The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-04-20
the NEW RAILROAD.

IU ITHOUT EXCEPTION the most
" important local news ever pub
llshed in the Salt Lake papers
was the announcement yesterday morn
ing that Senator Clark, for the San
Pedro. Los Angeles & Salt Lake rail-
road, had purchased every foot Of the
Oregon Short Line south of Salt Lake
City. 10 is impossible to estimate. even
approximately. -the material benefits
that Salt Lake and Utah win derive
from this transaction.
We know in the first place. that it
means the immediate completion Of the
line 90 Los Angeles; we know that an
tridescent dream that has been present
I'm the minds Of Salt Lakers these many
years is about TO become a blessed
reality. Utah Is TO be given another
tidewater outlet. a country rich beyond
expression i'm mineral wealth Of every
character is TO be opened to the pros
peet0r. the miner. the capitalist.
OF these possibilities we may speak
with almost the same sureness we
would use ia discussing facts accom-
piished. We know the wealth is there.
WayfariHg prospectors have told Of it,
travellers by the toilsome trails that
seam the country have seen it. Some
mining has even been done. IN a small
way. but a railroad has been the sine
qua non Of its development and its
prosperity. The shrek Of the locomo-
tive win be 20 that territory a sound
as sweet as the sweetest music ever
penned by the worlds greatest COM
posers.
10 Is impracticable because Of the
wealth OF details that will suggest
themselves IN this connection. to par
ucularize The coal and iron fields,
the gold and silver and copper mines,
the agricultural possibilities, the reduc-
ton Of time by at least twelve hours
between salt Lake and Los Angeles
are individually worth extended COM
nent because Of their Importance. but
here they can 0nlye be mentioned.
An entirely new factor has been
brought into the western railroad sit
uation. There has been an infusion of
vigorous. new blood. No man can fore
ten the results except in the assurance
that they viii be beneficial to all con-
cerned At the outset the Pacific coast
Is brought some hundreds of miles
closer 90 Salt Lake iu distance and
twelve hours closer IN time. With the
completion of the Momat road from
Denver 90 Salt Lake il should be easy
20 realize the dream of udewater to
ddewater IN three days.
And in conclusion it is but fair to say
a word about the men who have made
possible this undertaking. The name Of
Senator W. A. Clark has become syn
onymous with the Salt Lake-Los An
geles railroad. He promised the people
Of Utah. three years ago. that the
work should be done. There were those
Of little faith who said that nothing
would ever be accomplished. The "an-
vu chorus" was heard throughout the
state and as the months passed. the
chorus grew louder.
The people Of little faith were peo-
pie OF little minds. They were incap-
able OF grasping the fact that large
undertakings must proceed slowly. that
So takes time TO bring them to a sue
CessfuI conclusion. The news published
yesterday win forever stop the dis
cordaut voices OF the croakers; today
they are saying. with one voice. 1--WE
knew 1t an the time"
senator Clark has fulfilled his pledge
both ia spirit and in letter. What he
said he woald do he has done, to all
intents and purposes, for within less
than two years the gap between the
northern terminus Of the line from Los
Angeles and the southern terminus OF
the purchased road. viii be a gap no
longer. All Utah VIII join ia congrah-
lauug Senator Clark and his associates.