Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-05-01
MITCHELL, MoCOMBS AND TIE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER r. 3.
S~laadsFsFs, Eeddlers and Dead Bsats-
HsmphIs-HeF ElsfoFtuHss-Ths
Remsdlss.

| tude for valuable ssrvices-ablY and hon.
orably rendered; the third, in manifest
misconceptions Of q scheme, i~naugurated
ia honorable purpose, prosecuted in good
faith, and at last rightfully a~bandonedtn
disgust; snd the fourth, in ISLANDERS Of Its
best friends, mi unctions upon its best
/ sehemers, and wholesale flanders and
misconceptions from the day il sprangin-
to hopeful being down to these, its hours
Of feeble and almost Hfeless struggling for
existence against It's generous guardians
and most sftecttOnRGely sOiicitOus friends.
1 mean by the foregoing plainly this:
That the Mississippi River railroad would
have been well-nigh completed to-day,
bus for meddlers with its management
and slsnderers of It's officers. And that
Memphis has well-nigh lost her CONNER
cisl prestige, snd power, and her OppOr-
tunity for metropolitan greatness, by false
ideas and foolish fears controlling her
councils.
THE REASONS ADDUCED.
I do not intend herein to attempt to
prove all I say, but believing that 1 can,
] will be content to say what l believe,
and give q few reasons for my faith.
In midsummer of the year 1859, A. s.
Mitchell, then President OF the Missis-
sippi River railroad, convened his Board
and reported progress. he showed, as
the result of his labOrs, g subscrip-
ton by COUNTY and individuals, ag-
eating q sum sufficient to have graded
more than half the entire road. He had
also obtained State aid for his road to an
amount almost sufficient TO run and
| equip It through to its Northern termi-
nus. Thus far, the enterprise had softly
and safely worked its way up TO substsn-
tial and very hopeful being.
FORTUNES SMILES.
The Board, pleased with his lsbors and
\ nwnFaFu1 for hFa anrwfmnr ufn1AnA IN hfu
~counsels, and consented to put the road IN
der contract from Memphis to C~ovingtOn,s
distance OF So miles. This done, its friends
and enemies multiplied rapidly, its Offices
Of rust and profit, its contracts, its gold
walked the eager scent of the lean and
hungry, and by hundreds they poured
along the advancing track Of the enter
prise, Is it rolled steadily along,
H WOLVES IN sHEEP's CLOTHING
in Memphis, self-cOnstituted Investigating
committees, obtained from the County
Court authority to look into its suspected
management. In COv1ngtOn, a news
paper blszed with wrsthful structures on
It's President, and sffectiOnste warnings
to the people 70 resist the rspsCiOus de-
mands Of the tax collector, and all along
the line Of the projected road, the forest
resoundsd with the war-Whoop.
At this juncture, the Board resolved
AAQA kAAALAAA bNHA III lD1aH H0AkAH E0NEAkA
aid and obtained IL, in a contract partially
contaminated with the Southern Railroad
Association, and the success of the enter
prise seemed then fully assured. This
Southern Railroad Association WIS COM
posed Of men Of vast capital, enterprise
and Observation-Disclosures its chief man,
being q man distinguished for wealth,
great public spirit and honor, and owner
of the New Orleans, Jackson and Great
Northern railroad. Elk. Norton, another
member Of the Association, q native of
Kentucky, owner of the Paducah m
Gulf railroad, and deeply interested in the
completion Of the Mississippi River rail-
road, its only hope Of extension and direct
communication Southwark.
M'CoNBs THwARTRD.
About this time, as il to cOnsummate g
scheme msgnihcsnt-nO less than g
through line Of railway, under one man.
agement, from Psduesh to New Orleans,
McCOmbs sought to purchase g control
nessee railroad, and did partially effect
said purchase. Thus the grand
scheme seemed almost accomplished, |
and those who knew the objects
intended, rejOiCed in confident ex-
pectstiOn .of 3 speedy consummstiOn of
the great project,
But, the snail men and small ideas pre-
vailed. They convinced the County Court
Of Upton that Foul Play" was about to
steal their bonds, and they refused to
levy the tax; they shook the confidence
Of the Shelby County Court, and the 'In-
v~sstigsting Committee" ~redOubled its
zeal to overthrow Lsuderdale; in wlss
]precaution withheld her bonds; and,
meanWh bile, the papers Of Memphis and
C~OvingtOn gave place to articles breathing
suspicious of the honorable intentions Of
McCOmbs, Mitchell and the Board.
