Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-07-23
COMMERCE. AND MANU-
FACTURES.
suggestions to the Chamber of Conn
mcrce.


m-MEMPHIs, LITTLE ROCK AND RED
RIVER RAILRoAD-sToCK MARKET, TAM
HERIEs AND SHOE FACTORIES.
In 1857 Mr.. Holmes, one Of the edit
ors of the st. Louis Republican, writing
to that journal about the RAILROAD jubi-
leo" on the Bluff, said: memphis
offers herself as prize to st. Louis.
Her commerce is worth striving for, and
she invites us to absorb IT," That was
cool, wasn't il? But that is the way
Memphis has been doing for years, say :
ing to every one who can build q steam
boat or manufacture chair "Come and
take me as a prize come and absorb
mer Amt it nearly tim, to stop that
"child's play" and turn ourselves to
work2 A city that's offered for sale as a
prize and liable to have her commerce
absorbed at somebody's pleasure can't
prosper-she can never grow great, or
make herself felt as power among COM
mercial cities. ntfas
On the 22d ult. Texan, writing to st.
Louis, and urging the construction of
railroad from that city to Texas, says
there are a million head of horned cattle
and ten thousand horses and mules be-
tween the Neueces and the Rio Grande.
The trade of San Antonio with Mexico
amounts to S., 100000 annually. Itwould
take railroad fifty years to carry the
cattle of Western Texas to st. Louis.
The cattle in that country are killed for
their hides alone. The writer says that
such O railroad would not only make st.
Louis the stock market of America, but
develop the finest copper, coal and silver
mines in the world.
Let us see if Memphis can't absorb
few of those Texas horned cattle, horses
and mules, and little Of that San Anto'
nio silver. :,
A continuation of the Little Rock rail-
road from Fulton to Shreveport, La,
would not only give Memphis good
share of the Red River cotton trade, but
extend her line of traffic to Marshall,
in Upper Texas. In few years the
road will extend from Marshall down to
Washington, whence there is road now
running to Houston and Galveston. Then
you will be on the Gulf coast. There is
one branch of this Galveston road fork
ing from Harrisburg through Richmond
to Columbus, on the Colorado river, and
another branch forking from Houston to
Columbia, on the Brazos river. This
branch from Columbia will soon run to
Texana, Victoria and San Antonio.
Then you will be in the horned cattle,
horse and mule" region of Lower Texas,
and can peddle with the Mexicans for
their copper, gold and silver.
While in Texas last year | noticed cat
tie from the prairie were gathered In
large numbers at Lavaca, and driven
from that place once or twice week
through the shallow part of the bay up
TO Indianola, where they we're shipped to
the Jefferson City stock market in New
Orleans. A line of eight or ten large
steamships is engaged in this trade. and
the captain of one of them-the Mata-
gorda believe-told me the owners
make from sixty to a hundred thousand
dollars year clear profit
SO much for enterprise by water"
but if st. Leuis can run railroad to the
lower end of Texas aud make herself the
"stock market of America" Memphis
ought to do little in that line too, hav-
ing shorter road to travel. Indeed
stock market would be valuable to Mem
phis. 1t would make denizens OF the
rural districts come TO town occasionally
TO buy q COW, horse or mule; give our
butchers an opportunity of selecting fat
beeves and cause brisker circulation
of money.
More it would be advantageous to
the establishment Of tanneries by open
ing q market for "green hides, which
could be sold here not only by the butch
ers Of the city, but by those of neighbor-
ing towns and villages, at prices more re-
muneraiive than now received from per-
sons who ship them to other places; and
whenever the demand exceeds the supply,
our railroad connection with Texas,
where hides are so plentiful as to be pro-
curable for almost nothing" would
come into still more useful and active
operation.
Tanueries can be made very profitable
in the vicinity Of Memphis, because
there are thousands Of markets along our
lines Of railroads through the South that
can be supplied atrates cheaper than they
are new By the North,a We will be under
less cost for transportation and have
abundance ofoak bark at hand. 1t don't
cost very large sum TO start one. and il
don't require . river 10 run it." Ten
persons, with a capital Of $1,000 each,
could erect q 6rstclass lanyard and cur
rier's shop on . half-aere lot where
there's a spring 10 give the watts water,
through lArge-sized pump, throughout
the year. Indeed have seen respect-
able tannery that had been started on
500 capital. twas close TO the Gauda-
lupe river, in Terss, and owned BY
German The industrious and euterpris-
ing fellow, on arriving st that place, and
finding g lanyard near Il, barEained for
bis lot, and paid all The cash be had ,slOo)
70 . carpenter for constructing his vats