The Weekly Washington telegraph., 1871-11-08

len, of Missouri, we regard the compile
ton of this great through route as
only question Of time, and, really we
confidently expect that passengers will
be able, inside of three years from this
date to go from st. Louis to the Rio
Grande without change of cars. 1t is
not unreasonable at all to expect the
completion of the road to Fulton in
eighteen months or two years, under
the auspices of Mr.. Allen. This will
give us direct connection with st.
Louis, enabling us to get off our pro-
ducts at much lower rates Of transpOr>
tation than heretofore, and to get back
such manufactured articles and sup
plies as we may need for consumption
here on likewise better terms.
The advantages to accrue to this
section OF country from the construc>
ton and operation Of this road can
scarcely be estimated. Indeed they
are absolutely beyond computation.
But taking an Immediately local view
of the matter we are constrained to ask:
"What will it do for Washington
If the present survey is adopted as the
permanent one, and the road construct.
ed accordingly, it will leave us several
miles from the line of the road. What
shall we do2 Shall we all pull up
stakes and go down into the black land,
on the line of the road, to build up a
ne,c Washington? This idea will hard
ly be entertained by any respectable
number Of the citizens of this place.
Well, what are our chances, then ?
What seems TO be theline of duty marked
out for US to follow, if we would save
ourselves, save Washington from utter
ruin and desolationf We must look
this matter square in the face, and
prepare ourselves to grapplc with
actual facts as they exist. We think
we can see an open way to our saliva,
ton, but we will never see the article
itself until we move in the direction of
it. This is an age Of progress, emf
nently so, and we cannot afford to ba.
idle spectators Of it's gigantic march.
We must be up and doing. We must
be alive 20 our own interest. We must
help o,rse'peS Let no one say we are
too poor-we have no money. We have
our heads aud our hands, and we have
a superabundance of the finest lands in
the finest country the sun shines on.
These are strongs words, but they are
true. If we had nothing else in the
world. we have Surplus, idle lands
enough to build and equip a road to
Camden, without the least incOnvc-
nience to the holders of the lands; and
it may as well be done in twelve months
as twelve years. But we have other
means. Camden has already subscrib-
ed between seventy-6ye and a hundred
thousand dollars, cash, and twenty. FIVE
hundred acres of land to the Camden
and Red River Road. Camden, (thC
citizens of the corporate limits Of the
town. has done this, and she will do
more. If Camden does this much,
what will Ouachita county do? And
what will Nevada and Hampstead
counties do! The question is not what
can they do, for we have said that they
can build the road with their lands
alone, but what laH they do? Camden
has done nobly; she is in earnest, for
she realizes her situation. Will we
not realize ours, and GO to work as
becomes us2 If we build the road
from here to Camden, whether it will
affect the line of the Cairo and Fulton
or not, it viii give us connection with
it and not only it, but with the Nlissis'
sippi, Ouachita and Red River Road
which is rapidly extending itself to-
wards Camden, and with the contem-
plated Devalls Bluff and Shreveport
road, which itself is by M means
mythical. This will place US in CONS
munication with the world. In due
course Of time, we may extend our
road in the direction of Ultima Thule
and the Indian countries, and our north
1