The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-06-16

guarantee Of good taith.-EDnoR OF
For the Standard.
The Yadkin Valley-Its Products-The
Crops-The .sStandard', and Railroads
Northwestern N. C. r. R.-Prospects
of its Construction, and advantages
gained thereby.
EDITOR STANDARD Believing your pa
per to be devoted to the best interests and
welfare of the people and the State of North
Carolina, and you having invited cores
pondence from the masses through your col
umns, 1 avail myself Of the present leisure
hour to say a few words to the readers of
the STANDARD.
One of the most interesting subjects to
large class of our citizens is the present
growing crops, for if they fail, it will add
greatly to the already embarrassed condi-
ton of cur people.
From the post-mark of this letter you
will see it comes from high latitude-above
the cotton region, though not entirely be-
You'd the influence of that important plant,
for when it thr1ves well we realize in re-
mote degree some of its advantages; and
its benefit would be felt b. us several fold
if we had railroad communication with any
of our centres of trade.
This region-the valley of the Yadkin-
is peculiarly adapted to the cereals. Its
rich alluvial bottoms and productive up
lands grow corn, wheat, rye and oats very
successfully, and all the vegetables and
fruits for good living are produced in the
greatest abundance. Up to this time we
have been anticipating better crop ofsmall
grain than usual. Wheat has promised
well; though the straw and head are both
rather short, it appears to be filling well.
Rye and oats, of which there is an unusual
quantity growing, promise good crops, if
the wet weather which we are now having
should not blast its prospect Corn is small
but has good stand, and is taking start.
The fruit crop is very fine, especially apples.
Land is cheap, and money is scarce; where
fore, then, is this not an inviting region for
the emigrant and the introduction of CAPT
tai and labor9 The reason is plain and i'm
perative, we are inaccessible to immigration
and capital, each of which seeks country
that has some mode of ingress and egress
save that of the ancient trail of the buffalo
and elk, which is all we can claim for this
region of North Carolina.
Mr.. Editor, in late STANDARD you have
kindly promised to write series oe articles
on the railroads, and other kindred subjects
connected Herewith, now so extensively the
subject of comment by the press and people
of the State. You could not, to my mind,
sir, have selected any more important ques-
tion to debate than this of railroads, and
doubt not your ability as writer and fair
ness of argument, will do justice to the
question, and without intending to intrude
my thoughts upon the public, trust you
will excuse me, and indulge me in directing
your attention to this long neglected portion
of this good old commonwealth.
If, Mr.. Editor, you will travel back to the
Constitutional Convention of North Carolina,
held in 1868, you will see that that body, for
the first time, looked into our condition and
seriously considered our claims to State aid
in the charter of the Northwestern North
Carolina Railroad at or between Greensboro
and High Point, running to the tennessee
line, up the Yadkin Valley by Salem, &C.,
and appropriating money to aid in building
the first division of said road to the town of
Salem, in Forsythe county.
The present Legislature at its last session
amended the charter of said road and APP
propriated twenty thousand dollars in her
bonds per mile to aid in the construction of
this road to the termini of the Second Di-
vision of the N W. N. G. Railroad to some
point at the base or foot of the Blue Ridge
in Caldwell county. Now, if any gentlemen
are in doubt as to the importance and neces-
sity for this road to be b uilt, hope they
will take the map of North Carolina and
examine the proposed route, and if they are
not fully convinced of its utility as one OF
the great State arteries of trade by connect.
ing with the East Tennessee Railroads
thereby cheapening freights and shortening
distance to the valley of the Mississippi and
developing large and valuable section of
North Carolina l am mistaken. This road
is purely State scheme, and as such ought
to be built at as early day as can be done
and owing to the peculiar geography OF
the country lying west of Forsyth county
and north of the Brushy Mountains to the
head waters of the Yadkin river and the Ten
nessee and Virginia lines, embracing the
counties of Yadkin, large portion o.
Surry, Allegheny, Wilkes, Ashe. Watauga
Caldwell and Mitchell, NO other road char
tered or in contemplation of building cal
possibly supply this section of the STATE
with any commercial facility or railroad &C
commodation that can compare with the
Northwestern North Carolina Road. Indeed
Mr.. Editor, any practical engineer or rail
road man who will scan the map of Nortf
Carolina must see at glance that it is quite
impracticable to build a railroad from States
vile crossing the Brushy Mountains the val
lev of the Yadkin and the Blue Ridge ives
of Mount Airy, Surry county and if it wa
practicableit would leave all the finestportior
of the counties named above utterly unim
proved in commercial advantages mag
nificent water power of the Yadkin rive
and its tributaries, its forests of live oak
hickory, walnut, locust, poplar, maple
cherry, photographic mineral interests
the choicest fruit trees in America and tn
rich grasses of the transmontain countie
of Mitchell, Watauga, Ashe and Alleghan.
would all be lost, sacrificed to some pc
scheme to build up some one-horse town O.
increase the freight or travel over some par
ticular road.
That the Legislature of North Carolin;
considered the North Western North Caro-
lima Road, or, as many regard it. the Yad
kin Valley road, of first Importance, is man
ifest from the liberal charter and munifcen
aid granted the Company, having only re
quired 100000 to be subscribed by indi
viduals and communities, on line of on
, hundred miles of road This amount wa
assessed to the counties of Yadkin, Wilke
and Caldwell in the proportion of 500 pc
mile. The road ran Though these countie
each, and it would seem almost incredible
that any human being in any one of thes
counties would or could oppose count
appropriation or subscription to secure tn
State aid under the charter. Caldwell an
Wilkes have voted by a decisive majorit
of the registered voters of each to tax