Year: 1859

throughout the State, asking for tue sigma
: ,,r.s oc ,be true friends Of California. 1t is
. = ro,;,ion TO Congress for aid in the eonstruc-
= ,iop of the long talked Of railway from the
western portion of the Atlantic States to the
eastern limit of California. The aid solicited
is of the character which was determined
upon by the Pacific Railroad Convention,
which assembled at San Francisco, on the
twentieth of September last, and described
in the following propositions


First, That the Government guaranty the
payment Of interest, not exceeding five per
cent per annum, during twenty years, on the
bonds which may be issued by the Company
constructing the road


Second, That the Government make liber
al grants Of the land over which the road
shall pass, to such Company


Third, That the Government agree with
said Company that, if they construct the
road within five years from the date of con-
tract or passage of bill by Congress, the
Government will grant them alternate sec
tions, on both sides of the road, of thirty sec.
tions deep; and, if the road be not construc
ted within that period, the Government shall
grant them not exceeding ten sections deep
on either side of the road.


Fourth, That the Government donate to
the State of California all the public lands
within her limits, excepting those which are
mineral. "Also, that Congress authorize the
repayment t. said State of the sum of $2,-
1865 claimed to be legally due said State,
having been collected as customs, at the Port
of San Francisco, between the dates of Aug
9th, lS4s, and September 9th, 1850; these
lands and this sum to be dedicated to the
estate Railroad Fund, and to be used in the
aid of the construction Of a railroad running
from San Francisco to the eastern frontier of
the State, as the Legislature Of the State
shall direct"


Like aid is asked for Oregon and Washing
ton Territory to enable them to build road
to intersect at some proper point, the Grand
Trunk of the proposed Continental Rail
way.


The movement in favor of the Pacific
Railway has assumed now definite shape.
The plan for raising means, contained in the
propositions above enumerated, is plain, sim
pie, aud entirely practicable. 1t takes the
work too, off the hands Of the General Coy.
ernment, and thus obviates any constitutions
al objections as to the power OF the Govern
] 20, tpl.ptnlyo nj a,,b III al,
solutely necessary to the protection of the
Union. and which any other Government
would have built long ago.


Simple and practicable, no yever, as the
plan may be, We very much fear that the
same causes which have hitherto operated
for the defeat of the road, will defeat the
propositions now presented. The road must
necessarily take the best route and no mat
ter which route the Company may select.
one section or another of the Atlantic States
will be dissatisfied and vote against all
grants to the work. We have but little con
tdence in the patriotism or magnanimity or
justice of the kind of men who have of late
years represented in Congress the different
States of this Union. They are small, cir
cumscribed and partisan in their views
They will never be any better until the peo-
pie themselves become more national in their
feelings, and elect Senators and Representa-
tives who do not imagine that the sun rises
and sets in the " little limits of their own
State or neighborhood California herself

sends men to the Senate and to Congress who
are sectional it is true, but whose sectonality
might be tolerated if it were at all connected
with their own State The misfortune is
however that their little contemplate pre-
judices invariably run in favor OF mere sec
tion of the States known as the Atlantic, and
seem to have no reference to the Pacific side
of the Union at all. California is the last
place they think of, or, if they do undertake
anything for her interest, it Immediately
gives way before some paltry objection put
forward by the antagonists of everything
that does not Immediately benefit Mississippi
or Georgia or South Carolina


Nevertheless there is nothing like agita-
ting the question, and, if Congress absolutely
refuses to do anything for us, why then we
will endeavor to get along without its assist
ance.


The Sacramento Standard strongly squint,
at secession, in case the Government refuse.
) to grant us the aid we require. 1t thinks
that the propositions contained in the memo.
rial under consideration ought to be the ul-
timatum of California, refusing to accept
which, ths Federal Government cannot COM
plain if we set up for ourselves upon the Pa.
ciic Coast. We can think of far more pa
triotic method of remedying the evil than
this. We are willing to leave secession to
the hot-heads of South Carolina or NIissis-
sppi who think that treason to the Union is
loyalty to their own State. A far better
remedy is to make the Pacific Railroad a di-
rect and paramount issue in elections If
the building Of this road is not of sufficient
Importance in the eyes of the people general
iy' -roughout the Union, to cause them to
insist upon the election of men to Congress
who are pledged to favor Pacific Railroad
and upon the choice of a President who will
honestly labor for it in the hiob nosi,ior
which he Is to occupy; if the people, We saw
have so small an amount as this of nublio
spirit, Of fraternity Of feeling, of patriotism
aud nationality, why, then, it makes but lit
tie difference whether they have Railroad
or anything else.