Des Arc citizen., 1866-03-17

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 Smith, no one after reflection can douot' Commencing at Des Arc, and running west
 ward by way of, say, Hickory Pinins, Austin Springfield or Lcwisburg, Norristown ana Dardanelc to Fort Smith It passes throuh the counties of Prairie, Conway, Pope, Yell Franklin and Sebastian; and giving to thai section of the State an outlet and market which it greatly needs. The country through which the road passes is productive, capable of supporting a large population; and when the road is completed, will become densely settled At present the inhabitants along the line of this road have almost no market; they are compelled to trade by way of Arkansas river, and of necessity, trade about once "a wear. That river, it is well known, is naviga- ble at only particular seasons, and sometimes not at all for a whole twelve months. Many here will recollect that there was time when the merchants on Arkansas river shipped their goods to Des Are and with wagons and teams transported them from that point, to their respective places of business; when long trains of wagons came from. the Indian Nation to this point for supplies; and when the government supplies for Fort smith were shipped here, and carried overland to that most. It may be said that was an unusual sea son, and not likely to occur again. It was an unusual season, but the like may oecu again In fact. the probabilities are ill favor of It's so happening again. The navigation of Arkan- sas river cannot be expected to improve
 The navigation of rivers. generally, deterior- ates with the settling of the country. Con stant deposits raise their beds or channels, the banks give way, and they become wider and more shallow, with no actual diminutIon of the volume of water. This is probably true with reference to Arkansas river; the soil a. long her banks is rich, loose alluyial deposit, and with every flood or rise, there is an addl- tional cutting away, or caving in ot It's nanKs' which is by the current deposited in the bed of the river, raising it that much, and render ing it more and more unftted for navigation.
 The railroad from DeVall's Bluff to Little Rock. it is said, obviates to some extent the difculties presented by way of Arkansas riv- or So far as Little Rock is concerned, that is true. Little Rock, and the very few people
 along the line of that road. are benehted; pu' those above Little Rock, and along the line of
 .his road, are not benefited; unless, perhaps
 to those living immediately above and on the
 river, the distance for hauling has been dl-
 unfinished some little; and this in all probabil- ity. more than equalled in the additional cost
 of transportation, reshipment, storage, etc,
 When this road is built, it will open up q market and outlet for the products and trade
 of all that section of country between Des Arc
 and Fort Smth-which now has no market and settle it up with an enterprising, thriving, industrious population, who will one day push the road to it's intersection with the southern
 branch of the Pacific Railway, as far west
 ward as nature will allow. The question now
 presented, is, how shall we build this road, and what are we to do? 1 answer, that we must build the road by going to work in good earnest ourselves, and getting every body else to work in good earnest. '' Now is the ac- cepted time' The people elsewhere along u e line are becoming interested, and are as- tonished at our want of interest. Strike while the iron is hot" In this State, nine tenths of the people own lands Let the owners of land take stock, securing the pay ment of their subscription by mortgage or crust upon lands, or subscribe lands, and let the lands be sold by the company for moneyy with which to build the road. By the 7th, section of the act of incorporation, the !" dom icil |" of the company is located Gin the city of Des Arc" By the 1Ith. section, the follow ing persons were appointed to receive sub scriptions to the stock of the company, viz for the city of Des Arc; II. Quisenberry, J, c. Morrill,, W. Crocker and II. P. Vaughan; for Hickory Plains; L, D. Harshaw, A. J. Thomas, ". l.. Moore: for Austin; J. c. Skill lsrn, T. J. Paine and w. c Robinson: for Springfeld; S. S.Ford, R. s. Cargle. J. Hard l ing. J. NJ. Venable and R. w. Harper: for
 Dardanelle and Yell county; G. W. Lemoyne, | John J. Stirman and John II. Jones': for
 Fort Smith Sol. F. Clark and A, J. Myers. l Under the l2th section of this act, the com
 missioners have power to appoint agents and
 deputies for the purpose of raising stock in
 other places. Many of the commissioners are
 now dead, Let the survivors appoint agents
 and deputies, open books and set to work at
 once in getting stock The people of Des Arc
 should begin the work; no time is to be lost;
 :. time is money;" and money is required to put the rigging on the iron horse We live in
 a fast age; times have changed within the last l 4 boc .1o oJ
 We have eaten the forbidden fruit, have been
 driven cut of the garden; ought to know goo
 from evil; must live by our own exertions;
 must go to work and '' reconstruct general
 ly, and construct particularly this Railroad
 Must have the locomotive scream responsive to the whistle of the steamboat; the one to
 bear along the products of the great West, the