The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-07-01
MEMPHIS AND KNOX
VILE.
Letter from Major Sykes-Ne
eessity for the Construction
Of the Road Through
BOLIVAR Last
AuuaaT

We urge the rclloEIug letter up0n the spe-
eIal attention Of cur readers. aud hope It
may inspire those most interested 20 take
Immediate action IN the direction indicated
EDITORS AFPEAL:-I thank you for the
kind mention, N Saturdays AFPEAL. Of nv
efforts il behalf % Memphis I must ask
t1e privilege OF Communicating through
your columns some Information which con
slider 20 be Important and 20 oltar some ad-
dILioual sagEeslons and then let the subject
drop, 80 FAR - I am concerned, AID leave Il
% those most interested and most % Be ben
emitted that they may ca zs such action As they
think proper. / went 20 Bolivar 20 meet
the board or directors Gf the Memphis and
Knoxville abroad company and 20 ascertain
W1eGner 20 lIILl1 their road from Bolivar
through -hs iron region into the rieh grain
and provision districts OF Middle Tennessee.
and connect It with the New Orleans road zr
Bolivar so a. 90 lur1 all the trade and pour
al the wealth Of that region into New Or
leans I found that even now ouiy one sixth
81 the cotton shipped from Bolivar comes co
Memphis with a prospect OF q decrease uuias
something - done Z pom consul taEIou with
the directors, ] ascerLEElled that they were
anxious 90 bring the road 90 Memphis IF they
could get reasonable assistance q this city
ard county They only ask an additional
su1scrI p-Iou OF enc hundred thousand dollars
u Shelby ard EzysE-e counties fneIudine-
Memphis 90 enable them Co 1uIid the road
from Memphis 90 Henderson station q dis
. Z had
a1-s Co be derived are considered thrz
amount appears iEsi-uiicau1- What thew
viii 10 If they DO not get this substitution
they do Lot say ana did nos ask Them
There are some persons. however who wish
% build the road from Bolivar east - far As
Pulaski or Fayetteville, and vest Is far Is
-oIu-rH lL-e- so IS 20 turn the trade OF Ve-Ee.
county through Bolivar % New Orleans gr
ST. LoIlls- Ehlzis not the feeling. Of the pres
ideut AID directors Of the company. Under
these cLrc1LIsl lLces. ~ nat VIII Memphis doc
have been a resident OF Shelby county since
1865 and nay observation since that time
confirms me IN IKE opinion long entertained
-nuE Mem PMS possesses natural advanrazes
-4 ual 90 those Of any city on the Missi=sIUni
river, but % make these advantages avaiIa-
ole requires energy enterprise and pubIis
spirit However v4Lua1le It may be N f-self
commerce. alone VIII never make OF sustain
city OF any great proportions. There must
be Is crsartan 1r r1lles IS well as an arcaGngs
~ 1lllHE. lt1ss- La10rIuE men. mechanic
manufacturers. and even ordinary Gav-Ia-
cCrers. are what give life and power 90 cit
les. Unless Memphis 5ec0u Is muurfzcu-
urlDg city she mas reached her highest point
and there - danger OF reEr0gressiou II Is
true she IS heavily Indebted. and iE nav Be
that mCcE OF This debt was. 20 say the least
OF It. llVFI=slF contracted but the Only way
-1 decrease the debt relatively Il by i1crezs-
ing the wealth Of the city and thus enabling
zu5erprIziLE people Ever siuca nv a5len p
--uu as been directed 60 IT, have Hesu sat
T-Eied shat d raiLroad from Memphis through
the Iron regions en- the Tennessee river, and
into the rich agricultural districts OF Middle
Lauuez=es. would DO more Co give lie 20
Memphis, Co revive her trade. and 20 increase
heE Industries. zHau the expenditure OF The
same amount or money IN any other dIrec-
-lf O. The building Of tnIs road would not
interfere with the building Of any other
rold, lu5 would increase the power Of 1ne
city 20 build other more extended and more
give her the means OF manufacturing, which
che other roads would not. The trade of the
country within one hundred miles OF Mem
pLIs would make her great city. and vet
--uc1- very l1Ic1- or TINS trade she now does
-ul E9l- 10 j. co ORIG BACK and maze Sc
cure this trade THAI Memphis needs system
OF cheap railways which VII give ler cheap
local transportation. / am aware that there
has been Tor some time 4 project IN courem-
plarICu 60 concentrate a system OF railways
al q point on me Mississippi river above
Memphis, 50 Is 60 draw the trade Of the West
Tennessee counties away rom this place. 5u1
I thought. and yet rhIuk- We should conceu-
-rzle our energies and our railroads upon
Memphis ! have done al I could 90 turn
all railroads in this direction. While rail-
roads DO not Of themselves create wealth
they are the means OF developing country
and oil causing an Increase in It's wealth. II
me same manner that they increase cities.
States AMI cities have increased il wealth
population and productions n the exact "a
ITO IN which railroads have increased Wit
ness the States Of Ohio. Peuusy vauia. Hin
ois- and Missouri and the cities Of Chicago
and Sc Louis. Although my efforts N tins
behalf have UOE been 50 successful Is I could
have desired, yet when I take into euusld-
Grafton the peculiar condition OF the cOuu-
Try lur-rg the last Two years. ] am lot dis
cCuraged. amt / Still hope that others more
able and -u1u6D-lG than myself VII llvo-
cate these improvements until Lhey VII
eventually succeed Mere Natural adVau-a-
yes wl- neither MAKE a city nor an I11IVlu-
-al. lt requires constant effort and 1erse-
verlEE labor. and -1ere may be suc1 q thing
IS q cIry 1gtHg r. NATURAL 11rGls1Egss Il they
produce -elElrZy and destroy enterprise