Southern shield., 1853-11-12

those sought for, in the construction of great railroad enterprises. They dissipate time, ,annihilate space, hence thepeculiar production of our country may find ready sale at highly remu- nerative rates in another, producing none of those articles.
 A railroad connexlon with st Louis, for instance, would furnish our people with an advantageous market for their earlier fruits, veg etables, poultry, and many other articles of domestic consumption, in which we should meet with no rival ry, until our surplus was disposed of But to go to Memphis for market, would be"carrying coals to New Cas- tle"--offering to sell .o people, who themselves, were seeking purchasers.
 They and we, occupying a con- mon latitude, our surplus commodi- ties must be identical More than this, the great desideratum in con- meeting with the Mississippi by rail- road, would be sacryfced by going to Memphis, and only to be obtain ed by going to Helena or some other suitable point on the west ban6 ot tAe Mississippi. Arkansas wants an expeditions, cheap, and certain tran- si: for commodities to al N from the Mississippi. The road 70 Helena would be the most expeditions, be- cause the shortest. It is the cheap est, because the shortest, and because the depot will be pernanently on the west bank, and not on the east, as in Memphis. The most certain, because the immense Mississippi overflow, found between the St. Francis and Memphis, would be avoided, by go- ing 10 Helena.
 But the friends of Memphis, an- swer one of these objections, by say ing that the depot may, and will be, opposite Memphis on the Arkansas bank. To this, I would respond. that the condition upn chich Mem phis takes her stock forbidS MiS,- and farther, even though this insult ing exaction was not made on her part, the nature of the location op- posite Memphis or the Arkansas bank, will not warr,nt the conclu- sion that anything nore than tenn porary provemens, can ever. al any attainab!e cost, De erected. Be- side the manifold uilitarian consid- erations, which night so heavily weigh in favor of Helena, the in- trinsic merits and tdvantages of the locality itself, are superior 10 those of her rival-Memphis.
 In building city, you mus: look to the future tributary resources.-- First her commerce, secondly, her adaptation to, and means of man. ufaciure. Sir, in the absence of both of these afluen,s, no city can at tain, except temporary, to any great degree of importance or power.- The commerce of Helena, if the rail- roads are built, must exceed that of Memphis. To-wit the north Missis- sippi connexion, coming from the east that which the export trade of northwest Missouri, the most fertile region under the sun, must eventu- ally erect; travelling the great rid ge from Helena up the St. Francis and into the heart of Misspuri-that con- ing in via Little RocE from the grea { unopened west, taEing the golden shores of California, and then receiv- ing as an auxiliary the more than fabied wealth of the indies.
 For her manufacturing establish ments let us look around US, and count her advantags.--Take first, the iron interest.
 For the raw material, 1 cite half of Arkansas as furnishing quantityand quality, inferior not even 10 the great Iron Mountain of Missouri. The requisite fuel, wood and coal. exceed ing all probable consumption. For the importance of thisinterest enquire of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Lou is, as to what they lO'k for continued and ultimate success. St. Louis is now relying chiefly upon this very commodity and is providing for it's delivery to her furnaces, by the rail way now under course of construc- ton from that place to" "lron noun tain."
 She admits the imperative necessi- ty of establishing ner iron manutac- tories, if she is successful in rivailing her competitors, Pittsburgh and Gin cinna,i. A second great affluent 10 the wealth of these young giants of the west, is their flour interest. Few are apprised of it, but two-thirds of Arkansas, and greater portion of Texas, are better wheat countries than Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, or Penn sylvania.
 know this from tilling the soil with my own hands, in north Missou- ri and south Arkansas respectively. | I |