Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-10

in March, 1906, they reached st. Louis in
September of the same year. Thus, under
instructions drawn by the hand of Jeffer-
son himself, the route now occupied by
the Northern Pacific railroad was opened
TO the attention of the people of the
United States, and has from
time to time engaged theil
interest, till the dream, 1.-The prospect
the work here and now. Henceforth the
transit from the Mississippi to the mouth
of the Columbia, and the return, will be
made in nine days for the round trip,
which occupied the first explorers two
years and half.
The prophecy and advocacy of a railroad
to our Pacific coast possession, to the Col
umbia river and to Pugefs sound, follow
ed close upon the first introduction in this
country of this system of traffic and travel.
As early as 1884, when the arrival and de-
parture of railroad train had still some
thing of novelty even in Boston, village
physician in western Massachusetts, DR..
Samuel Barlow, the father of Mr.. Barlow,
of New York, we'll known on both sides the
Atlantic as an eminent solicitor, pressed
upon the attention of his countrymen, in
articles showing great forecast and sagac-
ity, the vast importance and clear FEAST
bility of such an enterprise as that whose
completion we this day celebrate. He
writes in 1887: "My feeble pen would
fail me to expatiate upon the substantial,
time-enduring glory which would rebound
to our nation, should it engage in this
stupendous undertaking." DR..
Parker, distinguished missionary to the
Oregon Indians, who had repeatedly ira
versed the route, in 1888 and 1885, asserted
that there was no more difficulty in such
railroad than in one between Boston and
Albany, and prophesied that the time was
not distant when tours would be made
across the continent as they were then
made to Niagara. Willis Gaylord Clark,
in 1888, in an eloquent exposition of the
subject in leading magazine, asseverated
that ''the reader is now living who will
make a railroad trip across this vast con-
tinent'' Penetrated with this feeling, the
missionary, Whitman, in 1912, started on
winter Journey to Washington across the
Rocky mountains to awaken the state de-
partment to the movements going on, in
British interests, to ALLEVIATE from US
our Oregon possessions. Under
this impulse diplomatic negotiations were
pushed and guided till the treaty of 1916
drew the boundary line between the two
nations and terminated the joint posses
sion. Thus all the early instincts and as
pirations for this transcontinental connec-
tion fastened themselves upon this north
ern route. The spread of knowledge and
zeal in the minds and hearts of our coun-
trymen had to do with this project and no
other.
But the acquisition of California, the
discovery of its till then hidden gold, the
absorption of people and government in
the terrible struggles between freedom
and slavery for the occupation of our new
domain, and finally the civil war aroused
new motives and new arguments which
urged irresistibly the transoont1nental
connsstion, but diverted the first compli-
ancs with the political, military and
popular exigencies from the north
ern to the southern and central routes
Thus, once more in human affairs, tho last
was made first, and the first last. During
this period, however, the agitations of the
subject before congress and in public
meetings by Asa Whitney, the convention
at Chicago in the spring of 1S49, and at
st. Louis in the fall of that year, the We
hement and persistent propagandism OF
Josiah Perham, all had to do with this
northern route, and the feeling and inter
est thus awakened and developed, with
this object, wore, no doubt, easily trans
ferred to the service of the other routes,
when paramount motives gave them the
precedence. In 1853 congress made ap-
propiiations for the exploration and sur
vey of all the proposed routes, and val
liable and adequate exposition of the
northern pathway across the mountains
was secured. The survey from the east
under the charge of Governor
Stevens, and from the west conducted by
Capt. Mcclellan, met near the point where
we now stand, and these surveys have fur
nished the basis upon which the calcula-
tions and combinations, corporate and
financial, ever afterwards proceeded, till
the point was reached when actual con-
struction needed to be provided for.
On the I'd of July, 1864, the bill for the
construction of the Northern Pacific rail-
enthusiasm of Perham. which anticipated
rush of his countrymen that would bring,
if need be, a million subscribers for 500
of the stock apiece, induced the insertion
of clause in the act prohibiting either
the issue of bonds or the creation of mort
gage in aid of the construction. This fnan-
cial folly, and much time and labor spent
in trying to obtain from congress very
moderate aid by the government in the
shape of guaranty of interest for limi
ted period, held the whole enterprise in
allegiance till, in 1870, the obnoxious sec
ton was expunged from the act, and some
other beneficial provisions inserted, and
the company took the resolution to build
the road on the faith that capital would
show in the enterprise itself, and in the
prospective value of the government land
grant should the construction be carried
through.
Perham's popular subscription having
proved wholly abortive, his organization
of the company was transferred to one
made up in New England in December
1865, of which j. Gregory Smith
of Vermont, became the pres
ident. The financial agency of the enter
| prise was offered to, and after careful ex.
animation and new survey, accepted by
the eminent bankers, Jay Cooke & Co.
then in the highest repute from theil
wonderful administration of the immense
treasury transactions in the issue and dis
tribution of the bonds of the United
States.
The wisdom of the selection of this emf
Dapf fin iol orarov and tho