Evening star., 1870-02-02

ral position for population woull Be nearly the
beet for them. Bat their naneers are 20 seS
compared with the Others who have business
with the government, and they are required 20
| travel TO the capital comparatively 80 seldom,
generally but once year, that this oonsid.ra-
ton has little relative Importance. Besides,
| they are Paid yearly salaries for their attend
ance at the seat OF government, and have
& aniant time, in the vacations OF Congress, to
/ so % the capital and return. And with rail-
road andsteamboat facilities, travelling distance
10 Of not much consequence % them The
average railroad fares should not exceed thrce
i cents male, and with little additional expense
| OF travelling I'm the short times now on the way
the mileage allowed 10 a fair reoompense Cor dis
tanoe. IL should be added that the average dis
! tanees Of their travel would not vary much with
a considerable change OF the capital locality;
and IL Is impossible in any locality 70 eqaaliEe
the distances.
THE LEADING IDEA.
The principles above stated should be con-
stsntly borne I'm mind in considering the proper
position for the national capital and the greatest
accommodation to those having the most bust
ness with the government should be the leading
idea.
| WHAT BALANCE CENTER Is.
Then, In determining the proper position A
balance center should be sought as nearly as pos
si5le without violating other principles. such
center could seldom concar with the geograph-
| ical center, and in this country never will. Ia
determining this center. every commercial or
business center should have a controlling inau-
ence equal to its relative importance. The Law
which governs the determination il similar a.
that Of leverage in mechanics. Thus, % show
the law in its simplest condition, suppose two
commercial cities. situated eleven hundred miles
10 hav ,
and the other, Of one hundred thousand, their
commercial importance being proportional to
their population, the balance ceRte- between them
would be one hundred miles from the larcr-
and one thousand miles from the smaller city
THE NATURAL DIVISIONS or THE ooUSrr-
IMPORTANT.
But, ina applying these principles, the physic
features Of a country may greatly modify ia
result Especially in this country must tn
consideration have weight in determining til,
position sought, as i will nov show:
The United States arc naturally divided into
three great sections; the Atlantic s.0pe, includ-
ing the States bordering on the GulT OF Mexico;
the Mississippi valley, including that of ,he
great lakes, west Of New York, and the Pacific
slope. The principal line OF separation between
the Atlantic and Mississippi ,.lley sections is
the Allegheny mountain chain. Eastern Ten
nessee, and all Of the southwest country whose
trade is principally carried on by seaboard and
gulf routes, belong TO the Atlantic section. The
Rocky mountain chain is the natural division
line between the Mississippi valley and the Pa
cifio sections. Also, between these sections an
elevated, barren country extends. a thousand
miles wide, mostly unit for cultivation. and,
having little water power, OF fael for steam
power, unsuitable for manufacturing. IL will
be mostly occupied by i,raziers, owning cxtcn-
/ -f.-n -
miners i'm the mineral districts lis elevated
position makes its Climate severely cold. excep;
the southern part; and there is little to recon-
nerd il for human habitation besides healthful-
ness. It is evident, therefore, that only a small
population will occupy this region for centuries
Ur, If ever, at least not till all other more ell
gible regions of the country shall become over
stocked. Thus the Pacific, is separated from the
other two sections by nearly useless space,
vide as an ocean, but innayigable. A geo.
graphical center Of the country, even exclading
Alaska, would be, if not actually at sea in this
desert ocean, at least on the western coast Of
the two eastward sections OF the country.
Therefore, the goographers, in seeking a true
center, would absurdly place the capital as far
as possible from il.
THE PACIFIC SECTION NOT CLAIMANT.
Nor would any one say that the capital should
be located in the Pacific section. which, how
ever important and flourishing, can mot, with
| scarcely a possibility, ever equal, in these re-
spects either Of the other sections much less
both. The commerce of the Pacific as nations
| and industries are now organized, and probably
always viii be, can never compare with that OF
the Atlantic, having Europe, Africa, Western
Asia, and the greater part OF South America TO
support 1t. Hence the Atlantic section viii a.
ways greatly exceed .ae Pacific la Commercial
ann1 ,.r1x
mechanical and agricultuTsI productions.
THE TWO EASTERN sci rIONs ALONE To BE
CoNsI3ErED.
Therefore the capital location must be ei her I'm
the Atlantic, or Mississippi section OF ha,anced
between them. For in addition 20 the tact that
the Pacific section could never Claim de
capital within its own limits, its isolated and
remote position renders il Indifferent TO tho
location Of the capital i'm either of the other
two sections; or rather, if il has any
choice, IL must favor the At tlantic, more than the
Mississippi, since its situation on the Pacific
ocean makes its commercial relations more
intimate and extensive with the Atlantic, than
with the Mississippi cities, the commercial being
ne leading interest in the governmental rela-
uOlis, as previously shown. All the Pacific rail-
roads that viii ever exist viii not carry the bulk
and weight Of freight between the East and
;arthest West. 1t must 60 by ocean conveyance.
And even In seeking the capital by railroad, and
on that business slene, it can make little differ
ence TO Californian whether he shall continre
to Washington, or shorten his journey a fes
hours by stopping at the wogld-be Mississippi
valley capital The Pacific section, conse-
quently, may be eliminated from the discussion.
THE QUESTION REDUCED TO POUR POINTS.
There remain four points for consideration.
between which to decide the proper locality for
the national capital. These are The balance
center for the Atlantic section; the balance
center for the Mississippi section; a bal ance
center between the two sections; and the actual
commercial and business center OF both sections,
the city Of New York. These should be com
pared i'm all important lights, both as 20 their
respective advantages and Disadvantages. THIS
discussion will be taken up i'm the next number
1Garibaldi's new work is described as being
some long, bitter, furious attack on priests and
priestcraftn