The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-04-04
From the Cleveland Herald, March 3Oth.
Indianapolis and Cleve
land Ratlroad-Meeting az Empire

land Railroad-Meeling at Empire
Hall.
Agreeably to a short motion, meeting
convened last evening to take into conside.
ration the proposed railroad route from this
city through Indianapolis to Evansville, on
the Ohio. as part of the great Northern and
Southern route, reaching from Lake Erie to .
Memphis.
On motion Of H. B. Payne, the chair was
taken by s. ]. Andrews, and on motion
George A. Benedict acted as secretary.
Judge Andrews introduced Hon. o. II.
Smith, of Indiana, who addressed the audi
ence at length upon this proposed great rail-
road route.
The reputation Of Mr.. Smith for energy,
sagacity and frankness, carried conviction
with his remarks, and his intelligent and
skilful handling of his subj ct entertained as
well as instructed delighted auditory
Those who listened to the Hon. gentleman,
became convinced that railrc ad speech ne.
cessarly need not be dry and dull. Mr.. S.
has been engaged for the last eighteen
months in his iavorite project of construct
ing this important work which sh all connect
the great South and the great North through
the Mississippi valley. He said one fact was
apparent that in this great line Memphis,
Evansville, Indianapolis and Cleveland must
be made points. He remarked upon the sim
gular fact that our eyes have up to this time
been looking east and west, and our roads
solely aiming at a connection of the East
with the West; that we have looked no fur
ther south than Cincinnati, .but have stretch
ed our eyes westward even to the Pacific
Mr.. Smith disclaimed any hostility to any
other route, but as when managing case in
ejectment, he relied upon the strength of his
own title, not upon the flaws in that Of his
opponents. This proposed road will open to
the Lakes the trade of Southern Indiana, a
pound of whose produce has never reached
this market; that richest portion of that rich
State has hitherto been a sealed book to this
section.
Mr.. S. mentioned as a remarkable crcum-
stance, that while within a distance of $50
miles down the Ohio from Cincinnati, nine
roads reach towards Indianapolis without
finding a bushel of coal or pound of iron
ore, all the remaining distance down to Ev.
ansville, more than 200 miles, not one road
yet connects the Ohio with Indianapolis
The neglected country embraces two-thirds
of Southern Indiana, rich in agriculture, and
the seat of her inexhsustible mines of camel
coal and iron ore.
|, Mr.. Smith commented most strikingly upon
the fact that our present roads traverse the
slme parallel Of latitude, where the fruits are
ripening at the same time, and where the eli.
mate 10 nearly the same. whereas his propos-
ed route crossed parallels of latitude inter-
, changing fruits at different seasons, and af-
fording easy changes at all times for health
or pleasure to and FROM the bracing North
. and balmy South.
MIR. s. illustrated most forcibly the impor:
, lance OF Memphis as to its connection with
| New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston, Arkan.
sas and Texas, in Tact ultimately with the
Pacific. He showed that Mobile was 60
miles nearer the North by this route than by
the Louisville route and on an easier grade,
and proved conclusively that business must
take this rote North 10 preference to the n.
4 lincs Central Road, or the Kentucky route.
. Mr. Smith exhibited map having his pro.
!. jected road marked with its connections and
feeders. A glance at the map will show a
!, remarkably straight line from this point to
|, Evansville. The distance from Evansville,
. on the Ohio, to indianapolis by this propos.
ed road, is $50 miles, and is only 10 miles
longer than an air line, with grade of al
:, most but 80 feet to the mile.
Mr.. Smiths heart is i'm the work and il will
be accomplished; for having run over every
grade in political life, he has retired from that
track in good condition, satisfied that politics
is mostly a question of ms and outs and re-
sul;s finally in being sDitched off ut the wrong
turn out The great men, Mr.. s. well re-
marked, are engaged in the mammoth BUSH
ness enterprises of the day, while the lille
men are engaged in politics. An audience
OF Railroad men could out-saine any congress
ever convened.
" 81
nor his graphic description of a Southern bar.
bacue, but we do know that his audience was
must highly entertained and instructed for
two hours, and that his facts and figures ir.
resistably proved that the route from this
: point to Memphis via. Indianapolis and Ey.
: ansviile is to be the great through Northern
and Southern railroad route.
Arthur Hughes introduced the following
resolutions which being seconded by H. v.
!, Wilson were unanimously adopted:
RESOLVED, That the construction Of the Ev.
; ans. lille, Indianapolis and Cleveland Straight
Line Railroad, and the line ofroad from Terre
Haute to st. Louis, forming with the roads
already built, through line from Cleveland
by Indianapolis to Evansville OIL the Ohio
River, and also to St. Louis on the Misss-
sippi River are works of high and paramount
, Importance to the business and commerce oil
the City of Cleveland and the railroads cen.
: tering here.
Resolved, That the contemplated extension
!, OF the great through line from Evansville by
Henderson, Smithand and Paducah to Mem
phis, Tenn. to connect there with lines to
New Orleans, Arkansas and Texas, making
> the through central line in the valley OF the
4 Mississippi from New Orleans by Evansville,
Indianapolis and Cleveland between the
: North and South, is work Of great national
!, Importance.
= Resolved That the Companies and Individ-
: uals engaged in the extension Of this great
line are entitled to our cordial cooperation
and support.
Resolved That the thauks of this nnoa,; n n