The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-04-02
SCHEDULE.
Why Railroads Increase the
Value. of Land.

The following from the linton and
American gives some very interesting
statistics:
SIN his speech at Ilawrenceburg, a
pamphlet copy of which lies before us,
Mai. w. j. Sykes gave some valuable
statistics In regard to the value of land
in Tennessee. In 1854 the value OF farm
lands was SIG, 223, sos, and in 1853 1t
had risen TO $212, S20,995, or nearly
double what IL was in 1854. The war
and the partial destruction of our rail-
roads reduced the price of lands little,
but it has risen within the last two years
until now the average value of land in
Tennessee is as much as 1t was In 1903.
The value of farm lands in the hve
States Of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mich
igan and Wisconsin, was nearly $780,
100000 in 1850, and it was in the same
States over three billion dollars In 1870.
The railroad debt of Tennessee was in
1869, $34, 627 ,6S4, and it is now very lit
tie over $4,000, 900. This fact shows
what our Stste authorities have been
doing for the relief of the taxpayers.
Mai. Sykes says $50 great has been the
abuse of State aid since the war, that
many good men who are the friends of
progress and improvement, begin to
doubt the wisdom and proprietY of the
system" After giving an array Of facts
20 show how the value of land had been
increased, he proceeded to give the rea-
sons why this took place, as follows:
"Having shown that railroads do in
crease the value of land to an extent al
most Incredible, the question Is present.
ed how and why do they produce this
resultp This ] now propose to answer.
It is done by cheapening the cost of
TRANSPORTATION. This adds TO the value
Il. h anwa nd ne
the value of the production, increases,
the value of the land producing them
increases also in the same proportion.
If an acre of land produces fifty BUSH
els of corn, and it costs fifty cents
bushel to get this corn to market, that
land Is taxed twenty-five dollars per
acre for each year to enable the farmer
to get his corn tOmarket, but if
Il should only cost ten cents per bushel
to get the corn TO market, then the
farmer would only pay five dollars on
each acre for transporting his produce
to market, and thus save twenty dollars
on each acre planted in corn.
HCotton is worth four dollars more per
bale at jackson or Henderson Station
than Mt Lexington and three dollars
bale more at Columbia than at Lewis
burg, because Henderson and Marshall
counties have no railroads. Peanuts
were worth, last year, fourteen cents
bushel more at Wayerly than at Center
Vile, because Hickman county has no
railroads. 1t costs fourteen cents
bushel more to get Hickman wheat to
Nashville than 1t does Maury or Giles
wheat for the same reason. Let these
examples suffice.
"Some entertain the idea that it costs
a man nothing to haul in his own wag-
Ons and with his own teams. What a
mistakel The wear and tear of the
wagons, the injury done to the horses
and mules, the feed of his teams, be-
sides the cost of his labor, really
amount to as much as to hire it done, to
say nothing of the losses sustained by
his absence from home, and his exposure
In having the hauling done. Expert
enee has shown that 1t harms horses and
mules as much to haul farm productions
a considerable distance over bad roads
rs it does to cultivate them. A man
might say, with as much truth, that It
costs him nothing to cultivate a crop
with his own wagons and teams, and on
bis Own land, as 30 say that hauling in
his own wagons and with bis own teams
costs him nothing. 1t costs as much to
haul corn, wheat, potatoes, and such
heavy articles many miles over bad
roads, rs IL does to raise them, and some
times even more. For these reasons we
need cheap railroads into every agri-
cultural neighboThOOd, The tax upon
the productive industry of the country
in transporting agricultural products to
market is the main reason why our
farmers are not more prosperous.
"Cannot any one see that where there
is cheap transportation the land is made
more valuable than where tTansporta-
ton is high, although the land produces
the same amount of corn, wheat cotton
been or potatoes? The remarks which
havemade In reference tOcorn, applyto all
other articles, In a greater or less de-
gree. Articles comparatively valueless
on account of the want of railroads and
the distance from market, become valu-
able as the cost of transportation is re-
duced.
"The reason why lands increase in
price, as railroads are built, is because
they increase In real vdlte. The pro-
ductions of the forest, the field and the
mines depend for their value and use
fitness upon cheap and easy access to
good markets; and, therefore, If the
stockholders should never realize any
direct profits from the roads, the Incl
dental advantages would more than
compensate them for their constFuc-
ton"
There are many other interesting and
important facts and statistics, for which
we have not space, and must refer the
reader TO the speech ITSELF