The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-02-24

ETrEtQAHI lAnEU.NLA
packets cur farms are again to BE stock
ed before that plenty 10 which We haze
been accustomed sgain smiles upon us.
While deeply suppressed with sense Of
present need - Is tho future that most
deeply concerns us. Under she most ia
vorsble direction Of events, il Is impos-
sible for our people to obtain relief, Of
their own resources, before the harvest
Of 1865 has heen gathered. MeanwhsN,
they must seek q rnmunicattoB, oifl
and sure, with the Essksts of our more
prosperous sister States. That comn1u-
nicafion can now only be obtained thro'
direct rsisrosd connection With Louis-
vile and Ciacinnsti. TIE construction
Of such railroad, Your ExcelIency, IS
early &c The fall Of 1861, h1d the ssgsci-
~ to recommend 70 Congress- as . mecca
sary military work for the suppression Of
the rebellion, and had the fecoumenda-
tons Of Your ExcelIsEcy then been
adopted, East Tennessee, teemiBg with
abundance, would have long since dropp-
ed ike 3 ripe apple, iRlo the possession
sof The Govframent, instead Of being
6naliy cspiured st Al expense Of mil
lions 20 fhs G5rsrDEent, ard in an ex-
hausted condition. The Union srmy,
upon its srriTsl, would not only have
found plenty, but would have been still
IN close communication with the plenty
Of the North. TIE transportation, or
rather the msans Of transportation alone
Of lhe Army Of the 0bic, with the losses
necessarily incident thereto, has cost the
GoveTnnent not less than fgs millions Of
doilass since the army lett ITS place of
rendezvous in Kentucky. Lees than that
sum, even with fully comps nsste6 labor,
world have contributed aid equipped a
railroad from Stanford, XIV, 70 this
point and the Army OF the 40 would
now have been within twenty hours ia
stead OF twenty days travel from its
true bsse Of Supplies. That tbs imme-
date construction Of this road is a mill
tsry necessity, is COW apparent 10 every
member Of this army. The scanty "a
tons Of the soldier give evidence OF the
fact and the dying animals that fell and
perish By the way-side fully attest it.
For the want Of such communi-
cation the army, by reason Of
the exhausted condition OF the cOun-
try. has been reduced to exraordi-
nary straits, its energies have been well
nigh paralyz sd aud for some time pass
the chief problem has been that Of self
support With she opening Of the road
10 Chattanooga, however, the condition
Of the army will b. in 9 MEASURE relieV-
ed but We would respectfully suggest
that in order to faciIi ste military oper-
atoms from thi. base, il will be necessa-
ry not tossgpply the army, but 10 dccu8au
late supplies from which . make future
drAfts Impressed with these views,
Gen Barnside, and bis successor, Gen.
Foster, have, We understand, both re-
Commanded the construction Of the road
above referred to 50 a military Measure.
By way Of Nashville and Chattanooga
from Cincinnati to Knoxville, the dis
lance is about $50 mics, while By The
route proposed, the distance between the
same points is less than 800 miles The
construction Of this road could be ef-
fected in SIX months with the labor Of
the country emancipsted By the war,
and for the present needing discipline
and employment. AsesdY the roads
projected By Louisville AID CINCINNATI
have been exendfd in this dire lion
somrthing over 100 N les. Lauisville as
we understand, Is now engaged in ex.
extending her road from Lebanon to
Stanford, and Cincinnati nut necessa-
lilly push forward Der line from n Nicholas
vile 90 The same point, on lose The advan-
tEge, hitherto eHj lyed, Of the valuable
trade of that productive region. The
distance from Sanford to Ka5xviile, by
the most feasible r0nte, is about $50
miles. Ia her days Of prosperity, East
Teanessee, with an enterprise that was
crediiable to her people, undertook TO gu
up this link in one of the most impor-
tant railway communications on the
continent. Ten miles Of the road, be-
ginning ai Khoxyille, are already com
ploted snd in running order Ten miles
more are graded, the masonry complete,
and the bridge across tue Ciinch river,
twenty miles from Knoxville, Is partial
IL completed Oao hundred and thirty
miles will complete toe connection and
bring MS within easy Communication
with Louisville aud Cincinnati. The
route has been surveyed BY compe-
tent engineers and found to be not
only practicable, but comparatively
free from the difficulties usually chsrAc
teristic Of mountain rOu'es. II traverses
ons Of the finest coal and iron regions
on the gl1be. While its construction
would relieve the army IN this region and
that operating sOuth of here, it would st
the same time Afford relief 20, aud in fact
furnish the basis Of the Te scttiemeas Of,
Est Tennessee. Il would stimulate en-
teTprise, and develop tbs rich mineral
resources Of the country through which
Il would pass. Il would give 10 tie
cilios Of the North end West the trade Il
a country numbsring 100000 in popula-
tien-iTrev0cabiy unite our destinies
with theiF--sppreciste the value of
property along the line and at both ex-
tremes--crests wealth By encouraging
industry and building up manufactures,
and establish new bond of reunion
through the social aud commercial inter
course thus secured. These incidental
advantages 10 the people Of East Tenn
essee. we woald respectfully suggest,
would be but 3 grateful return to them
for the couniless Losses they have sus-
tanned, snd for the untold prosecutions
they have heroiosliy endured for the sake
Of the Uaion psciAlly, when il is con-
sidered that our peop'e have never par
iicipated in the benefits Of any OF the
liberal grants OF public lands, made by
Congress from time 20 time, 20 our sister
Western S atss for educational and rail
road purposes. If the purposes of 4
Gcvernment eau Be faciltated snd its
Decessitiss removed, and S ihe same zine
The vents OF the people Of E lst Tenn
essee be relisytd, We feel veil assured
that Ysar ExsslleBcy Sil hnd IN tteia-
= cidentsl result new and stronger ia
dueensnt to urge the speedy Acccmplish-
mens Of the work proposed.
We have thus, in esmpliznce with or
Instructions, attempted briefly and
plainly 20 make knoGa 70 Your Excel
lency oszr present and probable future
condition as people, aud 70 SUCCESS the
remedy which IN ous opinion seea1s best
cslculated % sTrd sure and pe,iAsnsnt
rsli.f. We feel veil assured ihsf XourH
ExcelleBcy sill not be iasensible TO our
appeal, nor unmisdfal of tbs suff rings
Of peopls In whose welfsre Yoar Ex-
celency has heretofore manilesiod so
lisely an interest We rely, too, with
confidence upon the hbrrzlisv and VIA.