Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-01-22


portion Of this trade, and even
Memphis may be OuistFipped In the
race for commercial greatness If our
people be wise. !
But Il Is not alone her central pO-
sitiOn III the great cotton zone Of the
South, which furnishes. our city
hostages to fortune Past her
portals flows the great river, upon
whose ample bosom daily aOat the
richly freighted Argosles Of sister
States, in their passage TO and from
the sea, transporting the humber
less articles Of foreign and dOmes-
tic commerce. The great line Of
Southern railway which is 10 link
the Atlautic and Pacific oceans by {
bonds which neither desert nor
mountain nor frost can sever, must
traverse the parallel Of latitude on /
which your city stands. Already
three lines Of railway, from the sea
ports of Charleston, Savannah and
Brunswick, converge to this point
in their we stward progress. Within
the present year VIC shall witness
the completion Of another Great
trunk line, leading from New York.
Baltimore and Norfolk by way OF
Chattanooga and Meridian, and
passing your thresholds on its way
10 the Pacific.
Ii is evident, therefore, fellow
citizens, from this imperfect survey |
Of the highly favorable circum-
stances OF our position, that with
YOU il rests to make Vicksburg, by
wise, timely, and concerted action,
all that our hearts could desire,
socially, politically, and CONNER
cinlly. She may be made the COM
mercial metropolis OF this imperial
domain By which she is sur
rounded she may rapidly become
your State capital, as well, il you
hesitate not to avail yourselves Of
the opportunity which, at this mo-
ment, presents itself This alone
would give you an increase Of from
five to ten thousand inhabitants,
and augment In wonderful de-
gree the importance and prosperity
of our city. ....
But, gentlemen, will not longer
dctaiu you from the important
business OF the evening by dwell.
ing upon what our city may be-
come if our deliberations are fol-
lowed up by wise, energetic and
persistent action on the part Of our
citizens. With many Of you, doubt
less, these hasty suggestions are al
ready familiar thoughts.
Let me, in conclusion, remind
you that We live in an age OF mar
veloUs material progress when the
discoveries OF science speedily uul-.
lied in the gigantic structures of
the mechanic and engineer, when
the thought conceived Oh one side
the broad Atlantic, is instantly ut
tered on the opposite shore, three
thousand miles away, and becomes
part Of our hourly gossip; when
continents are spanned by rail-
ways and oceans linked together,
in the brief period our foreiathers
would have required for an over
land Journey when the genius aud
/ indomilable energy of Il French Gu
gineer sewers continents and solves
the problem of u short passage to
India and the East, at which Co.
lumbus and other illustriOus navi-
gators labored for centuries in
vain. In our own country, almost
every week aud month records the
completion of some great and use
iul enterprise. Let us catch the
stride then, Of the progress we see
OH every side, and, henceforth, ad-
vance with its triumphant column.
As We gaze upon the noble stream
which flows past our Hill City, let
us dra y inspiration and instruction
from It's mute teachings and, re-
membering that its broad resist.
less Hood is, after all, but the off
spring Of the rain drop or the
snow flakes which have fallen on
the distant mountain side or far
western valley, let us each resolve
to contribute his individual
thought and labor, until our city
shall have attained the size aud
importance which both nature and
man have placed within her reach.
( -
! a sas9s ueaaus