Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-12-04
RAILROADS.
FROM THE NEW YORK COURIER AND INQUIRER

FROM THE NEW YORK COURIER AND INQUIRER
Almost every State in the Union exhibits at this time
enterprise in its Railroad schemes To
accomplish improvements that considered Of vital i'm
portance to the domestic internal trade the credit
the cities and counties is brought into requison and the
capital of the Eastern cities is largely drawn upon
mote these objects The projectors do not stop here
but European capital is sought after where six and
per cent bonds
The leading Of the times is the great Central
Illinois Railroad, from Galena the north to Cairo
the SOUTH with branches Chicago, ST. Louis vncennes
&C. Nearly every dollar required for this enterprise
win come from England.
Then comes the Mississippi and Charleston road, to
connect Memphis, Louisville and Nashville with Charles
the seaboard and at the great road from Nashville
the north to New Orleans the south. This road
viii pass through the rich cotton regions of Mississippi
and the people Of that State awakening
the Importance Of this improvement for the development
of their cotton lands That State produces upwards Of
900 bales Of cotton annually at valuation of
than twenty-five millions of dollars butt win be difficult
for Mississippi to raise money upon its bonds until
there is stronger disposition evnced provide for the
existing ones
Arkansas too begins to find that internal improve
ments essential to enable it to compete with its
active neighbor, Missouri The great Pacific railroad
being seriously Contemplated there is already
ct of interest between Missouri and Arkansas to the
Missouri has already broken ground and will be
strongly supported by the great chain Of roads through
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois while Tennessee and Arkansas
linked together in support of road having
ntxion with Charleston on the east passing through
Memphis, the Mississippi and thence taking the high
read through Arkansas, to the Far West.
Still another competitor with Missouri is the route
urged from New Orleans through Texas. At the late
Railroad Convention in st. Louis, Col BENTON appeared
as the champion Missouri interests and advocated
hat To he wit ali of
gess This undertaking would take round Of one
hundred millions Of dollars There in St. Louis, and
it, abundant enterprise talent and capital to push
their road through with assistance The credit Of
Missouri, as State, has been used abused.
Its whole public debt is less than millions Of dollars
large portion of which is invested in bank capital pay
ing ten per cent. dividends annually.
Governor RoANE in his late message to the Legislature
of Arkansas devotes much space to the proposed i'm
provements and reminds his friends of the stain
resting upon the State for its payment of interest
its bonds.
Arkansas is at present financially in bad hands The
last Legislature reduced the taxes before barely sufficient
for the expenses of the Government The consequence is
that the annual has fallen short of the expend-
lures 500 900, and the probable deficit estimated by
the Auditor, will be nearly $65, 600 next year.
This policy (says the Message indeensble and we
would attempt to keep up the sembance of State Govern
men it must be changed If the people of this State
willing the of State Government, they
unworthy of such Governments the legislator who would
shrink from making the necessary provisions for maintaining
the Government for which he preten to egsate isunworhy
place in her halls"
Without banking institutions internal improvements
Arkansas cannot keep pace with her neighbors. The
State admitted into the Union in 1885, with popu
laton of 6O0O0 and taxable property to the of
Sl5,O00,0O0. Now the population is $50 000 and the
taxable property is $50 000 In 1886 she exported
5000 bales of cotton in 1852 150 600 bales Her hills
abound extensively with minerals of the valuable
kinds and railroads essential the development of
such vast The existing debt, amounting to
S2OOOOOO incurred for the purpose of establishing
two banks Both of these failed, entailing an annual
charge Of $4,000 for interest. Even this small sum
remains unpaid with population nearly double that of
Rhode Island whose banking capital is twelve millions
OF dollars The Governor recommends the issue of
bonds to take the place Of the old Ones but he will find
this measure unavailable unless absolute provision
is made for the punctual payment of interest.
In the face of adverse circumstances existing in Ar
kansas, find that Ohio and Indiana rapidly uniting
their interests by various chains of railroad There
now continuous line Of rails from Cincinnati Indiana
polls by way of Greenvile The stock in the Atlantic
and Mississippi Railroad Company has lately been sub
scribed in New York to the full extent wanted viz
81 $50 600. This will continuous road from
Terre Haute the Wabash river Alton and St. Louis
on the Mississippi.
Some idea may be formed Of the gigantic efforts now
making to complete the system of internal improvements
in the West from the annexed table showing the lines Of
railroads which will connect with Chicago. This
mary is from the Chicago Tribune:
Railroads built and In progress coming
Into Chicago with their length in round numbers
to the table of half dozen" long and short
magic influence the future prosperity
Of Buffalo We leave all roads e hun
ded miles in length, as Of no account oa here:
n