The true Democrat., 1854-10-25
Yours, etc.,
Facts and Figures.-No. 2.

The Mississippi, Ouachita and Red River railroad, and the Fort Smith, Little Rock and Helena railroad, have, as integral parts of sys- tenn, been considered together and now come to the consideration of the last road claiming the attention of the pnblic-the Memphis and Little Rock railroad. This road, it will be re- collected-for 1t Is now upwards of two years in legal existence-took the name of the Central railroad but the Cairo and Fulton road occupy ring now the portion from Fulton to Little Rock, the project claiming our attention is that other portion from Little Rock to Memphis The friends of this road claim for it two distinct re- suits, viz:
 First The shipment of the products of the State from Fulton and Little Rock to the Mis- sissippi at Memphis.
 ! Second The shipment of the supplies of the State from the Mississippi at Memphis, to Lit tie Rock and Fulton.
 The first of these, the transport of the pro- ducts of the State, is that item of our carving trade, which, ill obedience to the laws of com mercial economy, has been seen to call, under Me penalty cf e ta1 upon tue producer for those two east and west roads, the Mississippi, Qua chita and Red River railroad, and the Fort Smith, Little Rock and Helena railroad. The second of these, the carriage of those supplies, which, aggregating at Cairo or Kentucky city from Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, &c.,, &c., is that other item, four carrying trade which demands, under tue cost to tue consumers pocket of conflict with the principles of industriaEarith- metic, the construction of Fulton and Cairo or Kentucky City railroad. These remarks estab- fish therefore, the general proposition, that
 1Ae Memphis road undertaking to accomplish the aoole objects cf these three roads, occupies po- s'tson cf direct hostility to the Cairo and Fulton raalroad, the Fort Smith, Hele,,a and Little Rock raslroad, and tue Mississippi, Ouachita and Red Rlver railroad
 The general question of hostility being thus demonstrated, shall now take leave to consider that hostility in detail. Cutting off the busi- ness concentrating at Fulton, this Memphis road. fit accomplish all that is claimed fort. will di kvert completely, the through business of the M. o. and R. R. railroad. But the loss to this latter railroad will not stop with even the rouoh busines The Memphis road, according to the claims set up for it, will divide in this rivalry the aoay-business of the rich country between Camden and Red River; and both these losses amounting to heavy deduction from the esti- mated receipts, will prove seriously dangerous to even the maintainance, when completed of the Mississippi, Ouachita and Red River rail- road. Let it, however, be asked, will Red River paying freightage on 26O miles of railroad and 800 miles of river. ship to New Orleans by way of Memphis; or will Red River, preferring to pay freight on only leO miles of railroad and 600 miles of river, ship to New Orleans by way of Gaines Landing? The cheaper route will surely be the preferred route: the difference in favor of the Mississippi, Ouachita and Red River railroad is so high, as according to the figures