The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 78, July 1974 - April, 1975 Page: 128
562 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
would never yield sufficient revenue to finance the project because nearly
two-thirds of it was not worth farming. And as for the proposed federal
grants in New Mexico and California, he considered that land nearly
worthless.34 Pike also told his audience that he had never expected or re-
quired all states to unite on his corporate proposal but had suggested simply
that Virginia charter a corporation and allow any interested state to join by
purchasing stock. He foresaw no great difficulty in acquiring congressional
support for the scheme or in securing Mexican permission to build a rail-
road into its territories, if necessary. But just in case Mexico did not act
amicably, and if it dared attempt to restrict the American businessman,
then, he suggested, the United States could and should declare war.35
There was no apparent reason to believe Mexican authorities would
rather grant a right-of-way to the American government than to private
companies, Pike said. Surely there were enough bright men in Mexico to
recall how often the United States had violated treaties with the Indians.
These men must realize that the same thing could happen to their agree-
ments. Pike was confident that at least Santa Anna understood that a pri-
vate company would deal honestly with him. But had Pike studied the
difficulties encountered by such a persuasive businessman as Duff Green
in securing a railroad agreement with Mexico, he might have come to a
different conclusion."3
Pike was willing to attempt much to insure the workability of his scheme,
except to emasculate sectional issues dividing the North and South on the
Pacific railroad. His inability to become a great statesman and railroad
builder was evident in his refusal to compromise with Free-Soilers and
Mexico, and in his fidelity to the idea that money and self-interest were
84Charleston Daily Courier, April 18, I854. Henry V. Poor agreed with Pike's evalua-
tion of the land and its prospective income value. His solution was simple-direct federal
assistance. See "The Southern Commercial Convention," American Railroad Journal,
XXVII (April 29, 1854), 257-258; "Pacific Railroad in Texas," ibid. (August 26,
1854), 541. One wonders if even the Texas legislature did not question the land value,
as larger and larger land grants were made to induce railroad construction. The diffi-
culty Duff Green had selling land and stock to survey and build the Sabine and Rio
Grande railroad further attests to the lack of interest people had in Texas land and rail-
roads. See "Proceedings of the Sabine and Rio Grande Railroad Company," Duff
Green Papers (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill); S. G. Reed, A History of the Texas Railroads and of Transportation Conditions
under Spain and Mexico and The Republic and The State (Houston, 1941), Io5-1o6.
3"Charleston Daily Courier, April I8, I854. Such expressions of southern jingoism
were not rare.
30Ibid.; "Convention at Charleston," De Bow's Review, XVII (November, 1854), 504.
Duff Green had tried to secure a treaty with Mexico to build a road from Vera Cruzx28
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 78, July 1974 - April, 1975, periodical, 1974/1975; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117149/m1/163/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.