Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-11-11
COMMUNICATION.


The Railroads east of the Mississippi river, will
be completed in few years more, and in this pro
gressive age, the locomotive is westward bound till
it reaches the great Pacific. Memphis has entered
this enterprise westward The Memphis and Little
Rock Railroad will be finished to Madison the
St Francis river in few days, a distance of 40
miles across the wide spread bottom of the Mssis-
sppi This deposit of 1000 years, by the father of
waters contains the elements of continuous produc
tion for thousand years to come; and this is the
basis of local trade Tor this section of the read
| qualled in ferri ity
The next span of the road, is from the st. Fran
els to the White river distance Of about 40 miles,
crossing Bayou L AnguiIle, and Cache river. The
bottoms of these bayous and river likewise pro-
ductlve lands. From Whie river the road PASSES
over prairie section of every grade to the Arkan-
sas river at Little Rock, the seat of government:
making the whole distance from Memphis about 1875
or $50 miles.
From Little Rock the survey bears south Of west,
crossing the waters of the Saline the Wsshila and
Little Missouri, to Fulton Red River, in latitude
38B north, in the very best cotton latitude.
To show the importance Of this road to the State
of Arkansas, it is only necessary to mention the
counties through whiehit pssses and those connect
ing with it by the rivers crossed above stated
Commencing at Memphis it passes through Crittsn-
den st. Francis, Monroe Prairie, Pulaski, Saline,
Hot Springs, Clark, Hampstead, and La Fayene
The counties directly interested in the Of the
road, are Phillips and POinsett on the st. Francis
river; Desha Arkansas, Jackson, White and indie
peudeuce on White river; Jefferson, Perry, Conway
Yell, Pope, johnson, Franklin, Sebastian and Craw-
ford on the Arkansas river Mississippi and ChicOt,
on the Mississippi river. Indeed, the whole State
is interested in q central pioneer road, passing
through in a central direction aud crossing all the
rivers with their sluVial deposits, as permanent,
lasting feeders to the cotton plant, the King Of
Commerce"
When completed to Little Rock, it brings the
seat of government into direct connection with New
Orleans, Mobile, Charleston, Savannah, Washing
ton City, New York, and all other cities of imports
anoe in the United States. 1t opens the way to
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama Mississippi and
Tennessee, and thus invites them to send of the
surplus force from their tired Iands to the rich de
posts of the Mississippi, st Francis, White, Ar
kansas and Red rivers; all accessible by this road
1t will adj value every Of land in the State
this will fill the State Treasury and restore and
maintain her credit, which was blighted in days
gone by this old British debt was bubble Of18S6;
which bursted in 1888; and what is outstanding of
it is in hands of corporations, banks, and individuals
who have in most cases, become the owners at 80
or 40 cents in the dollar, and the assets of the old
banks, will finally take them up without loss to the
present holders Outside of this British or Dutch
debt, the credit of the State will be good
The rich deposits Of the State of Arkansas can
yield, when cultivated, 100000 bales of cotton
Every additional hundred bales adds strength to her
institution Of slavery; because money is pOOsr, and
when the crop reaches 900 600 of bales per annum,
it will be pODsr which is uncomfortable by the
North 1t will be self sustaining and self-prOtect-
ing better than all the laws which eau be penned
by Congress. The institution of slavery has no
parallel in history. 1t is here the educated intel
lect ofhe Caucasian race, associated with and con-
trolling African labor. 1t has the highest order Of
educated mind to direct and protect the labOrer
and those who undertake to invade this domestic tn
s,tution Of the South are deluded in their mission,
and will fail An income of 5000 5000 bales of cot
ton in the hands of an indomitabe Southern spirit,
mailed with the armor of right lis smOre powerful de-
fence than the armies of Napoleon.
Push forward the locomotive across these western |
deposits, and in few years this King Of Com
merce " will be strong as Sampson.
This road is half national in its consequences.
These aluvial deposits in the west seem to be in
tended for cotton. The increase in cotton renders
secure beyond question, all the property engaged
in its growth as well as that in sugar rice and to-
baocO Then it is in the line to the Pacific Ocean,
and therefore partly national
For the reasons thus merely alluded to, but not
fully set forth, it merits all the aid it receive
from the State It has some grants of lands which
are not now available but would it not be expedent
to mortgage the lands, the Company to issue their
bonds upon this q basis and ask the State to
dorse them? The lands of the road would be sufh
cieut security for the State and with the bonds iron
could be purchased for the section from the St.
Francis to the White rivers; thence to Little Rock.
The State of Tennessee endorsed the Memphis
bonds for S35O,0O0 to make a commencement in
this enterprise, upon the grolnd that it would be
large feeder to all the roads in the State That it
would increase the value of property in Memphis,
and thus add to the State Tar The chances are that
the most sauguine expectations on these points will
be far exceeded, when the road is completed, for
completed it must be.
To Little Rock the advantages are sn-importADt,
but it is the general good the general convenience
which stands out a. the strong advocate Of the en-
tsrprise. c.