The true Democrat., 1855-07-10
The Gazette's Misrepresentations
 about the Memphis Railroad.

The people of Arkansas are deeply concern ed in the construction and completion of the Memphis railroad. They have embarked in that enterprise all the land donated to the State, by the general government, to aid in building the eastern branch of the Cairo and Fulton railroad, and they have the right to ex- amino into the concerns of the company that has received it. This, as one of the citizens of the State, we have attempted to do, and all the information we have obtained, we have laid be- fore the public. For this we have been bitter y assailed and censured as an enemy of the road. But we care not for such reproaches whilst we have a duty to perform If the com pany have acted honestly and wisely, our re- searches will only establish the fact to the world if they have not so acted, we most assuredIy shall expose them, regardless of the consequent CeS.
 The Gazette, in its reply to our article of last week upon the subject of the extravagant terms of the contract for building the Memphis rail. road, makes some broad msstatements which we deem it duty to correct The Gazette says
 "It is charged, that the road is let out to con- tractors, at the sum of S1O,OOO mile, over and above what it ought to cost
 In reply to this, it is only necessary to referto Capt. Walhams report of the survey ofthe Cairo and Fulton railroad-all of which the organ approved. The cost of that road is estimated at S2l GOO mile, in cash, exclusive of engi- hnr Nbo of the Memphis road is $25,OOO mie-thc contractors paying for the expense of engineer ing, and every thing necessary to build a first class road, and, equip it with locomoti1es cars, etc., necessary to put 1t in running order"
 One ot two things is evdent-either Dr. Bor~ land has never read the report of the engineer of the Cairo and Fulton railroad, which he re- fers to so positively, or he wifully msrepre- sents it. He says that CAPT WILLIAMS esti- mate of the cost of the Cairo and Fulton rail- road is " $2l ,OOO mile, in cash, crclusiue of engineering and other expenses" This is wholly untrue. We refer the Doctor to CAPT. WILLIAMS report, page 35 and he vii! there see that "engineering and contingencies" are i,a- cluled in the estimate. So much for one of the Doctors facts. Weintend that he shall stick to the truth.
 Our charge that the Memphis road is let out to contractors at $10,OOO mile over and above what 1t ought to cost. we rciterate and shall now prove. According to the contract let to Brad- Icy, Ford and Sichmey, the road will cost S3,- 225, ,OOO, which we maintain is too much by one million tlco Hundred and ninety thousand d02us The road should not cost more than one million mine Hundred and thirty, ,fve Mousand dollars At the outside, 1t should not cost exceeding two millionsof dollars. Fifteen housand do1lays per mlle oug1t b be money e,sough.
 By Capt. Williams report, which the Doctor appeals to- it will be seen that the cost of the Cairo and Fulton railroad from the Missouri line to the Texas boundary is S21 GOO mile being S4,OOO per mile less than the Memphis contract. And this $21, ,OOO not only includes engi1,eering and aN contingencies" but the "pro- it cf contractors" too. But it is not just to in- stitute a comparison between the Memphis road and the entire Cairo road. Byreference to CAPT. WILLIAMS report, it will be found that all the heavy and expensive work is south of Little Rock-and hence the high estimate Of S2lOOO per mile, The Memphis road has nosuch bro- ken and untavorable country to pass over as that lying between Little Rock and the Texas inc In drawing the comparison then, we shall restrict ourself to that portion of the Cai- TO and Fulton road north of the Arkansas river, which for many miles runs near and parallel to the Memphis road.
 By CAPT. WILLIAMS able survey, the cost of the northern division of the Cairo road is estimated at Sl8,OOO mile-that is, S7OOO less than the price of the Memphis contract It will be observed also, by reference to the re- port, that of this $18,COO one housa,1d one hun- drea and fifty dollars is for the ballasting of coarse gravel to be laid IS inches deep upon the bed of the Cairo road. There is no such work to be put upon the Memphis road. There fore the cost of the road would be one thou sand dollars lesS-that is, if built like the Mem phis road, it would be only S17,OOO per mile
 And again, it will also be observed that CAPT " LILA MS estimates the cost or Iron at ; ) per ton. Iron is not worth more than $40 now, and we have been told recently, that the Memphis contractors made purchase of enough iron at $40 per ton to complete 70 miles of the road. This fall in the price of iron will make diff ference in the cost of the road of fully $4,OOO per me Thus if the northern division of the Cairo road was built now at the present price of iron and without the gravel ballasting as the Memphis road is to be built, it would only cost $13,OOO per mile.
 And again, it will also be observed, by refe- renee to his report, that Capt. Williams allows for the equipment of first class road includ- ing depots,, machine shops, station houses, To- comotives, cars, etc., (an1d enqlneering too) com mencing at once very heavy business. The estimate, he says, would be much too large for several years after the completion of the Cairo road It would be far too large an estimate for the Memphis road; therefore in this item the first cost Would be apain reduced-that is re-