Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-11-09

reading the bill for, after provi
ing Tor the selection of the rou
from Marshall to the point on II
Mississippi which shall have bee
determined, the bill provides, Sc
tion u, "That the eastern terminI
of said Texas and Pacific railwa
shall be ON the east bank of til
Mississippi river wherever tn
point may be designated, and w@ic
terminus may be reached either b
suitable boats or a bridge over sal
/ river, as may be preferred by sal
company; A9d prOCided farthel
That the said Texas and Pacifi
Railway Company shall have In
right to purchase the franchises an,
| property Of any existing line, if an,
there be on the selected route, o
construct a new one, at the Optiol
of said company; and that a fail
ure to so purchase or construct, a
the rate herein provided, on tn,
eastern extension, shall work al
absolute forfeiture of all rights t.
the guarantee of the Government
on the interest of the bonds to bI
issued for so much of the line q.
may remain unconstructed at the
time of such default" The same
section provides "That this part o.
said line shall be built at the rate
Of not less than fifty miles per an.
num-"
1t is difficult to see how, i'm pres
ence of such a provision, Mr.. Lang,
don can say that no time has been
fixed for-its completion, or that nc
penalty has been affixed to its fail
ure. Nor can l perceive any great
er force in the objections made by
Mr.. LangdOn to the mode in which
the Mississippi terminus is to be Sc
lected.
WHAT THE BILL PROVIDES.
The bill provides that this termi-
nus shall not be further north than
Memphis that between Memphis
and any other terminus on the Mis-
the choice shall be made by
a board consisting of three engineer
officers of the United States army
of the highest rank and two civil
ians, none of whom shall have any
interest in any railroad connecting
the Mississippi with the Atlantic or
Gulf coast, and their decision shall
be subjected to the approval of the
President. OF course, a President
might refuse to do his duty under
this law, as he might refuse to do
his duty under any other law. But
the same objection would be against
all and any scrupleS in the face of
such duty.
Owing to the necessity of long
and careful exploration, to the diff
of sectional interest, inten-
;ified by the uneasy consciousness
Of coming strife and the natural
in the execution of all
great measures, the Government
lad not acted when the war of se-
,ession broke upon the country and
.hrew a lurid but distinct light up
IN the value of the Pacific Coast to
he Union. With a prOmptitude
md liberality that cannot be too
highly praised, acting upon a broad
md noble conception of national
luty, the Government supplied the
lid that was needed, and thus COM
)leted that system of railroad con-
lectiOn which, for breVity's sake,
We will call the Central Pacific, and
which placed San Francisco and the
Pacific Coast in safe, speedy and
'ertain connection with the great
titles of the Northwest, and the
centers of the Northern
nd Northeastern Atlantic. But in
r, Ioiu0e +ho Canxyorn Aouof;a,,
lized the system of Pacific connec-
ion. For there are
THREE FACTS
which must never be forgotten i'm
his discussion, without the full APP
'reciation of which no discussion |
would be fair. They are these:
First-The line of connection
rawn by the Central Pacific was
var line. That is, it was selected |
ot because it was the best or the |
lost natural, but because the con- /
ection had to be made in view of |
he civil war, possibly resulting in |
he establishment of a foreign and |
Ostile cOnfederacy, from whose
Orthern frontier the line must be
lOved as far as possible, and be-
ause the conception then most
eeded by the Government was the
lost direct northern and northeast
rn connection.
SecOnd-In giving its aid to this
the Government gave it
perhaps was obliged to give it
] such method as made the road
hen complete, not public high
'ay, but the immense, all powerful
of a private corporation.
Third-The exhaustion of the
outh consequent upon the war, the
bOlitiOn of slavery and the mis-
Overnment of the reconstructed
tate Governments made it absO-
ltely impossible for the Southern
and industrial enter
rise either to establish a competi-
on or use the partial advantage
lat an expensive construction of
nes connecting with the Central
acific would give.
One might as well object to the
diciary act creating a supreme
)urt because it was physically pos
BILE for judge to refuse to deliver
Idgment. AS to delay in the action
the board, the interests of the
)mpany would seem from the
Dove sections to be a guarantee
yainst it. But if so remote a posi-
lity need be guarded against, it
lr be done bya very simple amend
Ient and / can assure him that, as
le able and patriotic Senator (Mr.
amar) who advocated the bin in
le Senate declared, any amend
ent will be cheerfully received
hich is in good faith intended to
erfect its provisions.
/ can scarcely suppose that the
language of Mr.. LangdOn
used seriously: "The increased
reduction in Texas of those agri-
lltural staples on which. the people
Alabama depend for their sub
stence and prosperity will cause a
9preciatiOn in their market value,
Id to the extent of that deprecia-
on will the income Of our people
: diminished and their prosperity
.tarded." If this reasoning be
Drrect, so far from needing the
exas and Pacific road, the South
lght to destroy what roads it has,
r every new acre of cotton planted,
rery additional bushel of corn or
heat made will compete with the
agricultural staples" of Alabama
I'd "diminish the income," not !
lly of her people, but every South !
n State would have to be sacrificed
the logic of State selfishness.
If this be the feeling of the South, ,
1t only must this enterprise be
but so must every other
fort to develop her resources, en-
rye her industry, increase her pop