The true Democrat., 1856-02-26
The Memuhis Railroad.

Memphis and Little Rock railroad.
 The above remarks are called forth by an article in the Memphis Bulletin of the 9th inst. from which we quote the following para graph:
 | "THE ExcEssEs OF FAcTIoNs.-The Little 1 Rock Democrat gloats and rejoices oyer the action of the corporation of that city, suspend. ing the collection and refunding the tax levied to pay the interest on the $1OO,OOO of city bonds subscribed to the Little Rock and Mem phis railroad. The Democrat regards this as a !" lick back" given to this enterprise, and re- joices over it accordingly"
 With all difference to the editor of the Bull letin, this paragraph, the commencement of tissue of misrepresentations, has not the slight est foundation in reality. We did not hail. nor did we regard the refunding of the tax levied to pay the interest on the city bonds to the Little Rock and Memphis railroad company as "lick back' given to the road. Far from it, and we would be much obliged to the Bulle- tin to report us truly. We are not opposed to the Memphis railroad, and we defy our ene- mics to search our columns and find one sim gle sentence expressive of hostility. On the contrary, we should rejoice in its construction heartily, as a measure of very great utility to the country.
 The misrepresentation that has pursued us in this matter has its origin in the fact. that we have, invariably and uniformly, exposed and opposed the mis-steps and impositions of the com pany that have the measure in hand- This we have done from no factious desire to retard the enterprise itself but, on the contra ry, to force the company so to act as to ensure its success. Had our efforts not been in vain, the company would never have been placed in the present embarrassing position that they now occupy. The refundng of the tax would never have been demanded by our citizens, and it would have never been ordered by our city council As It is universal distrust of the com- pany has taken possession of the public mind; the tax has been refunded, and the order for so doing was made by a council of the warmest friends of the enterprise in the State-men who have always advocated the Memphis rail- road, and who regarded it as of an importance to the State, paramount to all other railroads. Such is the fact as to the position the company now occupy in the public mind of Little Rock and Pulaski county.
 As to our position, it has not changed In common with large majority of our citizens, we voted for the issuing of the city bonds to the Memphis company. Does this look like hos tility to the enterprise? After so voting but few weeks elapsed before our eyes were open ed and we were satisfied, from the course the company were pursuing, that they could not and would not build the road, and, with tho scheme failure, the pledge of the city and county for a hundred thousand dollars each would involve us in irretrevable and eternal ruin. We were deceived and had aided to de- ceive others. We were partly the cause, to the extent of our vote at least of pledging the city to company that the facts showed, were not sound for, to our little city, the enormous sum of one hundred thousand dollars.
 When we discovered our error, the bonds had not been issued. What ought we to have done? Kept silent and permitted the outrage, because 1t was still popular; or to have expos. ed it, and boldly incurred tue temporary odium of so doing? Our duty wa. plan-ws ought to have exposed 1t and We did so, aud we bore patiently the storm that the act brought down upon our head. This storm has subsidsd here. The whole city are now of opinion with Us, and the rejoicing is general, that we have made most happy escape by not issuing our bonds.
 But the storm is not yet over. It has just reached Memphis, and our poor head is there suffering accordingly. But we have this con- solation, that the time is not distant, when, even in Memphis, justice will be done us.- The company is not deserving of confidence this we know-and we do not believe there is solitary citizen in this place who will man- tain the contrary.
 The Memphis Bulletin represents the oppo- sition to the company here as proceeding from the "Johnson and Conway faction," in conse- quence of arivalry between that and the Bor- land faction, and 1t does so from d total misap- prehenson of the facts. The truth is the re- funding of the tax-the hardest blow struck the company here--was ordered by a city council composed of the friends of Borland.-- Euery member of that council aoas the political Jfaend of Borland-not one of daena tue political friend cf either Johnson or Conway. Aud why should the friends of Johnson oppose the Memphis road? Did not Johnson obtain the grant of lands upon which it is now based, and did not Borland oppose the grant? If it is built will it not be a monument in honor of Johnson and memorial of shame to Borland? Why then should the "Johnson faction" as the Bulletin calls the democrats here, oppose the Memphis and Little Rock railroad? There is no reason for it, and they haue not done so either.
 The change in public sentiment here was not in consequence of the course of the True De- mocrat. Our arguments were addressed to men in this city who were our political foes, and who would not receive reason at our hands, We take no undue credit to ourself. We did not do it. The change came on the score that "hope deferred maketh the heart sick" The humbuggery of the company wore out the pa- tience of the most hopeful friend of the enter prize. One week he was told that so many miles on the Memphis end were ready for the ralls--that so many hundred men were at work grading. Next week, he was told so much iron was purchased, and the next that so many hun- dreds of men were on their way to commence the work on this side of White river. This was all humbusgery. And again, at one time we were told there was surveyed line. Our Legislature was so assured, and the law grant, ing the lands to the company actually adopted it and had map of it filed in the Secretary of States office. All this we are now told is not so-that there never was survey and that the line had never been located! All this-to say nothing of the company's violation of the law that they themselves procured the passage of