New-York tribune., 1871-04-11
TIE NORTHERN PAcIFfc-WlLL Er PAY,

was few Year, ago, In regard 10 the Central line
diet that all three Of tho trans Continental IL
Northern, Central, and SOuthorn-will under vyiso -
agemen prove rem lucrative to their budors a. ths
certainly will to the nation Hundreds OF nuiles 49,.
they traverse our vssfJnterior waiting and reaa1 o.,
deyelopment-the future homo not only Of million. -,
population but on tine lmllllons focklpg 10 ,
open gates from tie Old World. They have digeyen,
and widely separated tenn on the Pacific "a they hav,
of this end Of their respective lines And each bo =,
yantages peculiar TO itself.
III. The first advantage that can be Claimed for th
Northern Pacific IL hat IT has governmental sui.,v
bonds No principal or interest Of Government aid n. "a
remain, upon ts completion an inoumbranoe, then o,
thereafter upon ts receipts Every dollar that II earn.
for transportation. military, postal service for IA.
United states, goes into It's treasury, with other Ia
ceipis from passengers fregbts. And TINS the sn
sence OF subsidy bonds w prove hereafter blessing n
stead Of an injury 10 it.
Ill Instead Of the pecunary AID given IN boDis % ths
Central line The United states magnl6ccntly endowed
this line with land grant double in its 20 ha,
conferred upon the other over 100000 Of acre, in
alternate sections ceded 10 IL to aid IN its consts
ton, with the pswer 10 mortgage them r. well a. the
road Itself and the right Of selection extended vida
breadth Of country that, unlike other land grants th,
company to obtain the Full amount nteudedtol.
conveyed This superb estate" larger than all Now.
England seven time. large BELGIUM, &, q fres
gift from the nation, and opens to settlement an i'm.
mense region, now comparatively mpeop'ed because IN
accessible, while It renders the other OCo4OO Of acre.
reserved by the Unted States moro than GOubly vain
able instead Of being, IL would be without railroad
facilities, comparatively yaiucess for many years %
come.
w The estimated cost Of ihe 0O milc Of road from
Lake Superior, via Portland, Oregon 70 PUGET sound
with rolling stock staiOnhOuscs, frelgitdepOs and
engine-shOps is Eighty-i Millions Of dollars And ..
is chimercal 10 suppose, As indeed was argued ia
Congress, that the ayals OF the lands granted 10 10
Company will be more than sufficient t9 build aud equip
the entire road.
The grant to the Ilnol. Central Railroad bas realized
about sl1 per But this would scarcely be lair
test Of comparison. The Land Company which Is pur.
chasing the lands granted to the Kans Paclc R1il-
road received last year average OF O. pcr Tor
the lands sold by them The lands sol by the Union
Pacific Railroad have averaged !; is perl acre. and s
new President, Thomas A. Scott videlE known
Of the most sagacous and accurate rar sd managers
the whole country estimates the receipt The remain
der of the 100000 Of granted 10 N good baa and
Indifferent at q per acre, being 20 cent geOw the mini
mum Government rate for the reservel alternate sec
ious. do not doubt that The future twi Loro than
vindicate this careful estimate.
" 1t will be unjust to the two last roads 70 claim
that the land grant Of the Northern Pac ic Railroad ~
its fertility and climate exceeds thcirs in value Ex-
Gov Ashley who has travelled extensively Montana.
Idaho Oregon, and Washington Territory, and has
studied the remarkable results Of the isotherma lines
compares the climate Of Montana TO Pennsylvania, Of
Idaho and Eastern Oregon to Virginia. and the region
beyond the Cascade Mountains up to Puget Sound ~
North Carolina and my own observation OF the latter
region comedies with his Indeed, the GoyernorGenerai
of Vancouvers Island told party in 1906, that Sum
mer flowers in their open gardens were not injured by
frosts one Winter out Of four Minnesota, through
which the first $50 miles of the road run, has cold Nnter
but its reputation as wheat-growing REGION
and its healthful climate, are known OF all
men. Prof. Blodget in his great work, The
Clinatology Of the United States" says that tho
whole of that immense portion Of the Union west Of
the 0sth meridian and above tho 3d parallel (which
almost exactly bisected by tho Northern Paccs lneI
"s perfectly adapted to the fullest occupation by cu
vated nations, and has immense ana yet unmeaSufeh
capacity for occupation and expansion" Ffoi L. u
Mansfield, Of the highest authorities on st'IscA
Industrial and climatic questions says: "The climate
Of the region from the Upper Missouri to the Saskaehe
wan northwest OF Montana) is exactly that which in
Europe is deemed the best for gran-growing" And the
Hon. J. s. Wilson, the late Commissioners OF the Land
Office ndorses the opinion of Gov. stevens, that nos
more than onefth OF the land from Red River to Puses
Sound is unsuited for cultivation, and that this hth
largely made up OF mountains covered with bunchsass
and valuable timber and filed with the precious metal
and Mr. W. adds himself: An immense agricultural
area is here awaiting development Each section OF tho
road as completed, will, from local traffic alone hni
ample returns for its investment"
VI Valuable as this dgrant Is, therefore, as aa
ample security for the bonds based on H. In addonN 70
the security Of the road ITSELF it is even more valuable
TO the future OF the railroad as homes for the yas num-
Der OF people who are furnish its local traffic. Overs
large portion OF IT, cattle unsheerei through
the entire year. feeding themselves on what Is grs
in Summer and cured hay in Winter and their raising
and Shipment always lucrative business where ehs
cost is low and the market accessible and certain, wi"
rank next to agriculture in Importance 10 tho revenues
OF the road.
VII will not make any estimate az TO its general way
business, but merely throw together few meldemA
references to it, The trade OF the Valley OF the Column
bs already large and steadily increasing The wagon
service OF the United States, in supplying It's % ODD
northern military posts, costs several millions per year
At Red River the Northern Pacific connects with steam
boat navigation for the fertile Pem6na and sasKacn'
EVAN regions o. the British Possessions The naygaos
sreams which IL touches on both sides OF '
maintains give IL the advantages OF branch lines Tor he
concentration and distribution Of business The mining
interests of Montana, Idaho and Washington Iel'oV'
estimated even In their present inacoeSsOin'y' az
500 OOO0OOO per year, will furnish heavy Dusho''
freighs for supplies machinery shipment OF oIe9 CIV
And, without enarging on this head, the iAc' ', 80
1870 1soOOOO of pounds Of freight were wasoned ~.
miles into Montana over rugged country I" e00'
IL cents per pound gives faint idea Of the wsyouSn"
| already waiting for the completion OF this road
VIII The through business OF this line Wii Dee'e
exceed the moderate estimate Of its projectors las
the advantage at its eastern terminus, OF us oono
| not only with the railroad system OF the Nortn'"'S
st. Paul, but with the head OF our enan oi mA ~,
west OF the longitude OF ST. Louis or Gaieha WIN tn
,or1yav at cheap rates, during seven months OF tho
from the very center Of the continent to the
Ocean. BY the Central Pacific line it is 2ioo miles io
chicago at the head OF Lake Michigan to san fiaic's'O
d. e yorthern Pacific 1t is only 2oO from the hesdo
Lake superior las to Buffalo as is CmcasO 70 t,
Sound, And at Puget Sound vessels are az % ya' ,,o
days nearer to China than at San Francisco 40 ,es,
est elevation the Northern Pacinc Ho = ,SS pocky
Wv M. ,lho Central line crOsses tne fsOOHl