Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-11-17

the necessity OF a Union Depot. HoI
say:
i'The Mississippi and Tenuesse,
road, having 10 connection with thu
Memphis and Ohio, the Mississippi
Central naturally sprang into exist
eDce, and the gap between the tive
roads, inside the cityO Memphis, ha.
sustained and enriched the Mississippi
Central and Mobile and Ohio roads
even as il has impoverished Memphi.
and the roads north and south of tn,
city, in which Memphis wealth wa,
invested
In all this you are certainly correct
except as to dates. The Mississippi
I Central is older than the either of tn,
other roads; and though it did no
''spring into existence because of tn,
gap between the two Memphis lines
II has, as you well say, ''been sustain
ed and enriched by the trade which
Memphis should have controlled
Again you say:
perhaps two hundred passenger
each day leave New Orleans. At Can
ton, Miss, where travellers chang,
cars, the great mass of travel, abhor
ring omnibus charges in Memphis
prciers the Mississippi Central road
and the Mississippi and Tennessee, il
which this city is a large shareholder
is bereit Of traffic and travel"
If Memphis loses this Giraffe anC
travel" it must be because they ara
taken by this rival line to some riva.
city; and the Mayor and Aldermen
seem to have regarded this matter ir
the same aspect, two years ago, when
4 committee said:
"O;her lines Of communication.
above and below the city OF Memphis,
by close connections have taken from
Us much OF the trade that legitimateIy
belongs 10 the city of Memphis. la
order to arrest this injury, already in
existence, and still greater threaten
ing rs, we regard this project of a
Union Depot, for passengers and
freight, Of national importance TO the
city. by cheap transportation OF
freight to and from the city, ard ready
and convenient access to aud egrcSs
from the city by the travelling public,
your committee believe the interests
Of the city ofMemphis will be greatly
increased"
These extracts all prove that these
rival lines are injuring the COM
merce Of Memphis; and l know ofno
rival F'neo 6etOtc the city, except the
Mississippi Central. 1t is not the In
terest of that road to send one bale OF
cotton to Memphis if it can send
it 20 Louisville. 1t is the interest
OF that road TO e every merchant and
every planter IN or near its line buy
his goods and supplies at Louisville
or st. Louis, rather than via Mem
phis. 1t is but a Louisville road, ope-
rated in the interest of Louisville;
and the more goods Louisville sells to
North Mississippi the better for that
road. The more goods Memphis sells
to North Mississippi the less profit to
that road. If the Valley road We're
in operation to-day, and if 10000 bales
of cotton should be sent from YazOO
and Holmes to Grenada for shipment,
nOrthward; and if the Central road
could say whether they should 20 via
Memphis or via Grand Junction, no
sane ma would reason that Memphis
would ever see them. If they go via
Memphis, they pay the Central no
freight. II by Grand Junction, the
freight bills would be several thousand
dollars II, as you correctly say, the
Mississippi Central is " sustained and
enriched by the trade which Mem
phis Once had, but the loss of which
has partially Impoverished" her,
let me ask you if it is probable that
the same load will not seek still more
t. enrich " herself ii she can take
from Memphis the trade which we
hope to get from our NaZOo valley
project? Ii the Mississippi Central
should control that road, would il not
be her interest TO send all the cotton
Of that valley to Louisville via Grand
Junction rather than to Memphis?
70 ask the question is to answer it,.
l make no war upon the Central. She
is pursuing her interests, and no one
has a right TO blame her for that.
You and | would do the same, in like
circumstances. Ionly state facts, and
draw what | know to be legitimate
conclusions from them. During the
past twelve months the Central has
been managed with more liberality
toward Memphis than ever before;
but il is because Col. Tate has more
liberal and enlarged views than his
predecessors ever exercised, and has
none of the idle prcjudices against
Memphis and her interests. Yet, the
Mississippi Central, from Canton to
Jackson, Tenn, can eve be operated
in the interests of Memphis until we
can build her up into a much larger
city than she now is. Until then,
Memphis viii have about as much in
terest in extending the influence OF
the Mississippi Central, already so
hurtful 10 her business, as Louisville
has in the growth OF Memphis, or in
the Cincinnati Southern Railroad.
Memphis has some interest in all
roads that develope the country
around her. Such an interest she has
in the Cairo and Fulton Road, but not
enough TO aid in It's construction if it
is to be controlled BY Cairo influence.
In disposing of her stock in the Little
Rock Road, Memphis was governed
By the consideration Of "who should
own the road -; and when Memphis
is asked to aid in the construction
of the YazoO Valley Road, you
viii find she will attach great
Is more value than you
to do to the question, who is to con
troll it," II Memphis is to aid il, it
must be as a Memphis road, aud not
as a lceder TO a trivial line" inter-
ested in sending all the trade of North
Mississippi 10 Louisville rather than
10 Memphis. That she viii aid il at
the proper time l have no doubt, for
that road will bring TO her the trade OF
the richest cotton belt" in the world.
The five counties through which
il viii run produced, in 1860, more
than 200,G00 bales Of cotton, or more
than half as much as Memphis re-
that year. They produced
three bales and a half of cotton, fifty
bushels of corn, seven and a half
bushels Of potatoes, and three bushels
of peas for every soul within their
and if cotton shall continue TO
be cultivated anywhere, it will be in
that rich valley which, year by year,
can produce not only such a vast
abundance OF food, but also more cot
ton than can be gathered. Memphis
will aid the construction of this i'm
portant road, but il viii be as a Mem
mis- e~ztegDrise, to bring trade to Mem
mis-. and not to send il to Louisville.
Ii win be as a Memphis road, to bring
retail dealers to trade with "a whole
sale merchants.
]. 7. IRRELEVANT.
November Is, 1865.
Notwithstanding the lengthy COM
municatien OF our respected cores
pendent, in reply 10 u suggestion
that the chief ownership Of the Yazoo
Valley road, be it what it may, viii
not deter from subscriptions in Mem
phis, we do not see that there is any
material difference Of opinion between
US. Hthis road is TO strike Memphis
or B~atesvilie BY a nearly airline from
Canton, as we have supposed, we get
the road and the business of the road
in any event and without reference TO