The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-08-23

Ra1lreaa Meeting lass Ms.&ay Night
According to announcement, Q numbe
oil our citizens met ia the County Oour
room Monday night, for the purpose o
taking subscriptions In the Duck Rive
explained the object " the messing
dress the people. Judge WriSht said b
had just returned from MasShall coun
~, where he conversed with al the pee
pie he met upon the subject Of the Co
lumbia and FAyette Vile Railroad.
They seemed to be greatly interested il
this subject, and expressed . perfect
willingness to build the railroad through
their county, provided Maury brings II
to the county line. Although fhey.voted
1915, 600 TO another railroad, they do moi
refuse to take stock In the Duck River
Valley road, and plead poverty, but
they simply ask, "What Is tMaury do
ing i'm this matterr Let her move, and
we will follow" The eloquent speaker
spoke in glowing terms Of the beautiful
counties Of Marshall and Msuy, upon
whom Providence seemed to have smiled
in an especial manner, and of the still
more glorious future that awaited them
if they took advantage Of the opportunity
uOH Ou6lOQ ~ NOtW bS1oSoII4lu
the fields of Marshall county are covered
with i've stock and the cribs bursting
with grain, there is no way to get It 20
market. The only thing LETT for them
to do is to give it away in princely hos
pitality. II Maury county does not
take step Ia the right direction imme-
diately, the opportunity will be lost to
her-she will be too late. One party is
trying to run . road to ulle Okla, and
another to Shelbyville. III q road Is
built TO either of those points, Columbia
will never get her road. Promptness is
necessary to seize the golden opportuni-
ty now offered to u.s. At the opening
and conclusion of Col. Wright's speech,
he was warmly applsuded. At the re-
quest of Mr.. Thomas, Capt. J. B. Steele
made few remarks. He had just re-
turned from making . reconnaissance,
preparatory to survey of the road to
Fayetteville, and he was prepared TO
sustain Col. Wright in what ne had said
about the anxiety of the people Of Mar
shall for the road. Every body was
working or talking for it, and IL Maury
makes the right move, they will meet
her at the county line. The country over
more level and better adapted for build
He found gap through the Elk Ridge,
which will cost but about four thousand
dollars per mile more than the usual
grade. One man proposes to give fl0,-
200 or 20 900 for our road. He made tell
ingspeech. Maj. w. j. Sykes responded
to acall made upon him, and every word
he uttered did good. He had been max.
ing speeches in Marshall and Lincoln,
and he was satisfied that the people were
alive and afire upon the subject of the
Columbia aud Fayetteville Railroad.
Hesaid no place In Middle Tennessee had
the natural advantages which Columbia
possessed. She was between the coal
fields on the east and most magnificent
iron ore banks on the west, and was In
the cenCre of the richest agricultural dis
trict in the state. Coal could be deliv-
cred here, when this road was finished,
at twelve cents bushel, the cars going
west would be loaded with coal and go
ing east with iron ore. A mail et would
then be furnished ir Columbia for all
the agricultural products Of this and
adjoining counties, the trade of the
town would be doubled, If not quadru-
pied all the hills which now surround
the town and give it SO romantic an ap-
pearance, would, in ten years, be cover
ed with extensive factories, fOundries
and rolling mills or with splendid rosi-
dences. Columbia would then have Q
railroad direct to st. Louis On the north
west, to Memphis on the west, to At
lanta on the south east, and Cincinnati
through McMinnville on the east and
north east She would then have rail-
road facilities equal to any place in Ten
nessee, and might successfully contend
with any of them. 1t Is for you to say
whether you will throw away these
splendid opportunities. Already agen-
cies are actively at work to take this
road from You, to cause the people OF
Marshall and Hickman to embark in
other enterprises, and become perma-
nently disconnected with Manry. II
you hesitate these efforts will succeed,
the foundations of your prosperity will
be undermined and your town will
dwindle into comparative insignif!cance.
Shall this be the fate OF Columbian By
Strengthen the hands of those who are
laboring for your prosperity as people,
and your growth as q town. DO not
for the sake of your children, permit
yCur town to be left far behind In the
race of Improvement. Tohave q flourish
ing town you must have concentration
of railroads. So It has been every
where, and 80 it!wili be here. II by in
action you lose.tbis opportunity your
fate is sealed. If this Gully injured the
present generation or those who did it,
the evil would not be 50 great, but those
who n0W oppose this road are iDfiicting
an injury upon their town and upon
the coming generation which never can
be remedied. If lost noU 1t will be lost
forever. 1t is better to know the dam
ger in order to guard against 1t in time.
Major Sykes gave some statistics In
regard to the effects of railroads upon
towns. CoPINTH, situated in . very
poor country, at the intersection OF the
Mobile & Ohio and Memphis & Charles
no existence, has now taxable property
amounting 10 one-half that of Column
bia, and had recently voted a subscrip-
ton of $50, 900 to the COripth A. Ham,
burg road with but one dissenting voice
JACKSON, TENNESSEE, which twenty
years ago was much smaller than Co
lumbia then was, and which IL IN q
county not as rich as Maury, has now
taxable property amounting to half a
million more thar Columbia. This is
because she has two railroads, the Mo-
bile d Ohio and the Mississippi Central,
and she has recently voted $125, 600 to
the Memphis, jackson & Tennessee Riv-
er Railroad with only eleven voting
against subscription out of 671 voters.
Bro wnsville, one of the most growing
towns in West Tennessee, because OF her
railroads, has voted this year So, 600 to
narrow gauge railroad in addition to
the $3.50, 900 voted by Haywood, the eopn-
ty in which Brownsville 10 situsted, to
the.Brownsville& Holly Springs railroad.
He could give instances in other States
as well as our own of the beneficial eff
fects Of railroads upon the trade. bust
ness and wealth OF towns, but these
would suffice. One railroad had bene>
fitted Columbia much, but one or two
more would have greatly moro happy
effect, The people around Bolivar, Ten
nessee, had raised $4,000 by private
subscription to build a railroad from
Bolivar TO Memphis. Could and would
not a county 50 ric., as Maury and a
town SO flourishing ss Columbia
be able to raise more than West Tonnes
see townsf ..'' 80
Mr.. Thomas requested Mr.. John FRI
eFson, Mr.. J. M. Parker and Capt. A. G..
Hickey, to visit the citizens of the town
and ascertain who would take stock and
what amount. 1t was reported at the
meeting that about fifteen thousand had
been subscribed.
News from Hickman.
We have seen q letter from q distin-
guished citizen CT Hickman county in
which he gives most cheering accounts
OF the railroad progress in that cOulstY.
He says they have had two railroad bar