Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-03-13
PATENT WANTS.
The Memphis aHd Selma Railroad S0ms Of
Its Advantages.

1 shall only speak Of it as an outlet
for Us as a great -four and grain mar
ket-as a means of interchange be-
tween the Southeast and the HsiD
NOrtLlreSt, thus stlOrding the most
direct communication with the sea-
board between Savannah, Mobile and
all Southern Missouri and Southern
Kansas, as we'll as Arkansas-at least
the northern portion of it. If you
draw a line from Kansas City to Mem
phis. thence from Memphis to st.
Louis, and from st. Louis to Kansas
City, YOU will find you have almost
right-aUgled triangle, Kansas City
and Memphis occupying the points of
intersection Of base and perpendicular
with hypOthenuse. Then, If you will
run along the line of hypOthenuse to
Springfield, Mo, you will find it Oc-
cupying nearly the halfway between
Memphis and Kansas City, thus max
ing il nearer for the city OF Springfield
to reach Memphis than it is for her to
reach st. Louis. If you run up this
line for half the distance 10 Kansas
City from Springfield, you viii still
find Memphis nearer than st. Louis;
and all this Is dOJCn hill to as. Well,
but what has that to do with the
Selma road? Much, Uery much. All
the territory north of Arkansas on
this line of road is a grain and stock
raising county, producing wheat,
corn, oats, hay, barley and hemp-al
to ship somewhere, either to st. Louis
and thence east, over a long line of
railroad, and thence down the coast
TO Carolina and Georgia, or else by
river to New Orleans, and thence re-
shipped to points where wanted in
Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
Taking the chances of low water and
ice into account, we would have the
advantage Of st. Louis we're the dis
tances the same from producer to con-
sumer. But when you look at Mem
phis haTbOr, and find it is never
frozen, and when you take the great
river in front of her, there is never
less than six feet of water to the open
sea, and then take the other fact that
Memphis is really nearer this new
northwest than is St. Louis, and still
more this farther fact that, with your
Selma road built, Memphis is the
natural point of distribution aud inter-
new northwest, and the sugar and
coffee and rice Of our more sunny
lines. Well, then, you build Forests
road TO Selma, and Forests road will
build your Kansas City road; it will
not only build your Kansas City road,
but II Will build you great grain ele
vatOrs and Touring mills, and manu-
factories of every kind in an astOnish-
ing degree. And why2 Because,
first, Forests road will bring US
an abundant supply Of cheap
coal, and put us above the chance
of Ice OF low water for to get good
coal and iron, and will create a COM
petition in the market and thus lower
the price. The idea of a Memphis
mandatory having to pay 81 so per
barrel for coal and then compete with
the up-cOuutTy. Yet it has been done.
But Forests road built will forever
prevent the poor laborer and mechan-
ic from having to pay these outrage
Gus prices for what he uses. Then l
will say 70 every labOrer in Memphis,
if you will study your own interests,
UOte for the bonds 10 build the Selma
road. / would say 70 every mechanic,
il you want TO be free and lDdepend-
ent and not pay One-third 10 one half
more for what you consume, vote for
the bones to build Forests road, for
there Is not a rejecting mind but will
admit that it is the poor labOrer who
earns his daily wages, that has to feed
and clOthe his family from his daily
toll, but what has had TO pay those
penalties Of being poor, in paying two
prices for what ne consumes. Build
this road and you invite capital.
Capital viii create in our midst new
enterprises. New enterprises will
give employment 10 our youths and
our hundreds of now idle citizens. 1
ana for building the road il it costs
Memphis a million.
WM FARRIs