Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-11-20
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.

| THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.
| The citizens of Montana, rs well as thu
whole Western country, arc deeply interested
in the prosecution of work ON this great rail
wav. We know that the subject has beer
fully and repeatedly presented and dis
cussed in these columns, and that the bright
anticipations of two years ago haye been
dashed, but no one questions that the road
will be completed at some day. This winter
the company will be before Congress asking
aid-not in money, but the credit of the Gov
ernment-and the proposition made is of a
highly advantageous character to the Govern.
ment Not single Congressman doubts that
large benefits will result in complying with
the request made by the company, but politi>
cal considerations deter many from doing a
Clear duty to the country. We believe both
parties made mistake in taking the position
of no more land grants or aid to railroads.
So long as the Government, extended aid to
railroads the country was prosperous, and the
revenues were large and the public debt was
being rapidly decreased. One of the causes
for this was the rapid development of the
hidden resources of the land and its rapid
settlement. The policy of no aid to railroad
enterprises that passed through undeveloped
regions, has tended to stagnate business and
has placed limit on the expansion of our
borders and checked to q very great extent
emigration. This is one of the reasons for
Ec1l ~oc
| grants who used to crowd in On US in prosper.
GUS times. This policy has had tendency to
increase the price of lands in the settled por-
tons to figures that prevent emigrants from
buying. The United States have millions
upon millions of public lands unsOld, and
will remain SO for series of years, just be-
cause facilities are not provided for their de.
| velopment and settlement The Republican
party, on the question of continental and
other railways, had made for itself q brilliant
record and as long as it pursued liberal
policy in that regard it was successful But,
in an evil hour, it yielded TO vulgar clamor
and abandoned one of the brightest spots in
the record of the party. Whilst acting with
the party opposed to the Republican, we have
never agreed with that portion of the creed
of the Democrats, of no more aid to railroads.
The West has attained its present advance.
ment by Governmental aid to railroads, and
without it might have been still ''howling
wilderness" The vas. Territories organized,
which are known tc abound in valuable min.
erals, can never be fully developed and made
a source of revenue unless the Government
extend aid to railroads that traverse them.
Every dollar of aid given by Congress to rail-
roads has paid in revenues four times as much
as was give. Figures will show this. Then
We ask why should this policy, which has so
greatly enriched the nation, be abandoned?
A re- statesmen to be driven from doing. right
by the vulgar cry of demagOgues? Is The
de vel0pment ard settlement Of the mag mfr
cen t domains of the nation to be stopped for
fear of political defeats! Is the love Of Office
and power to prevail over right and justice?
We trust not Statesmen should rise superior
to all such considerations, and 60 forward in
the impr ovenlent of the country, and open up
to its remotest points.
The Northern Pacicific passes from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, and the region over
which L.; route Is to go there il untold wealth,
needing only proper facilities to reach it. The
present Congress should not adjourn till the
of this great continental highway
Is insured. So soon as this is done, a general
revival in business will prevail in the sections
by the road, and great facilities to
commerce afforded