apple
to tie three coi.ttnentsI lines Of road. Fiv
, years ago the United States GovernmeI
. was proprietor OF eleven hundred millio
acres OF wild lands, lying between I'll
, Mississippi and the Pacific coast, not il
, Guiding the State pubic lands of Texa
Such domain is too vast for COmpr
/, hension. and only an approximate MOTTO
! of its magnitude can be obtained by CO.
, sidering that it is equal to thirty 70,
. iStates the size IF Neo York, or to tv
hundred and four States as large as Ma
sachusctts. OF these lands, the Cover
ment, during the last five years, has bet
able to sell, and give away under u
q homestead act, less than four million dcJ
!. per gear. AT this rate the present gen
h ration would reap next To no benefit iro
the public lands, anu 275 years wou
$ elapse before they would all be taken u
!. much less TILED. The reason why the
q lands cannot be given away to actu
!, settlers is that they are inaccessible al
hence worthless. No farmer will agr
to live on them for them, and for the {
n ccllent reason that no farmer can afford
y A farm without market is withO
"a value, and market without u railroad
;, usually impossible. Under these circu
e stances the government, through its sy
z tenn of grants, says to responsible corp
d rations, Build railroad through the
A. | L. L. I,.,