New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-04-14

tuu tnat TINS great work was executed entirely Tor
the convenience and use of Mississippi You form.
ery or rather the Board OF Directors in your Rail-
road, assigned other purposes and great advantages
to your city, from the construction Of this road but
every one OF them lay north OF Canton and the most
prominent OF these the command Of the trade Of
the valley of the Bgbee aud the Tennessee rivers,
and to counteract the effect of the Mobile and Ohio
Road upon the commerce of your city; these were
tne reasons formerly given for the making of this
road, and to which will now add another the thou
sand small valleys lying along the line of the pro-
posed road where you find the small farmers Of the
country, making five, ten twenty or forty bales of
cotton Those are the men that make railroads, and
support them after they are made. Those are the
men that build up and enrich Cities and defend them
after building. OF such men, principally is the pop
ulation composed along the line of this road except
in the valleys of the Bgbee and Tennessee rivers ;
and they all desire to aid in making this road and to
trade with your city If you will permit them.
! BY accident last summer, passed down nearly
the entire line Of this road, and can say with truth
that never heard the opinion Of one man against
the making of this road, or trading with your city,
Then, why not permit us to make I'll or why should
the Company refuse, at least it may be able to ap-
ply the $500 expressly appropriated by the State
OF Mississippi to this object? Or why should not the
Company, at some future period, aid in this great
work. either by its credit or its income? One of two
things is certain: either that you ought never to
have appropriated the 50 600 000 or this work ought
to be carried forward TO its fiual contamination As
1t now stands your city has simply made stock in
vestment in railroad that can never be of any great
commercial benefit to your city. But adopt the poll
cy OF the extensionists and you will command an
overwhelming trade that you never otherwise OBJ.
tain. admit that you will get this trade at the ex-
pense of the city OF Mobile, but you commenced your
road with that object. Your road, after reaching
about eighteen miles north of Canton, will begin to
command trade that will otherwise 20 to Mobile and
this it continues TO do until you reach the Tennessee
river. There are those who will tell YOU that the
making of the Central Road has superseded the ne
cessty for your road This is not true The Central
Road will never bring you any article of commerce
which has not heretofore come to your city, To
satisfy yourself on this point, examine your maps.
and you will the truth of the statement trust
that every citizen of New Orleans will examine this
question for himself and that he will be able to give
good reason for taking the 90 900 600 of stock in
the road TO Caution, that he will act with those
who go for carrying out the original objects of the
Company. Or, would like for some one to tell me
why road to Canton of FOG miles would be better
for the city than road Of about 406 miles to the Ten
nessee river More especially when yours is the great
trunk road standing to other roads, as the river at
your doors-the great Father OF Understands to
its tributaries
But this matter Of extension is the most monstrous
and contradictory subject with which have ever had
to deal in Mississippi the only objection have ever
heard to its construction is, that it would do too
much business, and thereby greatly njure the Central
Road, the Southern, Mobile and Ohio, aud Charleston
and Memphis Roads. If it should do this II would be
because it was bringing trade and travel to your city
But come down here, and | am told that the road
passes over poor country not worth making a road
through and that the So 900 900 of stock taken by
the city would be destroyed in value, If so valueess
road was made That is, that it would require all
the profits of the southern end of the road to paw ID
the losses the northern end. That both these ar
guments are true is impossible and those who use
them ought never to repeat them to the same man in
the same day, he might be suspected of confound
ing two stories. If the city of New Orleans had ori.
ginaly not intended ever to make but 200 miles of
this road, she ought TO have commenced at Canton.
and il this had been done, you would have already,
this season. have received 10000 bales Of c)tton.
and other merchandise that you will never see nor
never in any future can see unless the road is
made north of Canton.
If your city should refuse to act with those who
are in favor of extension, it will present the anomal-
GUS position of city having refused to permit |
people ont of their own to make a road OF 200
miles in length, all the benefits of which were TO re-
suit to you commercially, and but as an agricultural
facility to those making it. The position would be
novel one, the like of which the world has never
seen, or may never see again.
l now submit to your candid consideration the
foregoing statement Of facts all of which person.
ally know to be true, or from the testimony Of others
have every reason TO believe to be true and have
used no argument but in the spirit Of fairness and
candor If l. in any matter have deceived YOU it is
because am myself deceived, for If know my own
mind or heart, have object in this controversy,
but, according to my best judgment to do my duty
to all parties having an interest in the questions at
ISSUE Having done this, will cheerfully acquiesce
in whatever view you may take of this very import
ant question giving to you full credit for the same
honesty of purpose which claim for myself.
Yours, very respectfully
W. MCwIIIlE