The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-05-25
A Great Railroad Scheme.

The Washington correspondent OF the GIN
cinnati Times Star has the following
Mr. Hinton Rowman Helper, arthur OF 1.-THE
Impending Crisis" the work which, written
just before the war, urging the abolition OF
slavery, attracted much attention, especially
as the work Of a Southern man, is here now
with very important measure In hand, winch,
If successful, promises 10 be OF vast lmpor-
lance to this country, and to all OF America.
Mr.. Helper, who when he wrote THE 1mpend-
ing Crisis, was South Caroinian, has been
for some years a resident of st. Louis. A few
years since he was heard from again IN an ar
ticle in the newspaper press, in which ne sug-
gested the necessity for a great railway line,
running from Hudson's Bay, in the British
Possessions, through: Canada, the United
States, Mexico, Central America, and the va
rious Republics of the western portion OF
South America to the southern border OF the
Argentine Confederation, uniting the various
countries of the Western Hemisphere, and
making the interchange OF their commodities
rapid and easy, ,
The next that was heard of him was an
offer of SIS 900 for the best five essays onthe
subject of .Three Americas Railway" as he
had named the proposed enterprise. For these
he paid out of his own private fortune, and to
this Sc, 00U he added $4,000 more, which he
expended in travelling in person over the
thousands of miles OF country south, OF the
United States to which his proposition re-
ferred. and in printing the result of his studies
and expeditions in the form of book entitled
f'The Three Americans Railway" lae
Some time since Judge Bedford, of Colorado,
introduced in the House resolution looking
to the publication by the Government of a,
large edition OF Mr.. Helpers work on the
subject, but it has not yet been acted upon
ID " Int offered Men,
ate and House authorizing the President to
appoint a Commissioner to visit Central
America, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia,
and the Argentine Confederation, and consult
with. the officials and prominent citizens and
ascertain their feelings and views regarding
close railway communication with this country,
and whether they would probably encourage
a railway such as indicated above. The re-
suits of this Investigation are to be reported
to the State Department for the benefit OF all
those who desire to avail themselves Of the
information.
This movement is the first public step in the
tremendous enterprise which Mr.. Helper has
been quietly studying and developing in theory
for over fifteen years. He says frankly that
he has said little about his enterprise in the
past. for he did not care to be called a lunatic,
but now he sees that the country Is beginning
to be ready for it, and he feels that he may
talk about it. The fact that one-third of the
proposed line, from Hudson Bay to the City of
Mexico, is now either built or under contract,
and that railroad enterprises are pushing for
ward south of the City of Mexico and in South
America as well, is an evidence that the time
is at hand for an enterprise of this sort. What
he now wants is that this initial step of the
appointment ola Commissioner to examine
into that subject be taken by the present
Congress. The line OF road remaining yet to