The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-05-01

Ith Subject Of earnest conglstulation
to the people q Texas aud to the uhole
Union. that the House q Representative
yesterday. Is more than teo-tbiris vote,
had the good sense to adopt ire amend
ed charter Of the Texas and Pacisc railroad
bin. reported By the committee on Internal
Improvements
OF all the great enterprises which has IL
Illustrated TIM enterprise andiDdouital,le en-
ergy Of the ABeIo-saxou race on this CONT
nenf, there IS none which has a higher claim
70 our admiration than the gigantic eoneep-
ton Of uniting-the two oceans by an iron
highway across the American continent.
Pew ofus, twenty years ago, admitted the
human possibility Of such consummation
It was believed in, however, by a few men Of
genius, such as Houston. Rask and aender-
son, and 70 their influence we are indebted
for The first encouragement given TO this en-
terprise. What seemed impracticable to
duEler men was clear to them, JUST as the
rays Of the rising sua illumines the highest
mountain, while the valleys are stiIl in dark
ness. They did not i've to see the veriica-
ton Of their prophecy, but they had I'M
doubted faith in it nevertheless
The completion Of the Union Pacific rail
road removed the doubts Of the incredu-
lous. and the world witnessed with aston-
ishment a continuous line Of iron streatch-
ing across the valleys and mountains Of an
entire continent and connecting two oceans.
The route selected, however, for the first
experiment, has been found TO be far less
advantageous than that advocated by the
.saFlieat friends Of our inter-oceanic rail-
way. For many weeks, we might
say months, traffic on the present
road is liable 10 serious Interrupt
ton from SHOWS in the Rocky
Mountains and sierras Of California
This, after the first winters experience, was
felt to be so serious an objection, that the
great capitalists Of the East began to cast
about for more favored route. Il required
no great penetration to appreciate the adj
yautagcs Of that along the thirty-second
parallel. From Marshall to San Diego, it
would pass along an isothermal line Of great
mildness, where traffic can never be inter
rupted for an hour by snow; and where the
face of the country presents none Of those
obstacles to rapid and cheap construction
which are found on the more northern
routes. There were, however, many OBJ
jections on the part Of Congress to favor it,
the chief Of which was that it would pass,
for half its length, through Texas lands,
over which the United States has no con-
troll, and besides, the Credit Mobilier influ-
enee in Congress being then supreme, they
were not allowed to favor the construction
Of rival route to the Union Pacific
Clearly, then, since the road could
not be built by private capital, un-
aided by government, it became the
duty of Texas to step forward and give
the scheme a helping hand. Unfortunately
.our bayonet imposed constitution prohib-
itcdthe donation of lands for such pur-
pose, and the Legislature solved the difficult
ty by a subsidy Of ten thousand dollars per
mile in bonds to carry forward the enter
prise. Fortunately for the State and Com
pany, the adoption of the amendment to the
Constitution enabled the State to escape
the consequences Of this unwise donation,
and to substitute lands which, without the
road would never be of the least value to
the State.
The bin, which yesterday passed the
House, settles in manner favorable to the
State and satisfactory to the Company, al
questions at issue. and by securing the
early completion Of this great road win con-
fer rgalculable benefits upon the State as
we Is the whole commercial world
Among the benefits to the people of
Texas, not the least of which is the escape
from the unwise money subsidy of six millions
Of dollars, which would entail burden of
taxation upon our already heavily taxed
people, which they would be impatient to
hear, and would greatly impede our deveI-
opment.
By the adjustment as agreed upon in the
House yesterday, and by what we cannot
Iaoubt wiz be almost the unanimous action
the stnate, the people Of Texas viii have.
rsourad ut the cost of few millions Of
acres Of land, which without the road
would be utterly valueless, the completion
Of work which viii confer incAlculable
benefits upon the people Of Texas.