176 Fred Wilbur Powell
years from 1829 to 1839 the railroad was a subject of great popular interest and general discussion. Moreover, it was Kelley's habit to be specific in his prophecies ; it was only in the matter of practical detail that he made use of general phrases. Asa Whitney's agitation began in 1844, and his first petition was presented to congress in 1845. At the earliest, Kelley's claim was not advanced until 1852, the year in which Whitney's plan was definitely abandoned by congress. By that time the movement for a railroad to the Pacific had become national, and Kelley's suggestion as to possible route and method of financing was only one of many, and contributed little if any- thing to the final result.*®
1 8 Oeveland and Powell, Railroad Promotion, 259-78.
