The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1850-09-13
THE RIVER AND THE ROAD-AGAIN

THE RIVER AND THE ROAD-AGAIN
The peculiar logographca situation {
East Tennessee, is another reason why Their
should be no conirarie.y of scn'm"nts j
reference to the construction OF our railroad
md the successful vnrigation of the river
Every one who knows anything OF Eas
Tennessee. has observed that the facn of TIT
country is divided from the mountains o
the South, to those on the North, by sue
ccssivc ranges OF hills, and between each o
I those hills lies rich and fertile valley, in
| habled by teeming population. These
| va lies and hills run from one extreme o
the State to the other, from Northeast III
Southwest, and lie Immediately parallel
with the river. The river itself washes one
OF those vallies. nearly the entirely length
Of the State, and is likewise Contained with.
IN two ranges of high hills. TIE great diff.
fculty of making roads across the country
has been long felt, and it seems that nature
herself has been s,udous in presenting OBJ
S'acles 20 an easy communication between
the back country and the river. Those
yalies contiguous to the river. have hereto.
lore transported their produce by thaimeaus,
but those more remote from the advo IMAGES
# navigaole stream, have been deprived
from Their unfortunate POSITION, Of every
Al
Chilhowec mountain in Monroe or McNlinn
counties. 10 the Tennessee river, an inuivd'
ranges Of knobs. which IN tie South would
BE- called mountains. With such an obsla.
ce in the way, M community would 60 TO
the expense of making suitable roads, and
"a farmer would think OF transporting his
produce IN his wagon. But we may be an
-wered that the Little Tennessee and the
Hlwassec 7ive.s, would bemore convenient,
Q nd Won ID ford him such facilities as he
would desire. But the point is to get to
stream. to cure Steamboat navigation,
and it is vel known TINT the Little Tennes,
see and the ill"assce, above Charleston,
IRE not navIgabie for steamboats,. How
then, the question recurs, is the entire com.
mun'y to be accommodated The answer
Is, below Knoxville, the completion Of the
Railroad and the navigation of the Tennes.
see river, and ebove Knoxville, the con.
struc'ion Of The East Tennessee and Vir.
ginia Railroad. and the improvement OF the
HoIs.on river, so az to make 1t susceptible
of s,eamboa, navigation. By this mean,
every portion Of Eas, Tennessee from john
son to arlan, cur be accommodated with
commercial facilities. and placed upon or
equal footing, in The race for wealth and
prosperity. BY the navigation of the river
alone, those vallies and counties immedi,
ately contiguous to 1t, are benefited, but
those more remote nre not in the possession
OF the advantages resulting from it. So,
likewise. tho cU!.p!u,;o;: - the 2e:l;.'us
and The neglect uf the rivers, produce the
very same results. only changing the mat
ter 50 as TO benefit the values and counties
remote from the rivers, and leaving those
near the rivers without benefit. Our posi-,
ton then is, us We SAID last week, let the
entire community unite III their feelings
and opnionS-'e each party lay aside its
private prejudice. and chickering's, and let
the mott" be ''Me complete success Of the
one, is The complete success of the oher."