Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-05-02
And Strokes OF FOlly-HOw the Critics
are Criticized and the Wise Men
become Fools and Honest
People KnaYes.
The Railway system Of Arkansas as IL
was, and as the Legislature
has Transformed IL.
How TO Carry Stronghold under Heavy
Fire-SpIked Guns and Masked
Batteries.


cost the State from two to five millions
each, for two and five hundred thousand
dollars. The sums paid the State by the
purchasers were trifiing, and the State
only asked assurances that the roads
would be finished. The same policy
must yet be adopted by Ar
kansas. Otherwise the development
of the States wealth and resources will
be exceedingly slow. These considers
tions impelled many to advocate the
I railroad release bill. 1t hap
pened, however, that this bill re-
stricted the further issuance of State
bonds to railways. When the whole
story is told it will be found that this re.
: striction begat the defeat of the mea-
sure. There is an unfinished road in
Arkansas whose chief manager must
have more State-aid bonds. His exist
ing contracts and necessities demand
= this, and, therefore, the mighty uprOar
which so excited those who made the
uprOar and those who were strangely
misltd by il. Governor Baxter would
= have approved the bill if it had been
! properly drawn, and contained, at first,
, proper restrictions, such as you supposed
were embodied i'm it: and when at last
practically amended and thus given a
proper shape, declaring specifically and
be issued to these roads, the potent rail-
road manager turned his back upon the
measure and his organs howled. The
people may want more specific informa-
ton on this subject, and Imagine 1t can
be given. can give all the names required
and much curious information about
this recalcitrant railroad manager, who
breathed all this fury into the nOstrils
| of the ferociOus press.
VERY GOOD SUGGESTION.
1 simply submit that it were wiser to
concur with the Gazette, and suspend
! discussion of these matters which NAV
lead to curious developments, the least
important of which is that the railroad
steal bill didn't pass because it stopped
stealings. In other words, it put an end
to the issuance of Arkansas State bonds, |
and thus TO a course of stealing that was
so perfectly systematized that ii had be- |
come necessity.
ANEW DEAL,
The railroad bills and charters enact |
ed in the last days of the session of our |
legislature will amaze very many good |
people in Memphis and elsewhere. |
The rings were terribly smashed in |
their collision with one another. The |
Memphis and Kansas City road was
completely extinguished. 1t has no lon |
ger any practical existence. A new deal |
was made, as / informed you in former
letter, but you deemed it prudent, as ] |
advised, to suppress the facts. There |
were two or three little wheels and rings
within rings revolving within the board |
of directors of the late Memphis and /
Kansas City road. 1t was very proper
to smash the thing. The Job
was decently done and a
new charter was secnred with a munifi-
cent land grant. In fact, there are two /
schemes of this sort, either fatal to the
old piece of legislative patchwork about
which we have heard here in Arkansas
such magnificent eloquence, bubbling
up through the Memphis press from the
depths of your profound chamber Of
commerce. One of these Jacksonport
schemes is to promote the interests of
Allen q Marquand, and to secure the
immediate construction of the Memphis
& st. Louis road. The other is nearly
along the same route, sixty-ive miles
east of JacksOnport, and is richly en-
dowed. To this is granted the lands
forfeited for taxes in Crittenden and
rich tier of counties, from the Missis-
sippi to the Missouri border.
ANOTHER SCHEME,
of which you have spoken occasionally,
has a somewhat different aspect from
that given it 10y your Memphis news
paper press. The land given the new
road from Memphis to Pine Bluff and
Shreveport lies mainly west and south
west of Greenlaw's road. 1t was the
intention of the trainers of the railroad
bill to induce the construction of two
roads across the lowlands; one in the
direction of st. Louis and Kansas City,
the other toward Shreveport. 1t was
apparent to intelligent members of COM
mittees, and members of the legislature,
who considered these matters, that there
was not enough forfeited land to ensure
the construction of both highways from
Memphis and that road was most needed
by the State and would serve it most
which protected the broadest area of the
lOwlands from overflow. 1t was, there
fore, agreed to fix upon a line which
would enable all honest lovers of the
country, all who were not mere specu-
lators, TO combine their forces to stretch
another bridge across the lowlands.
The line endowed runs ffty-five or sixty
miles east of JacksonpOrt from Mem
phis, and the forfeited lands of Critten-
den and of the richest tier of counties ,
west and northwest of this city were ;
granted to this corporation. II
MEMPHIS AND SHREVEPORT. II
1t thus happens that but few acres
north of the Memphis and Little Rock
road fall to the share Of the new
ly projected line from Memphis to
Pine Bluff and Shreveport. In
fact, as the APPEAL has
repeatedly suggested, little personal pre-
judices and personal interests and spec
ulations must be merged into the greater
necessity for a perfect and perfectly
maintained highway leading TO the
southwest across the lOwlands. The
legislature has wisely provided for the
proper maintenance OF railways across
the lowlands by giving to each proper
indowment, and while lively lot Of
good fellows were running off, !
half cracked, and exciting the
dear people to fearful
degree about the railroad bond steal y
the sharper railroad men were quietly
pocketing the broad acres which the
state might have used in paying the
bonds Issued TO railroads. The press
went of ON a false scent, and you who
were advised Of all that was going on,
quietly submitted to absurd allegations, {
ana while approving one mode of
relief which was suffered to die, 9
another equally effective, was born 9
into vigorous existence. What the q
APPEAL sought is achieved and 1
the wealth of Arkansas, which is
the wealth Of Memphis, will be sud-
denly made enormous. II RAILWAYS can
not be built by bonds, the lands 10 nav g
those bonds are taken by railways, and III
here we have another railroad stsal'- I
TO use the vulgar language of vulgar !
people In the one case bonds were to | I
be stolen; in this other, the States and !
the peoples lands. The fun OF the whole !
story is that the scheme, as sustained by !
the legislature, is wholly different from I
sciences could approve roguery i'm lands, 5
but grew sick when the railroad bond {
stealp was mentioned. :. II. S. s
A DesMoines, Iowa, dispatch says an :
Indian OF the rowing tribe Of Musqua- !
kOes, which infest the State of Iowa, a .
few weeks ago murdered one of his tribe.
They We're then and are now encamped /.
on the Skunk river, near Colfax, Jasper !
county. They tried the murderer, and
decided that he shouln be punished by J
being starved 10 death, and the sentence :
was carried out 10 the cruel letter. The :
Indian was tied to log in the woods,
and several Indians were detailed to :
carry the sentence into effect, which 1
took eight days, other cruelties known
only to the red devils themselves being
added to the torture of starvation. 1
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A London dispatch announces the