TIE DEATH BLOW.
But the enterprise struggled bravely on.
and reached the day when the contract
with the Southern Railroad Association
was to be finally completed n cOnsum-
mated. All was ready; the stockholders
assembled the election was about TO take
place, and the McCOmbs contract sealed;
but, alas, the small ideas prevailed again,
in the form Of an Observation-Disclosures
raud and prohibiting an election. This
last stroke killed the McCOmbs contract;
killed Mitchell, and left the Mississippi
railroad in q death struggle for eX-
THE CAPITAL BLUNDERs OF MEMPHIS.
The statements in the foregoing are not
full, but they tTuthfully group the i'm
facts. If MCCombs had been met,
encouraged, and supported by orr people,
with confidence and 3 spirit OF generous
-D-OD6EaAlUHs rs WOALu uAH6 DuLAk the I
Mississippi River RAILROADS. be intend
20 do st the beginning. OF this fact,
none familiar with the facts, and knowing
the man, have any doubt. But Mitchell,
who CAV the enterprise being, and whose
'rapsCiOus," contract, had its chief value
10 the contingency of successful compile
ton Of the road, went down. McCombs
.nsulted, Rliensted and disguised, and
rising in manly pride and indignation,
determined to turn from Memphis 70 9TH
5r people and projects. The Mississippi
River railroad, unable to proceed under
lll the combined prosecutions and him
i~erances that bsset ito say nothing of
he psrslizing effect Of the European war
N its financial schemes-yielded to the !
storm, suspended work, and sought
in an interval of hoped for re-
)ose, to rebuild its fallen fortunes
THE RUE PHILOSOPHY.
Memphis is grand geographical and
commercial centre; she needs but easy
nd direct communication to everypoint Of
be compass tOWield the resources Ofalttls
World OF wealth and power. No railroad .
through Memphis can injure-nO foreign !
ontrOl thereof can harm her. Cities, like
attract according TO their weight, I
iemphis' range Of grayitation viii soon
7heel everything within two hundred n
niles into her orbit. Paducah, when con- :
49, ~ A@aA aAA @@2AAAAMMm
Gay grow to greater magnitude, but only -
o swing grsndly around Memphis, as one :
I her neW-Crsated satellites. =
Let capitalists from all the world m
i've them charters; surrender old and I
obsolete franchises 70 them; bid o
benz God specific build all they want d
D build, TO Memphis, in Memphis, or
Memphis. Thus will Memphis d
.ss 10 supremacy, and maintain 1t. Il
LOUISVILLE MEMPHIS. Z
Much has been said and much feared Of z
be Louisville and Nashville road control II
the Memphis and Ohio railroad; and It
generally believed that il Is run in the -
lterest Of the city Of Louisville, TO the y
etriment Of Memphis. I do not believe :,
MS; / am assured by n Of her officers =
bat her freight and passenger tariffs are =
o~solutely reciprocal nOrthward and +
outward. The road Is not owned by ~
.Ouisville-it is owned by the L. n. K. h'
l. Company, and run In the interest OF !"
nat company. No railroad IN the United Pi
tates Ia -OWned by any city, or run In 1'
ie interest thereof. Much Is said about x
lsing the control Of the Mississippi and -
ennsssee railroad, and great efforts and M
are made to defeat McCombs In "
Is effort to obtain its control. I say. better 50
g him have Il .and make &c a Iins for
trough travel from New York to New /
rleans, via Memphis, than hold It, fight
.cCOmbs, and give him 8 motive, a. he
- the power, % sell through tickets ex-
via Jackson, and divert the
hole tide Of through travel from Mem