Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-05
THE FOGD QCEsEEOS II MEMPHIS
MEsAFSSErRE RAILROAD.

FsE E~IssEssErPE RAILROAD.
At the cad Of three years Of the most
exhaustiog commercial revsrses, Mem
ptis feds herself entering upon a new
year with q population OF 5000 souls.
It Is Hot unreasonable TO suppose that
during her dark days jest passed, fully
one-third Of her humber citz=ns, who
depended on their daily labor for support,
have been driven sRay by the stress OF
want, 10 seek elsewhere their precsrious
living. With tse return Of prosperity,
these ex!led children will return; and
thousands Of the Ike class viii return
with them. Give Memphis three years
Of uHbroksn property, aided By new
railroad developments, aud her populs-
zion will easily number IS, 900 souls.
The question comes Up, bow will We
feed chesply and abucdlntly this vast
community? A1d It is E serious gues-
ton, sCd 10 rev question, either; .or
with 8 much smaller population than We
now have, tie fact has been 3 patent and
iGmentsUle one, that ths food supply Of
Memphis has been sob0ly inadequate 10
the comfort, be0Lh oad WsH-6steg q ner
ereT-stOe5liHg population! The cost Of
liviHg has eaten up The thrifty mechsu-
les gains, and has stinted the laborer's
family. They have lacked necessary
food for health and strength. This has
nOtoriousiy been the case, snd the fatal
fact hss done more TO biader the due ex-
pansion Of Memphis In wealth and pop
u~lstlon, than any other cause that esD
be named.
But now, when we are about entering
upon 5 career & renewed prosperity, we
must put aside the Instructions that have
hitherto checked cur city's growth. We
must prepare t. feed the coming thous-
ands. We must set before them a suup-
tuous board Of plain, cheap bit whole
come food, 50 that no city il the land
eau rival their eomf)rts, o. entice them
again from their Memphis homes.
How to do H? Providence always
seems TO lesd the way, sEd to make all
needful preparations when any great &C.
velopmeat Is at hand. Just as the
Northern Pacific Railroad Is decided to
be O national mistske-jUst as the Cen
tral route, with Memphis IS lis inillai
point, is accepted by the nation as its III
Innate highway across the Continent
Just Is Arkansas adopts 3 railway sys-
tenn that wil ~aggrsndise Memphis q
hundred fold-jl5t Is 3 cotton cror,
msrketed at high prices, p0urs millions
Of money into Al channels Of trade cen
tering at Msmphis-jass a. our people,
one and all, wake up to tie coming aud
imminently near high destiny Of our
Cisy,-a railroad that had been sleeping
for years, unnoticed aud almost IN
known, bursts upon public attention,
armed like MINERVA when che gprang
from the braio OF JOvE, and claims the
universal suffrage OF our people! And
gets Il!
Need we say that we aIlBde to the
Mississippi River Railroad? That road
solves the problem OF the future Of Mem
phis. Tat road promises TO feed our
people; TO feed them to ovsfh5wing
though our population were ten times
what II is. It bids the coming thousands
welcome. 1t spreads the boards and
furnishes the feast. The Mississippi
River r iilroad, in its route from Mem
phls to Troy Staten, one hundred miles,
penstrates q body Of the richest lands in
the world. The counties are i've IN num-
ber-Shelby, Upton, La~uderdale, Dyer
and Oolon. Their area exceeds / 600 600
acres, scarcely ons-third OF which ia i'm
proved and cultivated. Yet their nro.
duct, Ia food elements, is amszlng
Three millions Of bushels OF corn 10 1850
AVID abundance OF corn means plenty
Of knest as ~wel-cattle, hogs, sheep,
poulbsy, etc., and lard, butter, eggs, etc,
the prAduct Of the live stock. We will
recapitnlate some OF the minor market
able commodities that the Mississippi