The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-01-26
OUR UNDEvELOPED RESOURCES.
Article Number Four.

| w hen man traDSgreSSeU the law God
the Great Grand Architect of Heaven
and Earth giver of every good, cursed
the earth and proclaimed as law that
man for bis disobedience should earn
his bread by the sweat of his face, aud
vet how careful was he to SO arrange
the great stores of nature, that it is no
harder to earn that bread, one place than
another, and SO plainly has he deiinea-
ted this upon the great and imperri>la-
bic Trestle Board of creation that the
whole voice of nature speaks mute, but
eloquent, and indicates the course our
efforts should take to carry out Ills
grand design.
Accepting this as true, lett examine
The surroundings of our beautiful city
and see ii our people are working in
accordance with this grand design, and
| enjoying as whole the prosperity and
blessings that kind and wise PrOvi-
denca placed il ore for us ages gone
by.
Situated as Columbia is Oh Duck
River, that serves her only as name,
that might be made to derive million
| spindles and countless machines, but a
drain for the great limestone basin in
which she is situated, possessing natural
elements Of prosperity and agricultural
wealth equal, if not greater than any
other section, the garden spot of the
| State, if not the world. On the line OF
! the Nashville and Decatur Railroad,
the great highway from lakes to gulis,
A. miles by rail from Nashville, the
capital oftGc State, that must at future
| day become great manufacturing cen
! ter. BY rail already connected TO the
cotton fields of the South and the coal
! and iron fields OF Alabama at 100
miles, 10 the coal fields of kentucky via
I Nashville IInnInrSnn RSilrn1A al I'm
miles, and by Il proposed line from
| ClarkSyiiio il will be connected, when
the Duck River Valley Railroad and its
branches are completed, to our own in
| eXhauStIbio and excellent coal fields
ana Dycstoue iron belt at so miles on
! the east, requiring only the building
| ofthe road TO Fay ettViiic, IA distance of
! - miles, to complete this connection.
/ Striking the great western iron field at
p miles on the west, passing over 80 |
! miles of orc beds in Hickman and Hum |
| phreys countiesiu going to Johnsonville,
| and projecting the road west. we reach |
| the iron mountain of Missouri at -
| miles, much nearer to us than it is to |
| Cincinnati or Pittsburgh. Penetrating |
the great western iron field again in |
| Lewis, Lawrence, Wayne, and Hardin |
counties, by the Savannah Branch, |
opening 10 us as these counties will |
| unlimited supply of timber, coal and !
| iron ore that can be delivered to us at |
| prices that will enable us to manutac- |
ture them and defy competition.
Can Columbia, situated as she is in |
the midst of all the these blessings, 50 |
control them as to build up great man. |
ufdcturing interest that will increase |
herpopulation and bring credit to her.
self as the county seat of 50 noble a |
| county as Maury.
If our people will but learn a lesson |
from the example of those communities |
| and nations which have become rich,
whilst We have become poor, have the |
pluck, energy, and skill, and will make |
use of the great natural advantages that |
the God OF Nature has surrounded us,
will act unitediy for c0mmond end.
The time is near at hand wien all the
elements of material greatness may be
passed by us.
Will our people, seeing these natural
surroundings OF coal and iron equal, if
not surprising those OF Pittsburgh,
which has made her what she is, FROM
which she draws each day not less than
$4,000, acknowledge that they cannot
build is miles of railroad to give us
cheap coal, and o miles more to give us
an endless supply of orc at cost CT St
per ION less than Pittsburgh gets her
orc; and enable Us TO draw from our sur
roundings rs she, many thousands each
day? Jfc MihE not.
When we look around to see the roads
that have been bull; in cur State. ueJc
pi4'cctcd wholly TO meet the wants of
great manufacturing interest North
ard last, who seek the shortest lines TO
furnish us with their manufactured
goods, and draw our crude products.
Who studiousiy avoid lending their
iy,si ,t.ls y |
develop our mines and latent resources?
Fearing that it would spring campeti-
ton, and the demands OF great farm
ing commonwealth that seem to feel
no interest i'll anything but cotton,
wheat pork corn, bacon, and beet, and
who look out upon the hills that contain
our iron and coal distlain, and regard
them rs worthless cXcresences on the
fair field of nature, and who seem TO
count their gains by the number of
pounds OF c)tton, bushels of wheat,
corn, rye, ana pea nuts, and pounds of
tobacco, hay, beef, bacon, and pork
they ship to other markets and in ex-
change receive implements fashioned
into every shape to meet their wants.
Seeming to forget if cCef kaOwin0 that
for every barrel of Hour, each pound of
bacon, e tch bushel of wheat, each busheI
Of pea nuts, each pound of cotton, to-
bacco, hay beef, or pork. that they i'm
port back again i'll the implements re-
celyed four times III 10 amount sent away,
and who seem not SD much as 10 have
thought tnat these hills aud mountains
that contain these immense stores at our
very door, can be made TO contribute
these supplies, and take in return all
their surplus breadstnffs and provisions
ana save them an expensive transporta-
ton.
Whom once these facts arc clearly
pointed out and understood, a proper
judgment as TO the policy to be persued
by our people, would seem to require
but little more than the instinct which
directs the horse when thirsty to drink
OF the water in the brook through which
he is passing, or when hungry to eat of
the hay III the racls at which he is stands
ing. The pfovident industry of the
ant, the bee. or the beaver, would
seem To be OF much higher order and of
more far seeing nature than the mental |
effort necessary to enable the boosted
] .ordS of creation to perceive the mode
by which we are to make our county
truly great, aud give to our peopi pros
perity aid happiness.
Capital is the instrument by the aid
of which production is directed to the
uses of man, and exits in the form of
l
iron, copper, load, and other mineral
miues, steam engines, mills. furnaces,
factories, houses, agricultural products
and implements, hooks, schools, col
leges, mental development, gold and
silver. thre any of these absent i'm our
county? Ifthey are, will not coal and !
ore and the power which they give, put I
us In possession of very many OF them? 1
Why then not call great force to our aid?
How inconsistent 10 complain OF want
OF capital While declining to do this.
When too, il is considered that the same
policy which would develop our coal
and ore, and give Il. Steam power
almost without limit, would create a
diversity of employment establish local
tural products, save the farmer from
the crushing effects OF the tac trauspor-
tation and put stop 10 earth butchery :
or and spoil3tion apd enable the far
meTs 10 develop their soils and bring
them 70 the highest tate OF cultivation,
and enable Us TO retain for our own
uses the money Tor which we have So
much need. The suicidal character of
our present policy is so apparent that il n
seems wonderful how it co.ld ever =
lave fastened itself on an Intelligent
people.
With the Duck River Valley Railroad !
and its branches completed, placing IA I
il would these immense store houses of I,
wealth in easy reach of rs that groan -
to be delivered of their immense treas-
ure held in store for us ages. Having
easy and free access to the wide cotton 81
fields OF the South, the almost undis-
frrhal rf n hiph lQY.s