Washington telegraph., 1852-01-21
Fran the ~ o. Commercial Bulletin.
r,. Approaching Railroad Convention.


F,o,n the ~ o. Commercial Bulletin
r,. Approaching Railroad Convention.
HELENA, Ark, Dec. 1851.
C,.,dv Rurke, Esq A. ID. Crossman, May.
10 nd l. d. b DeBow, Esqr., New Or
n'nI.ueu-I address YOU, d. citizens Of New
oI.,ns feeling that through your energetic in
80. I may reach the Internal Improvement
.. and feeling that has recently. and is now
Pn;t.s;ng itself in yoHt city. | iuief that the
.;., card Of invitation ''to the people OF Ar
hsp.r dated New Orleans. November 4th
1SsI nc well as your general invitation IN the
,..dt,.ss TO the people Of the Southwestern and
,T'.,a,n States" to meet in Convention with
,,o, on the first Monday in January 1857, means
!.,bi,o-i YOU z. il means, if tie people Of Ar.
t,psss will go t. work, and DO Wnat they
tho city Of New Orleans will render as
.;,,,pce TO make some OF her main trunk OF Kali
rssd 49,,
7, =, unnecessary to ertet INTO detail, TO con-
.;ncs Won Of the vast and undeveloped resources
~ Arkansas, Of this see you are fully advised.
She il perhaps the richest mineral State IN the
Uuinu-has the capacity TO produce 2.odo ,oUO
ILL.,, cottop-and her fertile northern and west
.our rouaI in mineral and agricultural resources
10 Noribern Arkansas. can he, by prompt ac-
,;or made TO give the same direction to her
"..I,ct South. western Arkansas aud North
,,.srn Texas, will use the same main trunk of
,..d. and in addition To all this, ther. is West
~ .,Lsrsas limitIess extent of the very finest
.,,;cuItur,l country that can pc found on the
t. of the Globe now in the possession Of, aud
..,n;ed bv the various tribes Of Indians. Ii will
=, onc. suggest itself TO your mind that this vast
and fertile region must soon pass into the hands
,f civilized man. and the Indians fall back to
N. country of the Plains-a country peculiarly
,d,p,ed 10 their migratory and unsettled DISPOSE
lions and habits When we speak Of the 'mani
fss, destiny" of the inians--ihe Westward
,covement of the age-and the indomit able ener
~ and land loving propensity of our people aud
Government the whole matter is explained =
This great country mus; be brought into cultva
iion and made to play its part IN the support and
Advancement of that people. who seem to be pro-
yressug on TO universal Empire far as This
continent is concerned at least.
The question naturally presents itself to an in
curing mind. why country with such lis,itIess
,e.ources remains, TO great extent, undevyloped.
Rut YOU understand the reasons. Arkansas was
admitted into the Union ten or fifteen years too
soon, and at an unfortunate time. The hcti-
tious values attached to everything under the
excitement Of 1885 and sc induced Few reck
less politicians who then controlled her destiny
10 attempt TO build up system of banking, based
On wild lands, valu-d ct 81, TO $40 per ACE
The consequence was. that Arkansas was bank
rup,ed in her very infancy, aud possessing no
population then, she has had no means to make
roads and open up facilities for emigration to get
1 Al L. r
the Mississippi is swamp. with but one single
exception, and that is where the high an1s reach
the River al Helena, poin. directly in the cen
TIRE on the Eastern line Of the State Opposite
his point, OIL the Eastern bank, is swamp,
which prevents the construction of any sort Of
great highway from the high lands East of the
Mississippi TO the interior of Arkansas, [and here
remark, it is impracticsble to construct roads
directly across the Mississippi hottom.) The riv-
err Of Arkansas are available for certain naviga
Hon. but the day has at length arrived, when ne
s'ss'ly is forcing emf grafton to overcome all the
difficulties Of ingrrss into our State and it is
row, comparatively. rapidly filling up yet slowly
10 what it would do if we had road.
The slave population can no longer support,
on the exhausted, worn. out uplands Of North and
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississ pp i,
and Tennessee. 1t must be ren,nved West of
The Mississippi, 10 a virgin soit that will yield
support. No one will or can work his slaves on
land tha, produces only from 800 to 600 pounds
seed cotton TO the acre, when price is ruling at
70 cents, and at the same time unable to make
oreadstuHs; he must move. and he will move! par
nculary when he knows there is country West
el him that will remunerate for labor, and ands
|" be had almost for asking for them.
In your address to the people of the Southern
,na western States, you propose a system Of
railroads for Arkansas, or rather recommend a
system proposed by citizen of Memphis. That
system will do, with some material alteration as
70 starting points, routes, etc. The starting point
'n rne Mississippi should be at Helena, instea ad of
:. eo'nt opposite Memphis. The route from
.'emphs &c the mouth of Cache river White
Ihnei' h' mat is, where the military road crosses
"n"e River, is ninety six miles. The distance
nun neiena to the same CROSSING, and the only
Practicable one on White river is forty-three
miles. The first forty miles from Memphis is
sc'oss the Mississippi swamp, over which it would
very expensive, if not altogether impracticabIe
- ~ make road. The General Government in
Wv territorial days Of Arkansas, attempted to
s'aAe art road across this swamp, above over
nc "' lhey partially succeeded in making, for
~ ~ miles, to Black Fish Lake; from there to the
~ so' touched, but skipped over, and worked from
mere mere on the high land to White river. When the
''ppl IS at high water, there is much of its
d., De, running through this deep overflow, from
a. a.A rish Lake to the high lands. Ii miles, as
t'e IN ITS main channel. 1t breaks over at
~ a, Us 's Known as the sunk lands of Missouri and
c'eht eeyous and bends from there to
"Pns ,on," The overflow over this portion of the
.,e IS from to l2 feet deep, with strong rap
v.r rulienI This fact know from an actual sur
,n!' n'aes' with the view to make plank road
Gus. o,' H. under very liberal charter recently
i.ah,. ;ea oy the Legislature. But gran, the prac-
6,s. 6p'y ".y o. making road across this swamp by
to malg ,l.eeng OFT the Mississippi, would it be safe
N. Ae 1' 'he investment, when the breaking Of
the ,e.s I've al any point above would sweep away
if nr,", .vaa a road from Memphis to Little Rock
cost pae.eaoe at all, distance f56 mes,) would
On, ,' n0' less than S2,J0o,OO0 Aroad ftcm Hell.
bull, 70 20 Little Rock distance FL mes,) can be
.rs,, , 'ot less than Sl,OOO,OO0. This would be a
s,,r. Ia.ang' Iug' ant would probably do as much OF
business than arr to Msrphis, from III,