Des Arc citizen., 1859-04-22
les Arc and the people of Prairie county gen.


 the unsettled portion of Prairie county, and ture of public money to decorate Brownsville to show the spirit that predominates in the minds of a few of the EEcho's" neighbors who would squander the public money for un- necessary improvement, and then tax the peo- ple for a necessity. We need county jail and it should be well built, for before the third section of the proposed road is completed it will no doubt, be occupied. The Sheriff of the county would do well to remember that should he arrest any of the parties adverted to, that it is unnecessary to send them out of the county, as we have substantial jail at Des Arc.
 | The vote of 1857 was an expression of the peo- pie, not to be misunderstood, in reference to a county tax, and the prating of the "Echo'' that cit was not fair test of the, then, senti- ment of the county" is all gammon, and is of d piece with ihe comparing us to the alright ed boy who whistles to keep his courage up. Why. sir if this question is ever voted upon again in Prairie county, the majority will be so large against it that you will not be en- abled to 'spucker your lips,'' to say nothing of whstling.
 The attempt to prove that Caroline, Centre, Wattensaw and Pigeon Roost townships have any interest in the proposed road from De- val's Bluff to Little Rock, and that the peo- pc of those townships will haul their produce to the road in preference to going to Des Arc, or some point on White river, is upon par with the many outlandish and inconsistent po- sitions of the EsEcho." Des Arc is prepared to accommodate the farmer with every article he may desire-her merchants have the gold to pay for cotton and other products. With her thrifty population of twelve hundred, she has the mechanics and artisans the manufac- tories and workshops-the constant naviga- tion to bring to their doors, every article need ed in the vast section that is contributing to- wards her prosperity, that is not produced by the handiwork of her immediate people.
 The editor of the :" Echo" seems to writhe under our allusion to the manner in which the late census of Prairie county was taken, and says
 C He had claimed for his village and town ship greater population than either possess ed and because an officer acting under the sanction of an oath did not give them the benefit of fictitious population, he must needs be condemned.''
 Whoever asserts that we claimed for Des Arc and White River township greater popu- lation than either possessed, C lies without stint" and we demand from the author of the above lines to know who he is, and by what authority he makes the above assertions. If he is gentleman he will comply with our re- quest-if not, he deserves to be known that he may be scorned by honorable men. We have asserted that the census of White River, Pig con Roost and Caroline townships were not correctly taken-we have proved it so far as White River township is concerned, and pub lished the facts to the world, months since, and until the |" Echo'' had the audacious pre- sumption to contradict the fact--there was not a man in the county but conceded f. We have never impeached the honesty orveracity of the officer alluded to by the < Echo," but we have the proof positive that the census was badly taken--and that thereby Prairie county lost an additional Representative, to which she would have been entitled had proper care been observed in taking the enumeration.
 The attempt to reflect upon the people of Des Arc. in asserting "that if the place was sold lock- stock and barrel,' it would not bring enough to pay the amount pledged for the capital,'' is in perfect keeping with the course of the clique who control the scribbler for the G Echon Des Are has contributed more towards the support of Brownsville than any other portion of the county, and yet this hired minion doubts the ability of her citizens to comply with proposition which they unanimously acceded to. We repeat, that Des Arc has never pledged dolarto any en- terprise she was not able to pay-and the sham meeting held at Brownsville in derision of our town should cause the blush of shame to man. tie the cheek of every one who participated in it. True, Brownsville has pledged no amount to any enterprise, and never will, but few in her midst are trying to ilvsigle the people of the county into railroad s'lbscrip- tion, and to expending the public money for the benefit of the few at the expense of the many. By shrewd management, through the County Court, an appropriation was made to build fence around the courthouse at Brownsvile-then it became necessary to tax the people to build county Jail. This Is what we had reference to in adverting to squandering the public funds.
 The editor of the '' Echo" asserts that no influence or {" outside pressure" Was needed to defeat the Des Arc, Dardanelle and Fort Smith Railroad bill, in the General Assembly. We hardly know which predominates in the mind of the editor of the < Echo," ignorance or impudence Why sir, early in the session resolutions were passed declaring the 35th parallel THE ROUTE for railroad, and the bill for the road from Des Arc westward was predicated upon the passage of the Both paral- Tel resolutions. Memphis, Little Rock and other points, doubtless including Brownsville, sent up their lobby members who spared nei- ther money or personal influence in opposing our road, and finally succeeded in killing It Tn the House, after it's triumphant passage through the Senate. In asserting that " not solitary individual outside of Des Arc wanted this road '' is as far from the truth as the as- sertion that the mass of the people of Prairie county will be benefited by building rail-