Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-10
FROM CINCINNATI TO NASH

| :. Cincinnati having Deen defealed IN ht
efforts to get a direct route to Chats
nooga is turning her attention to a roa
direct to Nashville. We extract the fo
lowing from communication in the Gin
cinnafi Enquirer of the 7th:
A Southern railroad, in the interests o
Cincinnati, has become avital, urgent an
immediate necessity. If a practicabl
solution was now presented TO our citizen
of the vexed problem of such railroad
on ready, feasible and economic terms
it would seem but folly for us to pursu
our novel and extraordinary adventure
further after schemes which have so oftei
Knocked our hopes with disappointment
Such solution, it is claimed, is brough
to our very doors, and placed at cur easy
disposal, in the enterprise of the CGmber
land and Ohio Railroad, which pro
poses to give US an -unbroker
trunk line from this city to Nashville,
Tenn, entirely independent of Louisville.
While the public mind here has been com
pletely and exclusively absorbed with the
| plan of road to Chattanooga under the
Ferguson bill, few bold and enterprising
men in Kentucky and Tennessee have
been vigorously prosecuting the work of
taking subscriptions for the Cumberland
and Ohio road. A partial survey and
estimate has been made of the route, and,
from the point of intersection W it'll the
Short Line west of the Kentucky River
Bridge to a complete connection with
Nashville, cash product of $500, 900
from subscriptions will construct and
finish the road-bed, masonry and bridging
of the proposed road, which will be am
pie to give the credit sufficient to supply
the iron and equipments. OF this amount
of subscriptions, the counties in Kentucky
on the line have given 81, $50, 900, and an
amount additional has been secured in
Tennessee to swell the amount much
higher.
In Kentucky and Tennessee the sub
scriptions will be made to approximate
$500, 900. But these are payable in six
per cent. bonds, on which there must be
some discount. The company want only
$1,000, 600 of subscription from Cincin-
natl, Covington and Newport to enable
them to put this entire road under contract
this year. Now, can these cities not give
$500, 900 or 800, 900 each, the former
two in their corporate capacity and the
latter by private subscription, and thus Sc
cure this great trunk line thoroughfare at
once9 Why should we daily and coquette
with fortune any longer9 She has shown
herself coy and shy of our pet and novel
schemes, but she is not altogether averse.
She offers us temptingly and persuasively,
the prize we so much covet, in the form
and manner in which she presents such
favors most usually to others, and shall
we pettishly and sulkily say, ''Because we
can't get what we want we will have
nothing?" Are we just now, in position
with the Southern trade to crafty our
puerile and unbusiness-like whims? We
have TO extricate ourselves from the web
of distractions and difficulties which en-
barrasS our trade with the South, under
the wiles and stratagems of Louisville.
She has outwitted us in strategy, and is
leading us badly in the race of cOmpeti-
ton for the rich trade of the South, and
viii continue 70 do so until we awake
from our sclf-willed and impracticable
whims, and take hold of the question of
the railroad policy in a sagacious and bus
iness-like way. /
During the controversy as to what point
should be selected as the terminus of our
Southern Railroad, some of our shrewdest
men of business advocated Nashville over
all others. The arguments and reasons
presented were certainly as weighty as
those for any other point, as far as many
could judge; and we are not sure, if we
can Get trunk iina road 20 NASHVILLE,
and prospective branches 10 Decatur and
Chattanooga, on the feasible and economic
terms offered by the Cumberland and Ohio
road, but that we may, at future day
consider ourselves fortunate in theissueO of
present events. At any rate, it does not in
terfcre with any future plans of construct
ing our pet Southern road to Chattanooga
to aiG this one to completion.
But there must be not much delay, or
we find ourselves crying over another mis-
fortune Louisville and the Louisville
and Nashville Railroad Company have
been, for months, trying TO break down
and destroy this Cumberland and Ohio
road, but unsuccessfully. As q last and
forced alternative, they are now offering
to tempt and induce the people south of
Louisville to accept the Louisville and
Chattanooga Railroad, in lieu of the Cum
berland aad Ohio, under chartered priyi-
leges recently obtained from the Tennes-
see and Kentucky Legislatures, and thus
divert the subscriptions made by these
counties to the benefit Of Louisville road.
The corporators of the new charter are
called together in Louisville for the 18th
of March, TO propose TO open books for
subscriptions and to organize the COM
pany. That Louisville viii subscribe, as
city, literally TO this Chattanooga line,
there is no doubt. 1t is a necessity for
her to make this move to defeat the Cum
berland and Ohio, and thus cut off the
Cincinnati connection. The Louisville
Commercial, in an article on the defeat
of the Cincinnati and Chattanooga bill,
says:
''The building of a direct route to
Chattanooga (frOm Louisville Will take
away from many counties all desire for
what is known as the Cumberland and
Ohio route, an enterprise more antagonls-
tic to the interests of Louisville than even
the road she has just defeated.
These facts show that to tritie away
the present and last opportunity for a
Southern road for a few weeks of vain
regrets and resentments, will be to surren-
der to our rival louisville the last and
only feasible and certain prospect for such
a road that is left us With this last
triumph Louisville and the Louisville and
Nashville Road will reign supreme in
their colossal monopoly, newly fortified
and almost impregnabe. No party will
have the courage TO attempt new enter
prise in the face of such power and
prestige as they will have now.
Where are the friends Of The Nashville
route? Where the friends of a Southern
road, without regard to preferences! Let
them get together, organize and act OF
the opportunity will be gone, not soon to
be regaincd. y.