Washington telegraph., 1852-08-18
NO. 33.


ern votes this Central Railroad Company
will be able to procure the passage of the
( law transferring the swamp lands on the
lire Of the road, and the newly granted
! lands on its line, or part of the three mil
lions of acres, to it, the company, without
any equivalent given to the State, his Gre
dulity is of extrsvagant dimensions A
scheme by which few persons should sub.
scribe fifty thousand dollars, get transfer
J absolute from the State, of the lands to be
devoted to building the road, and with those
lands effect a contract with capitalists to
build the road; thus giving the capitalists
the land and the subscribers for stock the
road-the katter thus getting the road for
milling, and perhaps paying even their
/ 1900 or more of subscriptions in iana,
may seem to some to be plausible, and even
stamped with the impress Of genius. To
me it seems utter folly and insanity.
And therefore the committee rejected the
provision by which subscriptions for stock
might be made in lands, and adopted the
provisions dividing the road into sections,
and allowing the State stock and to have a
representation in the directory. 1t is in
these features only that tie two charters
presented to them materially differ.
Mr.. President, we think that this road is
the one that should be first built and that
to it all our priUate means and energies
ought first Of all to DC devoted But we
are by no means men of one idea We
know very well that the north, the west,
and the northwest, the region about Hele-
ma, and the southwest, have also strong
claims upon the State for countenance and
assistance L do not see why there should
be any dlssentlon, or any antagonism.-
The road from Memphis to Little Rock is
as much part Of the road to Fort Smith or
Van Buren,, and thence to Fayetteville, as
it is of the road to Fulton, the White Oak
Shoals and the Texas line Second in i'm
portance only to the Central Railroad is
the St. Louis and New Orleans road which
if it strike the Central Road at the foot of
Crowleys Ridge, and leave it again after
crossing the Saline, and so pass by Cam
den and on to the Opelousas road, will en-
tirely do away with the necessity of the
road from Gaines Landing, and give to
the southeast and to the north all the IA
cilties they require.
am sure make no opposition to any road pro-
posed or projected in the State. Nor do so much
care whether any road comes by Little Rock or
not. At least will say this and say it honestly.
that glad shonld be to see Little Rock prosper,
as know she would prosper with the proposed
railroads running through her limits vet should
abate no whit OF my zeal if | knew that not one
would come within twenty miles OF her. | am
for the road-or q road-ior any road-with all
my soul and with all my strength.
l understand very well the feeling prevailing in
our country against Little Rock. 1t is true, sir
| said in committee, and say it here that not one
man in Arkansas in fifty, out of Little Rock be-
lieves there is single honest man in it; and in
deed, U1ttIH the city, not one man in twenty be-
heves that another is honest unless he belongs to
his own side in politics or religion This ieal-
ously OF Little Rock, too common even among
those who ought to be wiser is totally absurd and
Gniounded. No doubt We like other men, would
like to see our own property increase in value and
should be gratlhed If the road near or by the
city. But am sure we more governed by
such feelings than other men; and that we are for
the road on entirely higher and nobler considera-
tions.
While we propose 10 the State to take stock in
the Central Railroad. also propose to her to do
the same III the st. Louis and New Orleans road
and In the Helena and Fort Smith road. There is
not and need not be any ungenerous rivalry among
these roads. | have wondered how there ever
grew up any ill-ieelng between the friends of the
Helena road (whom | hoped to see here sitting
with us in this coi.vemton) and those of the Gen.
tra road. The people of Helena, ask us to bring
the Central road to such point on White river
that their road can connect with it there without
having 10 cross White river and come thirty or
forty miles this side to meet it, 1t is reasonable
request, think. 1t is certainly important to the
Central road to send of branch to Helena and /,
tor one see no better way TO spur up friends in
Memphis, than to help on the Helena road little.
We understand very well, Mr.. President, the
value OF our trade to tae city of Memphis. We are
beginning to learn and feel our own importance
We told the New Orleans convention that we were
in the market, to be bid for; but they responded
at least Messrs RoBB and BENJAMIN, speaking for
the capitalists responded, that they had assis-
tance to give us. Perhaps they may find, before
long, that they could not do better than help build
a railroad within limits.
But as TO Memphis we know that the great al
luvia counties between the Mississippi and White
rivers are to be more important to her than her
whole back country IN Tennessee; especially after
she has been connected by railroad with the At
lantic. She will be emphatically an Arkansas
city. We know that railroad from Memphis
even to White river, and no further, would be of
vast value to her, and that she is much interest
ed IN building that part of the road, we in build
Ing one TO White river Her citizens say that they
will iron fifty miles of road. That, sir, is at $4,000
per mile three hundred thousand dollars 1t will
not do. Memphis and her citizens must come up
to five hundred thousand Mr.. IRRELEVANT. Ihey
tcM 40 It, Yes sir, do not doubt it. They will
do 1t; and it is because New Orleans makes no such
offer, that |, if tor other reason. should be in
favor, first of all, of the Central Road.
But at all events, ready as Memphis and her
citizens may be, think that the wishes and in
terest OF our brethren of Helena and the benefit to
the central road of branch to that town, should
be regarded as very important element to be
taken into consideration in finally determining at
what point the central road shall cross White river
That is all say 1t should be an element. Iii
be necessary to make DETECTION for the purpose,
and that detection does not too much increase the
distance cost, it ought TO be made. The Engi-
h1,l lncntoc tl.o.