Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-08-04
IIPOR FAINT RAILROAD
MEETING.
The Selma, Columbus, Aberdeen
and HOLY Springs Rail-
road Movement.

Pursuant to the csli in the papers Of tn
past two days, there was a meeting il
the hall OF the Chamber of Commerc'
last night, to listen to addresses from w
J. Sykes, Ed, tiie hon. Mr.. Clspp
Judge SEilh aud others, on the projsc
u cUunecting Memphis with Selma, Ais.
AID the rich region between here anl
there, by rail.
There were about sixty persons pres
ent. About half past eight the meeting
was cslied TO order, and James Elder
ESD, called to the chair, on taking which
ne explained the object Of the meeting
which WAS 20 devise ways and mean,
and consul. about the great enterprise Of
! railroad from here 10 Selma, by Wey
Of OAalons,
Ths speaker then introduced Msjol
sykes, woo made a splendid address
which was far too lengthy to be used IL
our columns, Cf which, however, We
have preserved the f5ilowlng points :
me corpOrgtors of this enterprise met
u Holly Springs lev days ago and APP
pointed a committee ~ solicit sub5orip-
lions, ard also several gentlemen, OF
whom he ia one, to address the people.
de spoke at length Of the great role rail-
roads have to perform In the building sp
Of cities. He compared the value OF
resl estate OF Memphis in 1852 before it
had railroads buiIt to it and from il,
and Memphis of to-day. He spoke
Of the great nstural advantages
of Mem his and other cities on the Mis-
siSsipp river. rs thinks that in time
all the cotton made In the United States
will De manufactured in this country.
The Northwest will then bs the maniac
turing district, because it is nearer to
the cotton growing regions, and because
provisions are cheaper. Tns cities that
will then receive ell the cotton will be
st. Louis, Chicago, Louisville, CineIn.
natl and Memphis.
The advantage of Memphis over
Vicksburg is simply that Mem
pals has got the start Of Yicks-
burg and Is larger. The larger
the city the greater its advantages.
Memphis is In the line of the great
Southern Pacific railroad leading from
the South Atlantic TO the Pacific. Yet
with all the advantages that Memphis
possesses she may lose them all. If she
refuses to spend or 10 lay out dollar be-
cause she will not get it back tomorrow,
she certainly will.
The railroads of Memphis ought to be
a great benefit to It; tut as they are now,
IT Is very doubtful whether they are not
about TO strike it a death blow. Up te
the beginning Of the wsF, Memphis had a
monopoly OF railroads, but now the Mo-
bile aud Ohio, aud the Mississippi Gem
railroads are taking everything from her
Cotton is going from within hundred
miles Of Memphis to Mobile, aud 1t will
continue 20 go by her, and go 10 Mobile
unless this road is built.
Tnis road is more important than
any to Memphis, except the Lit
tie Rock road. He did not depreeiste
the value of the latter, but he showed
the tremendous advantages Of this Ala
ban1s road, showing that If 1t went no
further than Oklahoma it would bring
so COO more bales Of cotton q year here
than are now brought. BY q process of
argument, anC producing facts, he
showed that If this road were built Mem
phis would get the whole trade Of that
rich portion Of Mississippi, Columbus
and Aberdeen, Of which Memphis now
has not one dollars worth.
He administered seathiDg rebnke to
the croskers who are continually crying
with funereal faces that all is gone and
the country il ruined, and no hope Is
lef :" and said that there 10 hope, the
country is not gone. The reason Of sill
the dependency is that too few people
are at work, snd loo many trying
to live on the work OF others.
Everybody wants to hire la
Dor, They work none themselves
the hired men work none, and all est a
heap; that is what has brought hard
times on Us. Another cause is, having
relied too much on one stsple, and that
staple failed and caused all hands 10
break. Again, 1t is said that we have too
many men among US who want work.
Unfortunately, that is too true, and is
not limited to color. There are too many
eaters and too few workers. Stealing
will not feed these idle hands, and unless
they work they must srve.
Before the war the immense profits Of
the cotton croe-ssy 5000, COO, OOo-was
spent In buying negroes, clothing snd
feeding them. Say our profits hereafter
will only be Sl5O, 600, 600, and allow $780,
600, 900 to be spent for expenses, $50, 9Oo,-
600 are left yearly to build railroads, ste,