Year: 1869

things which it ought rot ka, do, and its persis- teney in leaving undons lings which it ought to have done, is b notorious. The worst of routes, for l. < railroad, is that which Congress hastened t6. adopt as an especial Opject of government subvention. They are only just now learning, or pretending to learn in legislative circles ae Washington, that the most matesial portion of this road lies in the snow-bOund region and is impracticable for about half the year. and they are only just now waking up or pretending to wake up, to the national importance of connecting the Mississippi Valley by rail with the Pacific along a more southern line which will a.lmit of unin- terrupted travel and commercial transportation the whole gear round. But we are glad to see that there are many well meaning and intel hgent members who fully understand the in- famous abortion of the Union Pacific railroad swindle and who are truly alive to the positive and paramount claims of the Southern route to the Pacific along the 32d parallel, to the consideration, encouragement and substantial aid of the federal government, if such aid may, in any case properly be invoked Tor railroad enterprise The granting of the right of way for the construction of a railroad leaving the Mississippi at or near Memphis, and striking the Rio Grande at Fl Paso is the only sensible measure in regard to railroads. so far as lati~ tude and natural conditions of transit are con- cerned, which has been acted upon by any pre- vious Congress, The conception of such route, to be sure, is by no means new. It is fully twenty years old; as old, in fact, as the conclusion & the war with Mexico and as the first dream of opening by railroad enterprise the mineral and agricultural wealth of the northern provlncts ofthat country and of pro- viding railroad facilities for the predestined trade Of India across the continent It has beenapproved aftercrtical examination, by the abest engineers of the Urited States. But of course this did not recommend it to Congress The difficulty and costlness of the northern route gave tpreference For these qualities involved invidious benefits to q host of special interests in contrad ction to public policy, and opened innumerahle doors to direct or indirect corruption among CongressTssen and other pub> lie servants Now, since it is no longer pos sibIe to disguise either the impolcy or the svindle of the Union Pacific Railroad project under government subvention, there is dispo> sition in Congress to pay a tardy and futile homage to economy and honesty by pronounce ing against the general policy of subsidizing either railroad or navigation schemes of any kind. Hence we are, apparently, to have-no m ore government bOunties to railroad or canal projects because the Congressional Malvolio has concluded to be economical and virluous after prohgacy and corrupt on have done their worst, It is only dyspepsia stimulating the symptoms of repentance But, while it lasts, we fear that the prospects of substantial aid from the government for the Southern railroad to the Pacific will be very cloudy, Neverthe less we will hope that the friends of this great enterprise will command success in the forty first Congress now in session, and obtain that material aid necessary net only for its imme- diate commencement but speedy completcn