Alabama state intelligencer., 1831-12-10

citizens of North Florence, who being out of the county publicly resolved not to interfere, and pri- vatey determined to give them all the assistance in thelr power. The truth of all this is well known.
 That there exists spirit of rivalry between the citizens of Florence and Tuscumbia, their adja- cency renders natural, if not unavoidable; but the citizens of the former pretend to too much magma nimity to be under the influence of such feelings, and they claim to be too far ahead to consider the latter a competitor, though we have just shewn to what shifts they resort If they would openly and honestly avow their opposition to the railway we might not complain; but we cannot and we hope the public will not be guled by their duplicty in claiming separate charter for themselves. They cannot surely convince one member of the Legisla- ture that they are in earnest. What! make two railways almost parallel around the Muscle Shoals and one of them by the citizens of the Florences who short time ago sneered at the mention of anyi Ridiculous! Theirtrue motives are betterunderstood; aware that the country does not require the use of two railways near together-that the' Legislature would not be likely to charter both; if chartered that stock would not be taken in ether their object | is, to divide and defeat both.
 Open opposition to the charter we have already said is not to be expected, nor there any difference of opinion to the designated route, from Tuscum1 bia through Courtland, to Decatur, but what arises from some half dozen citizens of South Florence and their sympathetic bretbren the north side of the river; and that is only accustomed by the advantages expected to be derived by Tuseumbia from the railway: and we would suggest to the ci- tizens of South Florence (with those of the North have really nobing to do in this controversy an expedient that wonld cure them of that let them join the citizens of Tuscumbia in making and ex4 tending their railway, and move there in tune to partake of its advantages; and would not be un- derstood to depreclate their town when we say that where they are, they have neither room nor health, good water; all of which they could en- joy in an eminent degree in Tuscumba; and thereby a dozen families, which we take to be about the whole number of families contained in South Flo. renee, would be rendered much happier. We would rather they should be our friends than enemies in which latter character we have still to anticipate their nvidous interference with the charterng of our railway, by soliciting for themselves which they do not want or branches only to obstruc. the main design.
 After all we would not be thought to regard their opposition as of much consequence, for it IS really small matter, small as regards their numbers, and still less regsrds their course; and as an additional reason why they should have but lit tie influence on measure that appertains exclusive y 10 this side of the Tennessee river they belong as the phrase is, to few men on the other side and we believe that there is more than one or two stores Tn the place. that not equally, or in greater de- gree interested in N Florence so that the affairs of $. Florence really controlled by the other side of the river. Their chief guide and counsellor the pu- tative father of the canal proceedings was elected to the legislature from Lauderdae expressly for the purpose of defeating the chartering of the railway and we have already that he does not come out openly against it, but is untirngly engaged in in- trIgue and management
 But whatever may be the attacks of its secret or open enemies, assured that the legislature will meet the application for charter in the liberal spirit ofthe present age, and cothe it with all the necessary powers, to continue the railway agreea- ply to the resolutions of the Courtland convention from Tuscumbia through Courtland to Decatur, i'm medately and westwardly to the Mississippi, when the sanction of the legislatures of the states of Ten nessee and Mississippi shall be obtained to char ter for that object x.