The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-29
-, and Southern Pacific Lines.

Northern esAAN s,xo,,&s,o
~ ". have received the flaming aaVer1lse-
.,,o,,ts Of the Northern fac'| h'''m's
rnmn,nv. This railway follows the ,'ae
wv, Dulnth, on the Lake Surerior--at i's
.,o,n no,nt--to the Columbia river, AZ
w,S,1ana which is port OF the racine
,on,, II passes through Montana "So-
,,;,n Dakota, Saskatchewan, ana 50 Oh
10 Washington Territory. 49,, j.,
The New York Tribune. when comes ~"
CIR large share Of the ADVERTISING says
that along this route "there arc mountains
.r;ch IN almost al! varieties Of uscini ana
=. or ,rccious ores. aud plains eXuherant
..v;,h n rank vegetation WHEREOF the
:. ohio mower tillcth not his hand, neither
u.ho ,h,t bindeth up the sheaves his
u.hosom.'" The Tribune adds That 1t has
g., mild and equal climate, fertile SOL,
,..,,d an abundance of all the productions
..of nature which are essential TO the wei
..f.r, of man." All which are very attrac-
tive things in II speculative age. 1t would
hs a little surprising If anybody should
think that there was anything more inhos-
ritsbIe than "a mild and equa, climate :
upon this far northern route. The Central
Pacific may have its hundred miles OF snow
sheds, but its more northern neighbor Will
have no such annoyance!
1t is a striking proof of the extraordinary
enterprise and daring spirit OF the Amerl'
can nation that they have set about IN
earnest 10 build this Northern Pacific line.
The work is not only begun, but there are
indi>putable signs that it Will 20 on to COM
nletion. Nor will the route be SO cold ms
might be imagined. 1t is unquesttonahiy
not the gentle and soft climate the TRIBUNE
might give us TO understand; but then 1t Is
not rs cold AS Lapland, by any means
Owing to the conformation Of the earth lu>'
along this route, and its wide separation
from the region brought under the influence
of the Arctic currents along the Atlantic
there is n decidedly more moderate tenn
pera1ure tn an is felt in the same latitude
eastwardlv. But it will be cold enough to
all that.
The power which ensures the building o
this road is the aid of the Government.
gets 1880 acres of land for each mile l
traverSes in Minnesota and 25,GOO acres io
each mile it traverscs in Montana, Dakota
Idaho, Washington, and Oregon Terri
tories. The Tribune says, in the aggregate
this great corporation has control OF 5o,ooo,
600 acres "of our public lands The Cen
tral Pacific was beneficiary of land grant
equally as extensive and far more valuable
OF course land enough will build grea
Pacific railroads, or any sort OF railroads
Nor do we mean to object to that moce
building these gigantic roads. which III
yolve so great IN expenditure that the,
could hardly be built at all except 10y tht
aid of the Government. Their con>fruc'
ton so enhances the value of the lands ana
increases the resources of the country that
the Government receives back its quits WIFI
interest.
But what we do think is strange and III
consistent is that, while the Government
has lavished It's means upon the Northern
and Central Pacific railways, it has refused
TO make any grants to the Southern Pacific
road. Indeed, it was hard TO get from Con
gress the simple charter tor this roaC
through the territory Of the nation. 1t lin
grred in uncertainty for some time
Now the southern Pacific line vii! prove
(, be the easiest, the safest, and the best
the three routes. 1t indeed passes all tht
way through "a mild and equal climate, ;
fertile soil, and an abundance of all the
productions of nature which are essential
"to the welfare of man. 1t will be the
preferred route, and the most thrifty OF all
Why could not the Government hc I'M
PARTIAL and grant it, too, some help: " hat
ever ne the cause. no such favor was eX'
tended to it. But the company which
undertakes it has the consolation OF know
lng that SO great are It's advantages that IL
construction by private capital is certain
1t will never be in danger from frost nol
will it be sufferer from heat. 1t fol-
lows the Piedmont range at the foot OF
the mountains and hills, and has healthy.
picturesque, and easy route ut all seasons.
II, too, will be built, and in few years
we shall have three grand railways be-
tween the two oceans, and see the western
plains peoplcd and civilized, counting up
millions to swell the national power,
and fortunately, we believe, to illustrate
the greedy and aggressive sectional plans
Of another part of this Union.
Success to the Pacific roads