Washington telegraph., 1851-12-10
For the 1'elegropk.


Nh. EDITOR: In the last number of the frlv.
graph you manifest some surprise, and show no
little ds.rust of the good Judgment of the emigrant
in passing through Arkansas, where lands are
cheap and fertile, 10. seek home within the
borders of Texas. As the conductor of public
journal, and one who is sincerely anxious 10 pro-
mote the ipteres. OF the State, il would, perhaps,
have been well had you pressed your enquiries
a little farther and asked yourself the question,
why it is so-why this mighty rush 10 Texas
Had yon done so, you might have given the
emigrant credit for more sagacity than in your
zeal for the interest Of your own State on the
first blush of the question you have been disposed
to accord TO him. II is no longer secret that
the State Of Arkansas (when we consider her re-
sources) is, in a peculiarly point Of view, in a
worse condition than any one of the thirty States
of this Union. The debt Of the State is
several millions, for the payment Of which the
faith of the State has long since been solemny
pledged, but for the payment Of which the means
at her control are now admitted 10 be wholly
inadequate. What must be donel Will the peo-
pie bear any further taxatiop1 The State and
county levies are now oAerous than any
where else. Are We benefited BY this heavy
,axaton2 Have We any ,urnpkes, plank or rail-
roads traversipg the State, showing the march
of Improvement, (as in cur sister States and the
reason of this heavy taxi There is not one IN
the State. In the counties there is scarcely
respectable bridge. The sessions OF our Legs
a,ure are on'y Biennial; the officers ol the gov,
ernment are paid less than in any other State,
still we are heavily taxed alposi beyond our
ability to pay. 1t is this state of things, Mr.
Editor, that is burrying the emigrani beyond our
borders. 1t is this that deters hun IRON buying
our cheap and fertile lands, and is even now
driving some Of our best citizens from the Stale
and forcing them into Texas where there is no
State debt, and where taxes are SO light as
scarcely 10 be felt
There is another thing which weighs heavily
on the productive industry OF the country wheh
it may not be amiss TO mentiop in this connection
and 10 ask your influences 10 remove. ihe loss
Of cotton down Red River and in the iransPor-
tation around the raft has. in the last three years.
been comparatively small, rs little as on any
other stream where there is the same amount
of tonnage, and yet in the face Of this iact 'he
insurance on cotton to New Orleans and on goods
up the river which was before too high, has been
increased half per cent. The high rate oil IN
suranSe is without Parellel on any other stream
where the risk is the same, and should DC 70;
duced to IL per cent. At this critical Perod "
the commercial affairs of New Orleans, she shou'1
be careful how she alienates, by UNJUST ia1a.OI
on her main staple, State that sends her nan
a million of cotton and buys from her an equai
amount OF goods. The spirit OF enquiry IS al
ready abroad in the land. The Arkansas planter
asks If there is not better rket than New
Orleans for the product of bis laboy MemPhs
and Charleston answer in the affirmative.
A PLANTER