Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-03-01
For the Southern Standard.

For the Southern Standard
MEssRs. CHAPMAN g. SMITH Gentlemen 1t will
not be disputed by any acquainted with the people
of Columbus and of Lowndes county, when it is affirm
ed that they mindful of their interests and what
will promote their prosperity, any other people
They may, however, differ with others to what is
their true pecuniary interest and to what will pro-
mote their greatest prosperity. 1t will probably be
conceded that the same causes which have produced
beneficial results in other portions of country and
particularly in agricultural portions, will produce SINH
lar results here These premises being admitted, it
may be asked what has been the results upon towns
cities and country in other States, where the system of
internal improvement by of railroads and canals,
have been carried to the greatest extent In Massa-
chusets, New York and Pennsylvania along the lines
their railroads and canals the value of taxable pro-
perty has almost doubled in few years the popula-
ton of cities increased in the same proportion and
towns became cities by the increase of population and
trade in the same short period. Maryland, Virginia.
the Caronas and Georgia. following close after the
States first named with similar results In Georgia,
with whose rapid strides in railroad improvement and
the benefits resulting thereom, many of your readers
are familiar-where much of the land through which
her roads pass had become greatly exhausted and large
quantities almost out and unsaleable within the
last five years these lands have advanced in price from
25 to 100 per cent above what they could have been
sold for prior the completion of their railroads. and
are now in demand In all the States named above
and others might be named with equal propriety-the
people generally and their towns and Cities are in cir
cumstances of prosperity experienced by them
before their railroad enterprises entered into
Will not the people of Mississippi avail themselves
of the advantages that would ke producing like
effects accrue to them from the completion of the Mo-
bile AID Ohio railroad and assist in its speedy construc
toE 1t may be said that we have navgable river,
by which have heretofore been enabled to get off
produce end receive up freighs. This is true,
but if can, by making this railroad secure to our
selves greater advantages and facilities than the river
has will afford and that too without losing
any of the advantages afforded by the river does
that ought take hold of the railroad and assist in
building it in the shortest practicable period If the
people of Georgia had been content with their navga-
BILE rivers, the railroads in that State, perhaps, would
never have been constructed. They have the Savan-
nah, the Okmugee the Chatahochee, and other navi-
gable sreams-the first vastly superior, and the two
last named fully equal if not superior, to the Bigby
for purposes of navigation. Talk with gentleman
from any of the States named, where they have
peted to any great extent their railroad improvements
and his vivid description of the prosperity and
niencies of the people, seem almost like tale offcton
but when citizens visit those favored regions
and return home we hear from them the same glowing
of prosperity increased value of property and
increasing population and commerce.
Would not the completion of the Mobile and Ohio
railroad, with branch to Columbus, make a similar
and rapid change in condition! Would not manu-.
featuring establishments upon large scale, grow up
in midst 7 Would not this place become the ship
ping point for the country 80 40 miles and north
of US, the trading point for numbers of the citizens
the richest portion of Noxubee county! 1t is conf
IDENTITY believed that the result of few years expert
after the completion of this railroad would force
affirmative to all these questions and tina
instead of Columbus remaining she has done for thu
last ten years with population of from 25 to $780, il
five years after these roads completed shall hav
population of 5OOO and which would continue to in
crease for many years thereafter.
60 H." in the Republican of this week, has takel
up the subject of this railroad enterprise in well writ
ten article. "All right will he not continue to Civ
the advantages of his experience and talents by
tinuing his articles.
JAMES WHITFIELD.
Columbus, Feb 81, 1851.