Tri-weekly union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-186?, 1866-11-06
TENNESSEE CENTRAL OR PACIFIC
RAILROAD.
The Vast Amount of Capital Invested
in Railroads an Evidence Of
their PrOductiVeness.
Mr.. DEBow's LETTERs-No. XVI.

When a railroad is proposed to be con-
strncted, ninety-nine in the hundred of the
people from whom the means are to be
! drawn, looking upon the great array OF
| figures which are piled up and compre-
| hending the vast amount of money which
will be needed are ready enough to pro-
nOunce it to be improbable. It is submit
ted to every intelligent reader if this is not
the common experience. There never is
money enough in the country or within con-
troll to carry through any large enterprise,
and yet the money in the end comes comes
from somewhere, it is often difficult to tell
how and the work is accomplished. What
the multitude prove to be impossible, some
two, three, or four persons, (often a single
individually by their sagacity, their will and
purpose boldly attack and carry through.
at is not an army that I want" said the
| old NAPOLEON when meditating a great en-
terprise, sit is a man p
When it was proposed in New Orleans to
build the road to Jackson and to Tennessee,
a large capitalist, who subsequently became
a leading promoter of the work, said, in con-
versatiOn, eve cannot furnish the means
the road, besides is not wanted, the Missis-
sippi is railroad enough for us" and another
citizen, an old merchant and railroad man
besides chided the writer of these papers
Tor his rhetorical exaggerdtiOn In speech,
when he said ''the New Orleans would, in
less than five years, contribute millions for
railroads." which in fact she did.
In the interest of these movements, |
travelled through the States of Mississippi
and Tennessee in 1851, in company at times
with other gentlemen, and addressed the
people at every cross road, town and village
There were no railroads among us at that
time, and the sturdy farmers of the interior,
who clustered together to hear us talk about
them, eyinced, by their looks, the incredulity
of the King Of Sian, when assured by the
missionaries that in their country water
would sometimes become hard enough TO
walk upon. They treated us with respect,
which Is natural at the South, but made
merry enough when they got together as we
often heard, over our Iron horse" which
was to go gallOping over their hills and
rivers, regarding it safer and wiser to rely
upon the old fashioned mule team and OK
gear, and yet these very men, in time, voted
their money and gave their lands, and to-day
realize all the great advantages of having
done So,
The remarks which were made will hope
re-assure any nervous person who has ascer-
tanned that in is expected to raise, for the
purpose Of another road in Tennessee, in
the next few years the grand amount of So
100000; an amount, however, which is but
a little over one per cent. in the dollar of the
property of the State, and but one-sixth of
what was expended in Tennessee, in the
eight years which preceded the war.
The same nervous individual will be
further assured by the figures which will
now be furnished in illustration Of railroad
history and in evidence of the fact that they
are sources of growing revenue to the
country.
The sums expended in the past upon
railroads, though realized in part from land
holders and city property holders, from cor
poration and from State subscriptions have,
when the whole country is considered, been
mainly contributed by capital, seeking the
best and most profitable investments and
without heart or interest beyondl If then,
shrewd, calculating and selfish men, have
been willing to put millions of their reve-
nues and earnings into such adventures |
rather than into bank, factories or other |
stocks, the demonstration is perfect that |
they are found to be paying aud profitable |
investments
1t is scarcely thirty-fve years since the |
first whistle of the locomotive was heard in |
America, period so short as to be within |
the memory Of even young men, and yet |
what has been the increase: