Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1871-04-22


Tease, sad 30 Federal aid nssl be sAI esisd
On ,hs linss 10 ,ais Safe, nnl the srsu'
u lanis u IolisiaAa 10 eoaHeeg Texas
vita the Mississippi, shi IhsHss ullh NsS
Orleans, sud the grant ihTonsl Mes MsKi-
co sud AriIona 40 sections TO the mile
snl iWsniy sections 10 the mils Ia Caliior-
ala, is ample 10 sserTs ihs construction 81
that ,,oruou Of the line aas' anl West IT
our s,sts, This naturally 6r!ng' us 10 the
consideration 81 the question as 10 What
Isvss should 10 ~ the premises.
Ia view of the opinioa ru'erla' ned by
our State authorities, that the lands here
,oiors granted TO the Memphis, III fNso
and raeiae Company have bssH taken away
by the operation Of the Constitution, Il Is
proper 60 consider IG5 duty Of our state In
regard to tie prc.tni phase Of affairs con-
nes,ei with this grsaI enterprise. The
present opportunity Of eiisetaally securing
the speedy construction OF ,s's great ar
terry Q: commerce through our borders 10
too important TO be overlooked, aud should
challenge the prompt attention aud enlist
the hearty sympathy aud support o; every
rejecting NAN ia the State. There is no
reasonable burden which the capital or la
bor OF the state cannot well afford TO bear
10 secure the early completion OF THE road.
II is not alone the section Of the State
through which il would pass that is inter
esied, but every portion Of II, however
distant. II this highway Of trade and
travel, bearing the commerce Of continents
and oceans on its iron bed, passes through
our State from East TO West, distance of
near eight hundred miles, how certain 1t
is that every part, from the mouth OF the
Rio Grandc TO the Sabine would have con-
nection by rail with it. The construction
of the main line would insure the others,
and connexions from tho various States
from Kansas TO Louisiana. IL the lines
from Memphis md Vicksburg we're com
pleted to u junction in tho interior and
thence trunk line West, tapping roads
from Point Isabel, Corpus Christi and LII
yacca would form junction and reach the
main line on the waters Of tho Concho,
md san Antonio and Austin, by such con-
ncction would be reached; Galveston and
Houston would reach it by means of the
Texas Central in the Northern portion OF
the State, and by the Great Northern ana
Red River in another part of the State (;
from Sabine Pass line would reach il ut
Mars hall or near Tyler tho International
would connect at Fulton with the Memphis
| line and cross the Southern Pacific ana
lead on to llearne, Austin and San Anto-
! Mo; thus making Il nctw ork and system OF
roads that would benefit every portion Of
the State. Outside Of the State would be
the connection with the Kansas road now
rapidly approaching our Northern border,
with its 81. Louis aud Chicago connections.
THIS is 10 ianciful sketch, but reality
within our early reach, II The opporlune
moment is not idled away. The 'mag'na-
( ton cannot picture the future of Texas
with'thesc grand projects Of internal i'm
proponents completed, and it all may be
ACCOMPLISHED in the next half-dosen years,
with timely legislation, without any great
er burtlen Of taxation than we are now
having. The development of such sys-
TEN would fiji our State with capital, labor
and population. The wealth and taxable
property of the State, with the population,
would be trebled. The value Of lands
would be immensely enhanced, and the
distant waste places reclaimed from the
wilderness. Murder, rapine and devas-
tation would cease along the line of tlse
Frontier and new and glorious era would
dawn upon our whole people.
We notice bill has been presented in
the Legislature proposing to connect the
Memphis and Ell Pas, line with the other
line between the I'D and 23d degrees Of
longitude; to require the two lines to be
completed to such junction by the LIST of
January, 1874, and if 80 completed, to
grant to each of said companies $4,000, 900
of the bonds of the State or in lieu there
of, should the State prefer lands as an
equivalent for the bonds, at the rate of
about 400 acres for 81 900 of bonds; the
bonds not to be issued or lands be gran ted
until the two roads are completed to the
junction, and not then unless finished by
January l, 1874.
We would call the attention of our Rep
rescntatives in the Legislature to this
measure, and suggest that the junction is
placed too for west-it should be some
where between the 18th and 2lst degrees Of
longitude-this would probably place the
junction on the Trinity or between the
Trinity and Brnzos. To place it beyond
the Brazos would entail the building Of
two lines that would be nearly approach
ing each other for 100 miles, which might
be dispensed with. 1t would place the
junction outside Of the productive region
Of the State, where the seasons are less
certain and the soil not so good.
Again, il the suit now pending in
Washington should be decided in favor Of
the Memphis, FL PasO and Pacific Road,
The amount Of land SO due the Road from
the Stale should be deducted from the
amount proposed in the bill.
In the thnd place, the bill should be
amended so as 10 require the two reads,
after completion TO The junction, TO pay
into the State Treasury two per cent Of
their grsss earnings from the junction to
the East boundary Of The state, with which
90 create q sinking fund to pay of the in
5ebisdness Incurred By The State.
With thess amendmesis, or something
Ets thsra. We trust our representatives viii
use s-sry Iao5sble means 10 insure the
socsess 81 he ms.sar.. Il should Be done
before The legislators sijourns. The in
corpora1ors sf the Texas Pssife Eailro.d
uB8sr he .ei u Congress- nsei in View /.