The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-06-18
w. j. sykes Letter of With
drawaI


BOLIVAR, Tenn, June ], 1874.
TO The President and Directors IF The
Memphis and Hn0oCilIe Railroad Com
Pany:
GENTLEMEN 1T has been my in
tentiOn for some time, often expressed
to your President, to resign the position
of Canvassing Agent for the Memphis
q Knoxville Railroad Company, which
position ! have held during the past
year, and in accordance with that in
tention | tender my resignation. ! do
so because 1 do not think you any long
eT need my services in that capacity.
Your enterprise is in such a state of
fOrwardness that il only needs local
agents in each neighbOrhood to secure
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 its
interests, and not rely upon few men
to do all the work. About twelve
months ago 1 resigned the position of
eanvassing agent of the Duck River
Valley Railroad Company for the same
reason that ! now resign my position,
and that was my services were no long
er, 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 end
Board of Directors 1t must be a success.
Another reason why l resign Is that
! wish TO return to the practice of my
profession, which / 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.
l now feel as anxious for the success of
your road as 1 ever did, and am more
confident than ever before that it can
and viii be speedily built, and will,
when completed, be not only one Of the
most beneficial to the country, but viii,
at the same time, be a paying invest
ment to its stockholders. Roads of good
length, connecting, as your road will,
portions of the State having diversified
productions, which roads cost only $12,-
600 per mile and which can do as much
business as any road in Tennessee now
does or ever has done, at greatly re-
duced expenses, must be a good invest
ment.
am happy also to state that there is
a fair prospect that your road viii CEN
meet with Richmond and Trans-Alle-
ghany Gen. Imboden's) road, and thus
form an unbrOken narrow-gauge line
from the Mississippi River at Memphis
done, and three-fourths of the cotton
from Memphis will 90 to Norfolk over
this line, because this road, on account
of its cheap construction and its COM
paritively 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
$4,000 per mile. Much Of the success
of your road thus far, permit me to say,
is owing to the efforts of your energetic
President, Gen. X. p. Nicely. NOtwith-
standing the difficulties he has had to
contend with, an unexpected and terri
bic financial crisis over the whole cOun-
try, cholera, yellow fever and pecuniary
distress at the most important terminus
Of his road, he has persevered with a
cOnstancy and n determination worthy
of the enterprise, such as must ensure
| success. Although he has met with in
/ difference and opposition where he
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 princi-
pal one of this is the people have conf
dence in his practical railroad sagacity
and, what is even more, in his unques-
toned integrity. They feel, and have a
right to feel, that every dollar paid by
them will be judiciously expended and
properly accounted for. This is no
small matter in railroad building.
learn that the Company is very lit
| tie in debt, and If the stockholders
| would all pay as they agreed TO do, the
| debts would all be liquidated and the
work 90 forward rapidly 10 completion
The importance of your road to Ten
] nessee's commercial metropolis, Mem
/ phis, cannot be over stated. 1t will
| bring to that city new elements OF
wealth, and after her many calamities,
will be to her as an ipyigOrating tonic
to an invalid, imparting fresh life and
renewed hopes.
have some suggestions which l wish
| to make to your Board orally, and then
l will place my resignation in youI
/ hands with the confident expectation
that this intelligent, energetic and able
Board win carry this grand enterprise
| to a successful completion.
| Very truly Yours,
! l.