The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-12-08


$685. III |
All of the increase mentioned in these |
counties, had taken place after the rail
road had been built through them.
More than two million of dollars Of !!
actual wealth had been added to Maury /
county by the building Of the Nashville |
Il Decatur road. The land could now be |
sold Tor this much more than it could in |
1854, and this was the trne test. As it |
was in the counties 50 it MAS In the |
whole State. The value of land in Ten |
nessee was in 1854, sIl6, OBJ, sos; in 1871, |
1905, SS6, AZ.
But IT might be said that the land |
would have increased in value without !
railroads. To disprove this, il was
shown that from 1886 TO 1852, before rail |
roads were built, land in Tennessee had |
decreased in value. In 1885 it was on
an average over the State 800 per acre;
! in 1852 It was 1884, a decrease of sixteen
cents on the acre. When we commenced |
| building railroads, lard commenced in |
creasing in value. In 1860 it was . 90 |
and in 1871 it is over E. 90 per acre. He |
then gave the reason of this in |
/ crease, and showed that the value O |
land depended not merely on what it |
! produced, bu: on its nearneSt 10 mar
/ kets, or upon cheap, expeditions and |
| easy access TO such markets. lie said |
| that the best lands in Msury county, !
cultivated by such skillful farmers az |
/ HARLAN, WADE, LIF~oONH, MAyE~. |
WEBSTER, CHEAIRs, and others like |
them, would be Of but little vastae if they
were DO miles from any market.
Land in Hickman and Perry, that
would produce as much corn or grain IA
any in Maury, could be bought for one
half or cne-third what such land would
| bring in Maury. This difference was
caused by the want of cheap and easy
acce=s in those counties to and from
markets.
| AS it had been in Tennessee, so had it
been everywhere else. In the States or
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and
Wisconsin, before they had many rail
ROADS, nc value Of land was:
IN Is2o....---..'.. - g t'n,y,us
In IsuJ-----.-.-. i,lds, H'.,IaS
Iucrcase........... ST ,c56, 7i6.113
This was caused by railroads, and the
increase has continued to 90 OH as they
maitigliel.
Thess States had ~ Ia, 4,S0,.5c1
horses; in 1850, 7,fO0, SO horses. Their
grain products had also been more than
doubled in those ten years.
I The same increase that had taken
place in the country had taken place in
towns. i,s Eag'3 cite as examples
towns in the South. Corintn, that vas
no place in lsJi had now taxable prop
erty worth 500, 900, or more, and had re-
Gently voted, with but one dissenting
vote, An appropriation IS s[o,"9o 10 the
railroad running from Corinth towards
Columbia. 1t had also recently built
cotton factory worth at least $4,000,
| Meridian was another example OF the
effects Of thc concentration Of railroads.
Though In the Pinsy woods of Mississip-
ri, I35 miles only from Mobile, II now
had population OF near 10000. Humboldt
that had no existence scarcely in 1884,
Yss pow entering the field as compel
= itoi OF yacksop, sa1 unless Jackson
could get the ."ad running east and
west from Memphis TO the Tenilessee
ri=s., she Was in great danger from this
and other rivals. Tie tsrable property
of Jackson had, By railroads, ana otner
enterprises, increased from $4,000 to
81 go, 900.
, Chattanooga was the most brilliant
examplp Of what railroads and enter
, prise would do. an 1853 she had 81 $780,
3 90 OF taxable property, in 1871 she has
$500, 060, a gain OF s2,G00,000 in two
year. Her voting population had in
creased from 800 in 1859, to $50 in 1871.
More bouses had been built this yeas ii
q Chattanooga than had been built in Co
luInbia ia twenty years. Her march
: was onward and upward,
:, To make prosperous town OF oity,
e YOU must have competing roads TO re-
:, duce freights. 4 single road charges
: enormously, but when there is compe-
tition, then freights are low, and towns
grow.
Cotton IL carried from jackson, Ten
! nessee, to New Orleans and Mobile at
| less than $500 bale, on account Of com
! petition. Build d road from McSfinu-
e vile through Columbia and ] ckson 40
, Memphis, and freights will be reduced
?. fifty per cent. at least. As freights are
l. reduced, the population and productions
!, OF the country will increase
e He then proceeded to show how mach
b Columbia was Interested in this road.
sr It would place US within ninety miles OF
N inexhaustable coal fields, where we
. might get coal at si.5O per ton. and have
= is delivered in Columbia for $3.50 more
:. raaking the cost OF coal in Columbis
i, s.. 90 per ton, or II cents per bushel. II
u would also place US within forty miles o.
lF extensive bests of iron ore, in Hickman
3 and Perry counties, then, with cheap
" coal and cheap iron, and abundant pro
visions, which could be grown in AsurJ