Southern shield., 1853-11-12
No other State in the Union is

She has no railroad, no canal. no tel egraph. no plank or turnpike road no deaf, dumb; or insane asylum
 No, sir; not even respectable tol'- bridge, milldam, or even sP'In'ng jenet or pork packer. But the pro- pitious moment has not yet arrived; say the Governor and the Cairo and Fulton Company. The measure Q, the peoples misery is not yet tu'' enough to be poured out. Their con- dign punishment, and heartfelt pen i,ence is not yet thorough enough to come to the political altar and ask
 forgiveness for their past offences,-| sins of omission ana commission.-l But Conway has reasons for this mos, unfortunate state of things And by the standard of his philos- ophy, those reasons are most potent. But in the scales of my judgment, and those of the people, they are as evanescent as the Spirit Rappers. The history of the Goverment, State or Federal, furnishes TO precedent for his ExcelIency's extraordinary course of policy. The people have
 all, and that too by exclamation, spoken upon this expressing and Important subject. They have by turns, suggested-invited, appealed ands Threatened, bot still, most incor- rigiCle functionary, that he is-re- garding neither their tears. nor their imprecations, he turns indignantly upon all; 6 most remarkable con- pound!-is neither to be coaxed nor driven-more than Jacksonville, he makes common warfare upon friend and foe.-But, says his Excellency, la called session is unnecessary-ihe work of supererogation,-beside en-
 tailing a heavy expense upon the State. To this reply, if unnecessa- ry, why did he recommend, wisely, as think, specific legislative action.
 pending the last session.-And if the
 expense of this legislation is to be
 so onerous as to induce us to forego
 the acceptance of the grant, and the
 construction of the roads at this liuncture, the same objections would
 obtain imagine at a regular session.
 For it can take but one time to ac- complish the work, the only Possi-
 ble difference being, the pittance
 paid to members as their mileage. But the Governor says farther, that those
 stupid fellows, the present "h eads of the people" have neither intelli- gence, or integrity enough to dis charge their duty, if they were as- |sembled, and therefore it is impolitic. But in this, he should not be unmind- ful that a factous opposition to"John- sons bill" determined them to vote against his recommendations last win ter. And then, also, the grant was in mere anticiption,-now il is IT, nal act which they dare not, if they
 would, refuse to provide for. But of this, 1 think there need be no ap-
 prehensions on the part of the Gov ernor, 'as the last legisla ture will not suffer in comparison with any ot its antecedents or successors. That our roads are components ot the manifest destiny of Arkansas, l have no hesitation in believing but that the company which now seems 10 have the confidence of the Governor, can in any reasonable time without some legisltive action, giving the company the benefit of the land, and the countenance and faith of the State, and thereby the confidence of the people-accomplish the under taking, l have not the most remote idea. 1 cannot perceive that a call. ed session would exceed few thou sand dollars, and this, how insignifi- cant, when millions are at stake.
 It cannot amount to more, as no question of difficulty would be likely to present itself for solution, except, perhaps, some diversity ot opinion might arise in selecting..the Mississip- pi terminus. As to the policy, inter- est, and duty of Arkasas, in making this selection, it seems to me none, not the most casual observer, ought to hesitate; Helena or Napoleon is, to my mind, undoubtedly the point.
 Self-respect, and every sound prin- ciple in political ethics, or common sense, must tend to his conclusion.
 Whilst north Mississippi and south Tennessee may build Memphis what may not the boundless west, even
 to the Indies, rear up, at Helena, a Napoleon, or any other we'll selected
 point, being the terminus of the great
 Pacific railway. The friends of Hell ena and Napoleon, do not count up. on what there is noao, but what there may De, in untold centuries.
 The selections made now, mind you, is made for all time to come. Thatwhichis is unwittingly fritted away now, never can be regained. The imposition once practiced upon the famed Esau of biblical memory, is noxu abont to bo nlaved oH mon fhe