Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-07-04
TIme 20 wake Up.


commenced the wind work on three
proposed Railroads from that city
One down the valley of the West Fork
of White river TO Vincennes, where it
will connect with the Ohio l. Missls-
sippi and the Evansville & Crawfords-
vile, and a proposed road, on which
some work has been done, from Vincen
mes to Cairo. Another down the valley
of the East Fork of White river to Ev-
Ansville, where it will connect with the
several Packet Lines of steam boats,
and the proposed railroad from Hender-
son, Kentucky, to Nashville, Tennessee,
on which large amount of work has
been done; and the third, an Air Line
Road to Chicago. Indianapolis has COM
menced the wind work, and wind work
10 ell she will do IL it will answer her
purpose. Eight railroads terminate
there now, and abe has invested in them |
very little else than wind. She had the
benefit of these eight roads before and
during the war, and in spite of her dis |
advantages they have made her BY far
the most populous and wealthy city in
the State These roads secured to her
vast amount of business of every
| kind which otherwise would necessarily
have gone elsewhere. Without them
she would today be small village in q
wilderness. For four years past a
daily average Of perhaps ten thousand
persons (not citizens) have sojourned
there, and expended daily from twenty
to sixty thousand dollars. Some times
single regiment Of men would expend
ten or fifteen thousand dollars in day
Now this stimulus 10 mainly withdrawn.
Peace has come upon the city suddenly
and Unexpectedly, like a bighting frost
in midsummer, and she begins to wither
and droop like frost-bitten "jimpson
weed" and she will continue to do so
until she is reduced to the dimensions of
the regular peace establishment, unless
other customers can be found to sup
ply the place of the ten Thousand who
suddenly departed on the advent of
peace. The three proposed railroads
would accomplish this object, and moth
ing else will; and the Straight Line road
to this city, in connection with the Hen
dersou and Nashville road, woald be
worth more to her than both the others.
With the aid of her railroads Chicago,
only about half as old as Evansville, has
in few years become enc of the lead
ing cities of the continent Without
them she would now be scarcely as large
as Evansville. -,-..~-.
/ Had the citizens of Evansville con-
suited their interests and exerted them
selves as they should have done, the
Straight Line road to Indianapolis, and
the Henderson & Nashville road would
f have been completed before the war,
I and full ons-half of the business growing
out of the war, which was done at Lou
isvilIe, would have been done here; and
: during the last four years the popula-
, ton and wealth Of this city would have
Q been doubled, and we would have per-
: manently secured an immense trade, .
great part OF which has been lost.
We are q conservative people. II
:. have stricken the word Conservative
!, from my dictionary, and would not vii
Q lingly use il, for / hate conservatism, az
Q opposed to all progress and improve
!. ments in art, science, commerce, poll
tics, morals and religion.) We have
> been eminently conservative in respect
i TO all measures requiring investment o.
:, money without q certain prospect o
5, profit to be derived directly from th'
n investment. We will not plowin croI
of clover worth 800 this year, in ordsl
: to enrich the soil, with prospect oi
% getting during the next three years, fol
r the products of the same soil, thre
Of hundred dollars more than we would
10 we should cut and sell the clover. Nc
. the price of the clover is certain, bu
drouth, frost, rust and army worms ma
destroy the prospective crops.
CT The natural advantages Of our pos
rs ton have secured to US, without efor
on our part considerable amount c
basiness, and we think we have pro-
II pered; but we have, in fact, been cuttin
the clover and selling it as hay, instea
at of turning it under with the plow. W
n failed to construct the straight line roac
all and suffered the canal to go to ruil
als whereby we lost the trade of four or fiv
is counties which we had, and which natu
! q ally belong to rs We failed to prof
Ter by the example of Indianapolis, and di
snt not even do the wind work for the HeI
Try derson & Nashville road, and by oI
ast want Of energy and foresight, failed
lp- secure the millions of money which fro
Ary necessity fell into the lap of Louisvill
We own no steamboats,, and Cincinns
nas merchants, who do, will ship goot
for from that city 10 Cairo as ches
The rs we can ship them from her
red We have no dry dock or sh
1ey yard, and suffer cities above and belo
md to reap al the profits to be derived fro
SOL the construction and repair of boats
per short We have buried the talent Viii,
ave nature gave us, and it we do not so
ICY, sxhume it and put it in use, we "
me- have nothing. and our neighbors W
for take from Us that which we have.
ave Now is the time to act. By the W
ma, oil old business habits and rslatio
pro- have been broken up, and, while .
- I5oo.a 80 ha;rs, hasn- eox-.a5 - -