Cairo evening times. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1865-1866, 1865-11-17

and cerials wond add still more to the value
and Importance of the enterprise. Besides the
time saved to passengers would be of no little
Importance. By water it occupies from "a to
SO hours time, while by rail it would con-
sumo about four hours.
The freight gathered along the line of the
road, will doubtless, through all coming time,
be reshipped at this point by water to all Sonth-
ern river points, while passengers would avail
themselves ofthe quicker mode of exit afforded
by the NJ. & O. r. R., which will, sooner or
later, reach its connection with the l. c. R. r.
at this point. We might add much more, and
give more substantial reasons why this road
should be completed, but to do so was or is
not the design of this article. We may at some
future time allude to this branch of the subject
again. Our present intention is to speak of the
Illinois railroads, in which Cairo is especially
interested, but our ardent desire that this road
should be built at an early day has somewhat
led us from our proposed theme of discussion.
The largest and, perhaps, most important
line of railroad in operation is the L. c. R. r.
and its Chicago branch. Its main stem
and branch are 7O4 miles in length. The line
connecting this city with Chicago, the north
ern commercial metropolis of the State, is alone
365 miles in length, and passes through one of
the richest agricultural districts in the State,
and as fine region Of country as the rays OF
the sun ever fructifed. And no less can be
said of the main line from Centralia to Dun
leith The !. c. R. R. is what may justly be
termed North and South Road, and hence
labors under great disadvantages, for the rea-
son that both travel and freight go in more
natural direction to the East and West from the
Atlantic coast to the borders of civilizationin the
West. This road has many detamcrs, and per-
haps Justly so. We are informed that Its
stocks, or majority of it, is owned in England
bv q class of capitalists, who have but little
sympathy with the ultimate and final prosperity
of this country, and who perhaps would reJslce
at our downfall, if it would add to their
wealth. 1t had a large land grant (without
which perhaps it never would have been built
during our day and generation) which enabled
il to be built, but which will we are confident,
DO a drawback upon it during all coming
time. The State tax imposed upon
this company by reason Of this land grant, IS
: per cent on its gross earnings, payable SEMI
annually. This amounts now to over halt
million dollars per annum, aud as soon as the
old debt Of the State and its recent war
debt is liquidated; we think this tax will yield
a sufficient revenue 70 defray the expenses OF
our State government without any other taxes
upon the people. Such being the case we are
hardly prepared to condemn the apparent high
rate of charges, but feel disposed to give en-
couragement to its success-not in its over
charging, or its overbearing management, but
in It's legitimate success. In this connection we
may be allowed to add, that since John NJ.
Douglas, ESQ, has offciated as President OF
the Road, less complaint has been heard than
formerly.
Our city to-day, perhaps, woald not be much
ahead in point of population and thrift OF ten
years since if the 1. G. r. R. Lad not been con-
s,ructed and believing this to be true, we can
not condemn the RoArd itself, but must be al
lowed to say that under its former President
and Directors, it seemed to be managed for
the benefit of it's foreign stock holders alone.
while the interest of our native citizens were
only consulted to the extent that it would en-
hance the wealth of the larger interests. Re-
Gently, however, an Illinoisian was elected
President, and from him we hope we may ex-
pect better things. We may a; least hope that
the interests of our citizens will be respected,
and low rates of fare and freight be established
not so low as to affect the true interests of
the Road-but that it may no longer be en-
titled to the unenvious charge of "monopol y.
The Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, which
connects St. Louis with Cincinnati and the
East. is great enterprise, and doubtless in pro-
portion to the territory through which it passes,
adds much to the interest and wealth OF the
citizens of Illinois, as does any other Road
within her borders. Cincinnati and st. Louis
are connected by water, as are Cairo and St.
Louis. vet we find the travel on this Road i'm
mense, as also the freight. 1t is now proposed
to build branch Road, running from Cairo
ard tapping the O. & NJ. R. R. at Vlncennes, in
relation to which we have heretofore fully e1-
patiated.
Having already consumed considerable space,
we will recur to this subject at some future
day.
We cannot conclude this article, however,
without directing the attention of capitalists
beyond Our State to the opportunities offered
in the above named enterprises for investment,
from which heavy returns would inevitably re-
suit. The travel alone on either named Roads
would more than pay running expenses, while
the freight added would cause dividends
almost unequalled to flow into the exchequers
of these holding stock.
OUR BALTIMORE LETrER-Our Baltimore cor