The true Democrat., 1854-10-18
For the True Democrat Facts and Figures-No. l.

LEAR SIR-N Ill you allow me to present to your consideration brief survey of the rail- roads claiming at this time the attention of the people of Arkansas. Railroad questions are commercial questions; and as such require in their consideration, to the exclusion of all the vapid declamations, all the loose assertion, all the dreamy ideality of the stump the sober- ness the exactness, the reality of commercial facts and commercial figures In this light 1 propose to treat the Arkansas roads,
 l The railtoad is important to a people as pro- ducers and consumers so far only as it accom- plishes an economical shipment; in considering then the transit wants of the State the first thing that presents itself is that great route of economical shipment on the Eastern boundary the Mississippi river. This great line of cheap transport must exert evidently, an influence on the other lines of the State, and this fact lead ing directly to an examination of the force and extent of that influence, 1 shall for illustration present comparison between a railroad ship ment from, suppose Memphis, to the nearest part on the Atlantic on the one hand, and be- tween, on the other hand, a river shipment from Memphis to the Gulf of Mexico. By railroad from Memphis to the nearest point on the At lantic the whole distance will sum up 75O miles; whereas, the route by New Orleans is in round numbers 800 miles, From Memphis to New Orleans the cost of shipment, freight and insu- rance, amounts for flour, bacon, iron. etc. to ! about 20 cents per 100 lbs; for cotton to about 30 cents per 100 tbs-that is, to say, forthc one, one-fitth of cent per pound and for the other, onethird of cent. From Dalton to Savan- nah, the railroad charges, below the average of southern roads, are for distance of 4OS miles 70 cents per 100 lbs, for cotton and 65 cents per 100 lbs for four bacon and iron; and this making for the whole distance from Memphis to the nearest port on the Atlantic (75O miles) S1 20 and $l 30 respectively, shows for the ship,.ents by raalroad from the Mississippi to the nearest port on the Atlantic one cent and one-ffth of a cent per pound for flour, bacon, iron, etc., and one cent and one-tlird cf c cent per D to,. cotton Showing thus afreightage of from one and one- fifth Of q cent per 1t, to one and one-third of cent per fb on the part of the transport to the Atlantic against one-third to onc- fifth of cent per 1b on the part of the transport to New Or leans, these arithmetical facts deoonstrnte
 lst That Tn any comparison as to the econo- my of product-shipment by the river and by the railroad, one mile cf ra1 IS eqaaz to at least -four miles cf rirer.
 I'd. That, as shown in the comparison of the shortest competing line to the Atlantic, tue pro- duets cf has Stote must, in uirtue ofAe ert,ulrds norty cteop transport on the Mississippi siuer find tler ultimate m'a,het, ID Mc ace of aH copetition ct NeD Orleans
 These are therefore tDo facts in t,.ade: to adopt any course at conflict with them were therefore to say the least of 1t unbusiness like and unwlse. But must follow out the enoui- ry as to the influence of that natural line of cheap carriage, the Mississippi, on the direction ot the artificial lines of cheap carriage-rail- roads. The southeastern corner of the State IS about 5OO miles by the river from New Or leans, by railroad the distance would run LID to at least 25O miles; and, consequently, the ship- ments from that part of the State must if thhe producers are unwilling to incur double trans port charge, be forever made by the Missis- slpp 5OO miles of river is only as l25 mi]es of railroad in cost of forwarding; and hence on- ly half as costly to the shipper as 25O miles of railroad. There IS however point due west of that southeast corner where the disproportion between the direct railroad route and the river is equalised by the length of railroad necessary to reach the river; but the east and west raii. road to the river receding also from New Or. leans as it recedes from the river, Mat point o,' e4uatased shipment does not taN acitlim tue Hnits 9 Arkomsas. The southwestern corner of the State is obliged to ship its products as you 'o'u perce're dy Jolzo,0ing out the .fywes, on an eastern railroad to the Mississippi as compared "ith dlrect road from that south western cor her to New Orleans, under an annual penalty or tax on the producer to an amount equal to the G,nelence between the cost of transhipping his frelght on the one hand and the cost of trans- port'ng them over some 60 miles of railroad on the other The farther north tbis ;non;rv IS extended the greater will be found tbe ecc. nomy of shipping the products of the State by east and west railroads to the Mississ;nn; At Camden this economy Gall pocketed ha ;t recollected by the people themselves) reaches 70 cents per 100 pounds, while at Little Rock # runs up to 20 cents-a saving of 60 cents ner bale of cotton in the one case, and saving ofana dollar per bale of cotton in the other. These facts-falling like all other Jacts in commercial economy within the demonstration of ordinary arthmetic-declare, when combined in practi- cal conclusion, dsat the economicM transport of the pToa'cts cf Arkansas requires system cf east end '0es vdsroads bssed upon tat great arterial yooa ~ "e'0 o''s""s, Me Mississippi ,r,vv.