Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-28
ssTOMMIEY sCOrT's MISTAKE.
The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and
Men.

The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and
At meeting of the Memphis Chamber
of Commercs Monday last, Gen. Forrest
stated that it would require S550.00 to
complete the Selma road to Holly Springs,
and stated that he had received the foll0w-
ing simportant communication on railroad
matters in the South, which he would re-
quest the secretary to reads"
"CHARLEsToN, s. c., March 81, 1873
Gen. n. B. Forrest, Memphis, Tenn.:-My
Dear SRI received letter from Mr.. H..
f. De Bardeleben, of Pratt, Jefferson coun-
ty, Alabama, some little time aso, saying
that the circular had hastily presented to
The attention of the Georgia agricultural
convention had been favorably considered
by you, and that you were willing to meet
the enterprise I was advocating in liberal
way. The fact is, General, l have
discovered the greatest omission that
any railroad people could make, and
do unhesitstingly say that l can force
revolution 10 transportation that
old railroad men like Tom Scott are unpre-
pared for. He bas made great mistake.
He should first have conferred upon Men,
phis as his center of action, realizing that
NuC 10 WAS luNCcbliAk OriOIRCQ W
Pennsylvania and not to the city of Phila-
delphia; that while the base of one could be
moved, the other was a permanent location.
Taking Memphis as his point de dppui, be
should have secured either the Mobile and
Ohio or Mississippi Central for his Gulf
support, connecting that line by a short
connection running thus: From Mem
phiS, continuing the connection cow
occupied by your road to Aberdeen,
and from there direct to Macon,
Georgia, where he could have bought the
Brunswick and Macon road for song.
This road be could have angled from Nc
Rse's, Montgomery county, to Ways, BIy-
an county, If he did not choose to run into
Savannah. This would have given him
Brunswick and Savannah as his Quilt.
BY this route and fast steamers be could
put his freight in New York or Europe at
a less cost By many per cent. than by all
rail from Memphis to New York, Boston,
etc. With his connections eastward per-
fected from st. Louis, he should have
moved forward 10 Texas from Memphis
as his base, uniting this line with s.,
Louis on the west side of the Mississippi,
running due NORTH. The Mobile and Ohio
and Mississippi Central have seen their
best days for some time to come. The de-
mand is for eastern transportation, not only
to our Atlantic coast, but to Europe and
the East Indies. Shall send you a PAM
phlet that l have had struck off, merely to
attract attention to the enterprise and the
field for industrial employment between the
COST of South Carolina and the State of
Kansas. Can you do me the favor, aud get
me the exact width Of the Mississippi on
the suburbs Of Memphis, also depth, and
character of the strata under the bed of
the river? l would also be glad to
know what sort of foundation there is
on the Arkansas side. In five years from
now there will be a howl for transporta-
ton eastward, from the citizens of the
Mississippi region, that will sstonish
some people. Within that time we are
50 TO have an exodus from the south oil
Europe to North Georgia, Alabama, Ten
nessee, Arkansas and Missouri, that viii
speedily supply Cufse's place-but good
bye big cotton planting. Hoping to hear
from you shortly, and see good deal more
of you as my project develops, l remain
yours very truly, WINBoRN LAwToN."