Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-02-28
A Great Enterprise.

In his late address at Cooper ln-
stitute, Thomas Hughes, the large
hearted English friend of America
said:
1.-The noblest work that men can
do just now is the subduing and de-
velopi. of this magnificent cont.
nent OF yours" In this work Of de-
velopment, the railroad system of
the United States is the pioneer
and the principal agency. Among
the grandest and soundest of the
commercial enterprises which make
memorable the present time is the
construction of the Northern Pacific
railroad, extending from Duluth, at
the western extremity of Lake Supe-
rior, and st. Paul, on the Mississippi
River, through the great Fertile Belt
Of our New Northwest, to the Pacific
Ocean at Puget Sound. The States
and Territories traversed by this
second national highway are Mime
sofa, Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Ore.
gon and Washington. The three first
will soon be the gr sat granary of the
nation, while the two last, with their
wealth of minerals, timber, agrlcul-
tural and maratime resources, are
simply unsurpassed in their natural
advantages.
The building of the Northern Pa
citic Road is now under full Roadway
the first $50 miles-from Lake Supe-
rior to the Red River-being well
advanced toward completion. The
enterprise is in the hands Of the right
sort of men-men of national reputa.
ton, of unquestioned integrity, Of
capital, of sagacity, and of large ex-
perienee in railroad affairs-men
who are prosecuting this great work
on the strctest business principles,
with an eye to solid and permanent
success through the development of
the business of their road and their
vast land endowment, instead of
seeking for premature profits in the
actual work of construction.
The Northern Pacific Railroad
system els assuming business-like
form and comprehensive proportions.
Its projectors are at the outset secur-
ing such connections and alliances
with the chief lines of water commu-
nication, and with the railroad sys-
TENS OF the Atlantic and Pacific
States, as cannot fail to bring to it,
in addition to its local business, a
large and increasing share Of the car
rying trade between ocean and ocean.
AT Duluth, one arm meets the Lake
and the st. Lawrence; at st. Paul,
the other eastern arm connects with
the commerce of the Mississippi Riv-
er and its tributaries, and with the
railroads of the Central and Eastern
States, concentrating at Chicago.
These two arms will unite in West
ern Minnesota. From the point of
junction a third branch will extend
to Pembina on the British border,
and the trunk line will traverse Cen
trail Dakota, and follow the now fa-
nous Yellowstone Valley through
Montana. Near the boundary of
Idaho the road will again branch
one arm following down the valley
of the Columbia to tide water at
Portland, Oregon the other striking
directly across the Cascade Range to
the main terminus of Puget Sound.
A North and South Branch will also
connect the Puget Sound terminus
with that at Portland. Both at
Portland and Puget Sound the road
will tap the coastwise and foreign
trade OF the Pacific Ocean.
The chief advantages peculiar to
the Northern Pacific route are believ-
ed to be these: 1. 1t reduces the
distance between the Lakes and the
Pacific Ocean some 600 miles. 2. 1t
lessons the distance between New
York and the Pacific by water and
rail to the same extent. 3. 1t lessons
the distance between London and
Chinese ports, by the trans continent
al route, at least ], 400 miles. 4 1t
traverses belt of States and Terri
tories admirably adapted for fertility
of soil, mildness Of temperature, and
equal distribution of moisture, to
profitable agriculture. 8. Its eleva-
ton in the mountain region is 5000
| feet less than that of the other lines
resulting in a diminished snow fall,
mild climate, and far easier gradients.
6. At convenient intervals it inter-
sects numerous navigable streams
such as the Columbia, the Yellow
stone, the Missouri, the Red, and the
Mississippi-which drain a vast re-
gion, and will serve as feeders to the
road. 1t will partake of the charac-
ter of an international route, perma-
nently controlling the carrying trade
Of British America, and rendering
the important colonies north of the
boundary, and west of Lake SUPERB
or, commercially tributary to our
Northwestern States.
Already settlers are rapidly crowd
ing to the line of the Northern Pacific
Road in the Northwest and, Judging
from what is known of the plans
adopted for promoting the settlement
and development, through emigration
and colonization, of the belt of States
and Territories tributary to the line,
there would seem to be no doubt that
the corporation upon which the Gov
eminent has conferred this great
trust is determined to make the en-
terprise not only financially sound,
but greatly and permanently bene-
fetal TO the whole country. With
its munifcent endowment of fertile
lands, with the far-sighted policy al
ready inaugurated, great CONNER
cial project could hardly start under
better auspices or with greater assur-
aHce of success.
Eg Credit Miss Kate Stanton with
this: "John Stuart Mill, Harriet
Martineau, Jacob Bright, and other
English statesmen assert that women
understand political economy better
than men, because they have been