Year: 1860




government aid, Of a trans-continental rail-
way The Democratic delegates from this
State to the National Convention, at Cincin
natl. in 1856. refused to vote for Mr. Bu-
rhanan as the uoc.inee because the Conven-
ton had not expressed itself in favor Of the
I Pacific Railrond and because they doubted
Mr.. Buchanan's friendly feeling towards the
road and they did right Tie Convention
Afterwards tackled on to their platform an in
definite, general endorsement of Pacific
Rnilroad. and Mr.. Buchanan. while he stu
diously avoided any alluslon to the subject
in the Atlantic States, silly sent a letter to
the Pacific Coast, just on the eve of the
election. pledgng himself in favor of the
road How did he favor It? Did he make
it. as it should have been, the great measure
of his Administration surely it Is the
most important Of all the me isures of national
policy now before the country? Nothing of
the kind. The grand measure, with him,
was the admission Of Kansas into the Union,
under constitution obnoxious TO the m,iori-
ty of the people of that Territory. For the
purpose Of forcing this constitution upon an
unwilling majority. he bent every nerve and
muscle Of his energy, and every power ofthe
government which he could control. With
one half of the energy which he displayed in
furtherence Of his dtmnable Lecompton in
iquily, he could have urged through Con-
gress Pacific Railroad bill and the work
would now be going on.


As for Pierce, he had constitutional OBJ
jections" to Pacific Railroad. lie did not
believe that L, ngress had any right to ap-
propriate either land or money TO the con
struetion of this great aud stupeudous work.
As matter of course, during his admiuislra.
tion it WAS useless to urge the passage Of
any Railroad till. Pierce had constitutional
objections to binding the remote parts of the
country together constitutional objections
to constructing any great highway for the
! transportation Of military forces for the de-
/ fence of the Pacific Coast and for " hat might
be the defence and safety of the Union Itself


This kind of constitutional debility will
not answer in a President, of the United
States. nor will that sort of apathetic non
obi to Pacific Railroad. which has
characterized the Administration of James
Buchan, suit the present temper of the Amer
lean mind. We must have an Administra-
/ ton, whose one great, leading measure will
be the immediate construct on Of CONT
mental railway, Such man will we have
in Stephen A. Douglas, Of IIlinois-s man
who has been foremost among the most ac-
tive in favor Of this great work, and who
has given it, in his speeches and his votes
precedence Of all other questions, discussed
during the present Administration. not ex-
eepting the Kansas question ITSELF for he
urged The taking up of the Railroad bill to
the exclusion of the Kansas hill and every
other lie was overruled by the majority
vote OF the Senate, then absolutely controlled
10y Mr. Buchanan. The Railroad was given
the 'go-by," and Kansas made the great
issue.


Suppose, now, that some favorite Of Mr..
Buchanan is nominated for the Presidency
10y the Charleston Conyention-some sup
porter of his Leeompton policy and plant
trucker to that element of the Southern par
ty which opposes a Pacific Railway. can
California come up to his support with thar
srIor with which she would sustain friend
of her interests? 1t could not he expected


We sincerely hope the Convention, if il
should commit the egregious folly of refusing
to nominate Stephen a. DanyIas will ut least
nominate some man who can be relied on as
a friend to the Pacific Railroad. The Re
publican party is already pledged to the
measure, and will be likely to reiterate thcir
endorsement Of the policy. If the Democratic
party refuse to nominate q man thoroughly
pledged to the support, and the urgent and
enthusiastic support of this mighty work,
their candidate will be and ought to lie de-
feated.