Washington telegraph., 1852-03-03
NO. g..

man Dard, that we have erected monuments
more dura6Le than brass To what no.
bier purpose, one and ALL could we devote
the remainder of our lives!
But, Mr.. President, objections have been
made to our undertaking to build railroads
at all, in S.ata, nnnn sl,o :,llo s.ro,,n eis
that we neither have the means, the people,
or the business to justify it. After so able
leader as l have found here to-day, on
the statistics of railroads, it would be a
waste of time for me to enter field where
l should fail so far behind. AS to business,
railroads not only increase, but literally
make it, as has been found by universal ex-
perlence. And even the business of Ar
kansas, as it now stands, and which would
necessarily have To pass over our road to
Memphis, would afford a handsome profit
to all holders of stock in the road. 1t
would not only do the local business of Lit
tie Rock, and the intermediate counties to-
wards the Mississippi; but all the produce
from, and all the merchandise for, the whole
western part of the Smte, and most of the
southern, would pass over this route-much
of the upper White river business would
also be done upon it. 1t would be their
railroad as well as ours; their only speedy
and certain avenue to and from market
So as to all travelling beyond the State
And when extended into Texas. as it soon
would be- all the intercourse and business
of that mammoth State, with the northern,
eastern, and middle States, and much of
the southern, would pass over it.
But open this road, commence the work
under such auspice as to ensure its COM
pletion, and you will soon see an immense in
tux of population and wealth, developing
the vast resources of the State, and increas-
ing its business in a proportionate ratio
New farms would be opened everywhere;
energy and capital would unfold our mineral
wealth; villages and hamlets would spring
up on the line; the value of all property
would be greatly increased, both in towns
and the country; your population would be
more than doubled in five years; your wealth
and means of revenue quadrupled and
finally extricatiou from embarrassment, and
general prosperity. Such have been the re-
suits every where else. Look at the railroad
lmeS in the northern and middle States; in
your neighboring State Tennessee; but,
above all, Georgta-and you will find that
such have been the results ereyY 1chere, and
lcith0W q S0iitdry ecceytion, where the
lines of road have been judiciously located.
Georgia, but a few years AGO, with her
waste Of barren sand-hills, was in the rear
OF all the Southern States But she acted
wisely-had men of wisdom within her
borders, and commenced her system of
railroads and domestic manufactures, as We
ought to do, and has persevered in the i'm
provements until the present day; and by
them has within few years almost dou-
bled her population, more than doubled her
wealth, and is now literally one Of the first
States of the Union-far in advance of her
Empire State of the South,
standing proudly as the rival of New York,
in the great race for State superiority.
All honor, then, is due to Georgia. What
she has done upon her sand-hills and pine
ridges, cannot we do here in Arkansas,
where Providence has blessed us with ad-
vantages 50 greatly superior! Are we an
inferior race of men! Who in Arkansas,
would not scorn the imputation!-We have
intellect-capacity, here-equal, in propor-
ton to numbers, with any of our brethren
Then, stimulate it into action; arouse the dor
mant energies of the people, of the men of
Arkansas, into action, What the Anglo
Saxon race hare done elsewhere, we can do
here. There is notbing inzpossibie:; ex-
punge the word from your vocabulary.
This Central RaiJroad, as | have al
ready indicated, is as much the road of
lceStern Arkansas of SOuthern Arkansas
as it is our own. The first link in any
road to benefit them, must first come from
the Mississippi to the centre. Without this
link to splice them to the great river, and
the States east of it, any roads that they
might build would be useless-they would
not 21ay.
A road from the west, or from Red river,
to this point, without this intermediate link,
would be wholly useless. But make this
link, and the chain can be extended to all
parts. | say then, sir, that, in degree,
every man, woman and child in western
and southern Arkansas, is as deeply and
directly interested in openining this road to
Memphis, as we of the center are. Let
all, then, come up to the work. Help us,
friends, with your means, to get the road to
this place; and we will then assist in ex-
tending its benefits to- you. You are bound
to come this way; then let us all pull to-
gether. Get it to this point, however, and
1t will soon erteaad itself to all of you.
AS to the means of constructing this
road to Memphis, the people and the State
can command them To White river, only
a fraction over 40 miles, over a level PLAIN,
private funds, if necessary, can doubtless
be raised, by those in the centre, south, and
west to complete it. No read, according to
its length, would cost less money. Even
the actual loss to our planters, occasioned
by the condition of our river, the present
year, if concentrated, would complete this