Mississippi palladium. [volume] (Holly Springs, Miss.) 1851-1852, 1852-03-04

Il
River, but Tennessee would not gran
Us the right of way to Memphis, un
less we made terms with the old Mem
phis and Lagrange Company, which
was at the time, insolvent and diSor
ganized. and the stockholders were IN
wiling to make any terms with tn
Holly Springs Company, unless tha
company would agree to finish tht
Road out TO Lagrange. This our peo
plewere unwilling to do, and our enter
prise was given up. In February
1916, the Memphis and Charleston
Railroad Company was chartered by
! Tennessee, and were authorized TO buy
out or make terms with the old La
grange Company, and their charter also
provided thatno road should be con
structcd laterally within 20 miles o.
their road without their consent. Nc
company having organized under tho
Memphis and Charleston Railroad
charter, and the Memphis & Lagrange
Railroad being virtually dead and dis.
banded for l0 years, our people made
another effort 10 accomplish their OBJ
! ject, and in 1913, another charter was
/ passed by the Mississippi Legislature,
and the company sent commissioners
to the Legislature of Tennessee, then
in session, TO get the right of way to
Memphis; but instead of giving US the
right of way, the Tennessee Legisla-
ture passed an act renewing the char
ter OF the Memphis and Charleston
Road fer ID years, and the charter oi
the Memphis and Lagrange road for G
years, in consequence of which ouI
people could only obtain the right o!
way to Memphis, by buying 80 miles
of the old Lagrange road and building
a branch to it. Having been baffied in
this way in every attempt to get the
right of way to build our road through
! Tennessee, matters remained in this
condition when Alabama was induced
TO take hold of matters, and a conven-
ton was held at Holly Springs by the
States ol Tennessee, Alabama, and
Mississippi, in the fall Of IS49, when
the undertaking was then spoken of as
a partnership enterprise. The Ten
nessee charter we have seen used ev-
cry precaufion to protect. the local in
terests of her citizens and the interests
of her State.
The Alabama charter was passed in
January, 1850. The first section OF
this charter requires the road to pass
along the valley OF the Tennessee Riv-
er through the town Of Huntsville.
The I'd section provides for the con-
struction of branch roads to Florence,
if the main road passes through Tus-
cumbia, or TO Tuscumbia if the main
road shall pass on the North side of the
Tennessee River. The Legislature Of
Mississippi was then in session, and a
copy of the Alabama charter was for
warded to q gentleman in Holly Springs
with the request that similar char
fer should be obtained from our
Legislature. And just here would
remark that 1t has been attempted to
be impressed upon the minds of S ena-
tors, not only on this floor, but in the
streets and elsewhere, that something
ike fraud had been practised upon
this company, because in the bill pass
ed by the Mississippi Legislature, the
town OF Holly Springs was inserted.
! Yes, sir, and citizen of my county
has,been assailed as though he had
committed an act of fraud upon this
company, because he, in copying the
bill drawn up to be passed by the Leg
islature OF Alabama, inserted the words
Holly Springs, where the word Hunts
vile occurred, and changed the cap
ton of the bill TO suit the body then
acting upon it. take the responsible
ity of saying that the gentleman before
alluded to, is incapable of committing
a fraud upon this company, or any
other company, or man, or set OF men.
His character is above suspicion; and
1 further say that he has done nothing
bat what was right and proper; and
that he is entitled to the thanks of the
people of the State for his praisewor-
thy course in this matter. Is the Leg
islature OF this State TO have dictated
TO it, what it shall, or shall not pass, by
this company or any other body of
men! But, sir, it is urged that this
road is TO be a great national highway;
and therefore it ought not to be made
10 deyiate from a straight line in any
instance. How does this argument
stand when we look at the Alabama
charterl Is not the road forced to run
through Huntsville and along the val
ley of the Tennessee river. Are not
the towns OF Florence and Tuscumbia
well provided for in this same Alabama
charter. This was all very well in Al
ALBANIA, and do not blame her for it,
but upon the contrary, | think she did
but her duty: but when Mississippi at
telnpts TO do the same thing for her cit
izens. by fixing one single point in her
charter to which the company are
bound 10 come, and that too upon reas-
onable and liberal terms. she is to be
held up as being illiberal, and we are
told that this act on our part will kill
the road. Are we 10 be driven from
the discharge of our duty to our peo-
pie by this cry of alarm, that we will
kill the. road. No, sir, Let us dis
charge our duty to ouro own people, the
guardians of whose interests, we are,
and if this company, from their self
willed contrariness. shall defeat this
great enterprise. upon their own heads