The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-06-05
w. Sykes Letter of Withdrawal
BOLIVAR, Tenn, June l, l

W. J. Sykes Letter of Withdrawal.
BOLIVAR, Tenn, June l, 1874.
To the President and Directors of the
Memphis and KROTUille Railroad Com
Pany:
GENTLEMEN--It has been my inten~
ton for some time, often expressed to
your President, to resign the position of
Canvassing Agent for the Memphis and
Knoxville Railroad Company, which pos
sition have held during the past year,
and in accordance with that intention |
tender my resignation. do so because
l do not think you any longer need my
services in that capacity. Your enter>
prise is in such a state of forwardness
that it only needs local agents in each
neighboThOOd to ensure its speedy and
complete success. The people who are
to be benefited should take an active
part in getting up stock and doing other
things to advance it's interests, and not
rely upon few men to do all the work
bout twelve months ago ! resigned she
position Of canvassing agent of the Duck
River Valley Railroad Company for the
same reason that l now resign my pre-
sent position, and that was my services
were no longer, as | thought, needed
and now that road is under contract and
work being done upon it. Under the
management of its able and energetic
President and Board of Directors it must
be a success.
Another reason why resign is that
wish to return to the practice of my
profession, which 1 have neglected for
several years, in order to advocate pub
lie Improvements intended to advance
the general good, greatly to the injury
of my private and pecuniary interests.
| now feel as anxious for the success of
your road as | ever did, and am more
confident than ever before that it can
and will be speedily built and Will, when
completed, be not only one Of the most
beneficial to the country, but will, at the
same time, be a paying investment to it's
stockholders. Roads of good length,
connecting, as your road viii, portions
of the State having diversified producI
tons, which roads cost only $4,000 per
mile and which can do as much bust
ness as any road in Tennessee now does
or ever has done, at greatly reduced ex>
penses, must be good investment
am happy also to state that there is
fair prospect that your road will con-
meet with the Richmond and TranssAlIe
ghany (Gen. Imboden's) road, and thus
form an unbroken narrow~gauge line
from the Mississippi, River at Memphis
to the Atlantic Ocean at Norfolk. This
done, and three~fouTths of the cotton
from Memphis will go to Norfolk over
this line, because this road, GA acc cunt
of its cheap construction and its com
paratiyely small operating expenses, to-
gether with its capacity to do as much
business as can be thrown upon it and
fully as much as is now done by any
| road in the Southern States, can carry
cotton and other heavy freights at much
| cheaper rates than they are now carried
or can be carried by any road costing
| $50, 1000 per mile Much of the success
! Of your read thus far, permit me to say,
is owing to the efforts Of your energetic
President, Gen. r. p. Nicely. Notwith-
standing the difficulties he has had to
| contend with, an unexpected and terrir
| bic financial crisis over the whole cOun-
try, cholera, yellow fever and pecuniary
distress at the most important terminus
| Of his road, he has persevored with con-
! stancy and a determination worthy Of
/ the enterprise, such as must ensure
! success. Although he has met with in
difference and even opposition where be
should have met with the warmest and
most Jealous support, he has never
ceased to have work done on your road
and has gone forward though slowly yet
steadily. One cause and the principal
one of this is the people have confidence
in his practical railroad sagacity AMI,
| "AdG IL even LHO4Gi IL his uHd uSSIlOHC-
integrity. They feel, and have a right
to feel, that every dollar paid by them
will be judiciously expended and proper
" accounted for. This is no small mat
ter In railroad building
learn thatthe Company is very little
in debt, and if the stockholders would
all pay as they agreed to do the debts
would all be liquidated and the work GO
forward rapidly to completion.
The importance Of your road to Tenn
essee's commercial metropolis, Memphis
cannot be over stated 1t viii bring tc
that city new elements of wealth, and
after her many ealamities, viii be to hel
as an invigoratiug tonic TO an invalid
impartlng fresh life anJ renewed hopes
! have some suggestions which I wish