The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-05-26

close Of the war. but very little, however, has
been said or written by tliosewho spoke and
wrote from an honest conviction that they
were advocating oropposing, the building Of
Railroads upon the ground Of State policy.
The turmoil, confusion and diseords conse-
quent upon war penetrated every part OF
society and lett its influence upon the whole
people of the State. Party strife has run so
high, that old political contests have been
but a passionate struggle Of nelghDor
against ncighbor, brother against brother,
and father against son, having but one OBJ
ject in view, that of gratifying personal
malice and private hate 1t grew from IN
diyiduals to neighbnrhoods, flom neighhor-
hoods to towns and counties, till the whole
State was rocked from center to circunl-
ference by great whirlpool of prejudice and
passion This state of things beg an with
the return of the armies at the close OF the
war, and it naturally closed with the cleo
ton OF General Grant last November. We
say naturally closed, for then and there 1t
ought to have stopped. The cause for all
of this we shall not seek to find in this,
as the time has arrived when the
peace, welfare and prosperity of the
people and State demand the burial
of the Ratchet. If ever the interest of the
people Of our State in fact the whole South
called upon her sons and daughters to put
forth their noblest efforts, their best energies,
that peace may reign once more supreme, it
is now. If ever people wanted their conf
munities united, wanted prudent counsel,
wanted passion and prejudice to subside
and calm reason to guide and control affairs,
that people is our people-the time, now.
There is no reason why we should not enter
upon long career of peace, and so far as the
influence of the STANDARD can be given for
this object, it shall be given. What the
people want is this They want our mines
opened, our millions ofacres of unimproyed
land cultivated, our water powers improved,
the labor employed, capital brought into
the State in general, and the whole resources
of the State developed. The first and most
important thing that must be done, that
these things may be accomplished, is that
there shall be u strong union and perfect
harmony among all her people. Believing
this can best be brought about by the ma
terial development of the State, we propose
to write series of editorials upon the
State and her resources. This shall be
done in no partisan spirit, but we shall
speak of things as they are, according to the
best information We can get. In doing this,
we are led by one other consideration, than
harmonizing the people. 1t is this: The
Standard has large circulation in the
North, and we are daily receiving letters of
inquiry in relation to the State, and the H.
ducements for men of capital to come here
to settle, and W. take this method to give
the information.
We shall speak first of our Railroads,
those completed and those not completed.
" The highways of nations are the measure of
their civilization" One the first indications
that State or nation is progressing, is that
they are extending and perfecting their lines
of communication. 1t is not SO much what
a country grows, as it is the facilities they
have to take what is raised to a market, for
without this, all that is required of any COM
munity, is to grow food for the neighbor-
hood and clothe as rudely as the savages.
transportation upon the backs of pack ami
mails may do for the people of snch coun-
tries as Mexico, and the South American
States, whose wants are almost purely ami
NAL, but it will not do for the enlightened
people of the United States. The produc ions
of this country are more varied than those OF
any other country upon which the sun shines,
and we are more indebted to the means of
rapid transportation of our products, from
one part of the country to another, than to
anything else. The Mississippi river and
tributaries gather up the productions of
the Northwest, and give in return therefor,
sugar and rice from the South. The lake
skirt our Northern border, and the river
penetrate the Atlantic and Gulf States.
From the interior they reached the landings
and harbors by wagons; tor these they sub
stituted the iron rail and locomotive. North
Carolina was one of thirteen original States,
and until a comparatively recent date, her
commerce was hauled to the lines of water
communication over wagon roads and not
very good ones at that. This will not
answer the demands of the State The Calue
Of a aDagon load Of aoheat is consumed By the
cost Of hauling it on common earth roads taoo
hundred miles. Indian corn will bear prof.
table transportation ON the ground only
one hundred miles. In the pre- railroad
times of England, the rates of tonnage per
mile was twenty-six cents per ton; canals
came and carried for eight cents, per
ton, per mile-after which the railroads car
ried freight, at the rate of twenty five miles
per hour, for two and three eighths cents per
mile. The increase of railways, cheapens
fare and freight. The railroads have in
creased the commerce of the country over
1000 fold more than the increase of the
population. In 1851 the entire tonnage
moved upon the Railroads in the United
States equalled AT pounds per head of pop
ulation and was worth $31 per head. In
1868 the entire tonnage equalled 2,777 pounds
per head, and had value of 1910 per head.
In 1868 there were in the United States
$4,000 miles of railroads, the cost was s., 600,-