Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-01-30
THE BRIDGE.
The Past and h Future-A Prophet
and the Realization of Prophecies,

Congressman Vaughan, of the Memphis
district, says Meals GGsette, is one of the
most useful Representatives from the
South. he doesn't guZzle whisky, and
there is everything in this simple fact.
he has never dsrkensd the doorway lead
ing to the private toddy apartment of the
capitol. He is careful never to wound the
prejudices of others, and having been g
consistent Union man, encounters no cur
rent of Odium that sweeps southwark
from New England, ~overturning govern
ments, destroying property and desolst-
States, Mr.. Vaughan Is aprscticsl, SEN
sible, working man, whom 1t would be
difficult to supplant. His district Will
hnd hin so useful that 1t will hardly
substitute for him a representative ever
of unsurpassed learning INT eloquence.
Vaughan chooses rather to serve his people
than to win noisy notoriety. In fact, he
is 8 model representative of the South IL
congress. He Is esteemed by all parties
ana has the confidence of his official asso-
cistes. he has presented q bill in the
hoU Q authorizing the construction of a
railroad bridge across the Mississippi at
Memphis. He is the very man to secure
the desired concession. The purpose ORR
ginsted in Memphis, and the richest
gentlemen of that city are, we learn, In
cOrporsted by the legislatures Of Tennss-
see snd Arkansas to execute the scheme
developed by Mr.. Vaughan in congress.
THE DREAM.
Public opinion in Memphis, In behalf
of this measure, has been of slow growth,
We have heard the story recited by the
late Colonel j. H. McMahon, the Nestor
OF the Tennessee press, that in 1852 he at
tended, as reporter for his own psper, the
old Bulletin, a meeting of the Memphis
board of aldermen. There were only
twelve aldermen in those days and these
were busy discussing ways and means of
constructing the present magnificent rail-
road system of Memphis. Colo1el Nc
mRhon said he was amazed by the con-
duct of a besrdless youth then s member
of the board. This young man, after
voting for every proposition contempla-
ting the construction of g road and after
all measures involving this purpose were |
approved, rose in his place and said that
there was no hazard he would not
incur to assure the perfection of
q Memphis railroad, but that in
his inner consciousness he condemned
everything that had been done and every
expenditure proposed to be made by the |
city government. He said that there was
only one task which Memphis should I'M
dertake and that the wealth of the city, |
county q State should be concentrated
upon its achievement. He declared that
Memphis need only bridge the Missis-
sippi 20 gather within her boundaries the
depots of every railway south of the
Ohio On the east, and south of the Mis-
souri, on the west of the Mississippi. In
conformity with this idea, this Juvenile
offered q resolution in which IL
was proposed to pay that civil engineer
5000 who furnished approved plans and
specifications tor the bridge. The propo-
sition became for a time the theme of
newspaper discussion, and was som.
Tidiculed as impossible, I'M
wise and chymericsl. The London
Times spoke Of it as San illustration of
The prOgressiveness of q people who, liv-
upon the confines of civilization In
The new world, propose to accomplish a
work that would stagger the engineering
and daring of Europe"
THE REALIZATION.
What marvellous changes have been
wrought in the past fifteen or twenty
yesrs. The eastern railroad system OF
Memphis is perfected; Tom Scott has be-
the owner of the Memphis and
Charleston road, which now extends from
Memphis to the Atlantic, having an ex-
.ension in the shsps of q steamship line
Europe. Tom Scott also becomes
)wner OF the Memphis and Little Rock
md Fort Smith roRds, n agrees to build
he lin to Shreveport and Jefferson with
n eight months.
These facts have suggested the recital
given in reference to Congressman
and the Memphis alderman, our
DuPre, now an editor of the AP-
'EAL, The latter wa the prophet, and
Ioott and Vaughan are preparing the way
It last for the resliz ation of his Ukopian
Iream, and at length the world confssses !
wisdom of the assertion that q railway !
across the Mississippi would have
oncentratsd at Memphis ten thousand
niles of railroad lines. It Is further q 7
fact to-day that II the proposition !
I eighteen years ago had been approved, J
1emphis would now be second in wesith !
D no interior city on the continent. c