Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1871-04-08
THE RAILROADS..

promises with the State, OIL very good
terms, and il they n meet the cOn-
,litions, we shall have the additional
satisfaction of knowing there ARE a
few railroads in Tennessee that do
not belong TO foreign m0nopolies.-
Wetook the position, long before any
action Of the legislature, thatit would
be- better, in the end, that the state
should lose the entire debt from rail
roads than they sbould he sold, even
for full value, 10 parties whose inte-
rest and whose purpose it is to run
them III the interest of other States,
and to deprive the people who built
them, of every contemplated benefit.
The Louisville and Nashville Go.
and Memphis road. Is it because
they wish TO run it for the benefit Of
Memphis, or any intermediate point
on its line? On the contrary, does
not every one know that the object
of that growing monopoly Is to drain
into the lap of Louisville, as mitch
Of the trade of Tennessee and north
ern Mississippi as al be reached by
this trunk line, 10y means of advan-
tages, real or pretended, held out, i'm
the shape Of low freights and higher
prices at its northern terminus?
Should this road pass into those hands
it can never be redeemed, and will be
kept open rs n permanent drain
through which Tennessce's trade and
prosperity will be transferred to a sis
ter State or States and this contiuu
Gus loss will, in a few years, east the
State quadruple the amount due from
the road. With such competition as
that wealthy Company would inau.
gurate, the Northwestern road would
soon be worse than worthless to
Nashville, and should the Pennsyl-
vania Central, with the sanction of
Congress and n thoughtless Tenncs-
see Legislature, push its road through
from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, the
road between this latter point and
Nashville will Iinl II powerful com.
pctitor capable of absorbing the lions
share of the trade of Nashville.
Railroad monopolicS are becoming
dangerous, both politically and COM
mcrcially, and the true policy Of the
southern States Is to hold on to their
roads and to be cautious how they
confer vested rilhts upon foreign cor
porations whose interest, aS well aS
pleasure, it will be, TO do all in their
power to impoverish our people and
to Cypress and insult them in proper
ton TO their weakness. There * not
II "ring" in the north that is not bit
erly hostile to the south, and their
palaver about a friendly desire Tn
help to- develope its resources, Is in
tended to. deceive those of our LNgiS-
litnrS who are toohon st to he bought.
The Legislature has decided that il
has authority TO sell vested rights
the sale of the road has been dccrcel,
50 There is now no remedy, and only
when Tennessee is made, by that sale,
still more tributary to the north, and
the course OF It's trade Is entirely be-
yond It's control, will it he seen how
unwise and ruinouS was its policy in
surrcndrring its channels of com
mercc to alien corporations.
The argument that the purchaser,
will he compelled to run the road,
according to their charters, is II very
weak one, since every n know,
how easy it is for wealth to find {
free pass through any charter, or {,
cvade amy law adverse to its aim.
and wishes. The r lads ought not (,
bc sold. The debt they W IL, II
great part, due to Radical villainN
since the war, and, besides the deb
was incurred 10y n portion orthe PEG
i, payable to the people them elves
in their corporate capacity, and the,
would do better 10 pay that debt, b.
taxation than to forfeit the advant
agcs of such commercial facilities,
We are in CAvoror connections wit
northern roads, bat are uotso regard
less of Tennessee inANstS rs to h
willingt that northern Cd&paniesshn