The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-08-26
Memphis and Knoxville, Rail
Road.

and Knoxville, Rail
Road.
1 suppose that if this road is
built, there can hardly be a doubt
those beds of iron ore that l spoke
of in my last, will be speedily de
velOped. Communication will be
openedwith the markets Ofthe world
and capital, energy, and enterprise
would not allow those hidden treas
ures to remain longer concealed.
Furnaces and Foundries would
soon be erected, and the crude ore
would be converted into such
shapes as would be most profitable,
and would find markets that would
make rich returns for the invest
ment, and they would bring an inn
mense revenue to those counties.
But there are other sources of
wealth in those counties that bid
fair to remain undeVeloped or only
partially developed, so long as they
remain cut off from the markets of
the world by the want OF a railroad.
They have as fine waterpOwer III
those counties as can he found any
where, and while they have already
several factories, that are run with
profit even with their present poor
facilities for getting their goods to
market or getting their cotton to
their factories, they have water
70 70 onI
haps twenty times as many, which
is now not being utilized, but
doubtless would be, were this en-
terprise carried out. New manufac-
turing establishments would spring
up, and the sound of the spindle
and the loom would be heard con
verting the raw material into useful
fabrics and fitting it for the markets
of the world, and an active, ener-
getic population would come in to
convert a-vast portion of that wild
ernesss country into places of
thrift and prosperity.
There is one other scOurce of
wealth that l will mention which
may not at first blush seem so i'm
portant, but viewed more clOslv its
Importance cannot be denied, and
that is the timbers of those cour ties.
1t would be dAcult to find in the
same area of territory anywhere,
more valuable timber than there is in
those counties, and while it could
be said, and said truthfully, that it
would supply sufficient fencing for a
half dozen counties in Middle Ten
nessee, which they are soon des-
tined to stand sadly in need of, that
would be a small consideration in
comparison to the many valuable
uses to which it could be applied.
Think for moment of the thousand
and one articles that we purchase
from the states north of us, and
north Cf the Ohio river, from a shoe
peg or toothpick to a threshing
machine, or anything else of which
wood is an important component
element, which we might just as
well manufacture here at home, and
keep the money at home that we
pay for them, and also the money
we pay as freight in having them
brought here, besides the profit
that is made by the various parties
through whose hands they pass.
In the simple article of wagons
there are sold on an average every
year, from two to three hundred in
this county, ut about an average of
one hundred dollars, some of these
oro v,,,Io ~ Noobx-illa tho .orooir
der north of the Ohio. And on the
article of plOws stocked there, and
sold in this county from five to
eight hundred at about ten dollars
a pillow. Besides any number of
other articles that fill mp our hard
ware and furniture stores, which we
never see but we are reminded of
our own folly, and a want of a
proper regard for our own interest,
that we allow those article to be
brought here from abroad and pay
a heavy profit on them, to those
who have no very great sympathy
for us, and who laugh at our folly
in this regard. when we have an
abundant supply Of the best mate
rial right at our door out of which
they could be made and all this profit
and freight saved to our own pee
pie. The amount of money that is
taken out of our county annually,
to pay for articles that we could
make at home, as well as they can
be made elsewhere, amounts to a
considerable sum, nay it is sufficient
if it were kept here to make US rich
as a people, and it would not be q
great while until such would be the
case. This heavy drain upon us
should be remedied by every means
possible, and as speedily as posi-
bic. True we could not expect that
such desirable results would follow
Immediately upon the building o.
the road, but there is nothing sureI
than that they would follow on
eventually. We could not expect
such results to come in a day, &
week or year, but the building OF
the road is taking an important
step in that direction. 1t is open,
ing up the way, and those results
will follow almost as a natural con.
sequence. 1t does seem to me that
our own experience as well as ObseT-
walton should teach US that We
should foster and encourage any.
thing that tends to build up home
enterprise, anything that builds ur
our manufacturing interests, OF
; that tends to develope the resources
of our country, for the drain upon
US is so great that, not withstand,
ing our immense agricultural pro
auctions, we have remained poor
while New England with its sandy
glades. and poor lands, has grown
rich and very rich. We have been
an agricultural people, they a man
ufactnring, and while our Golfers
have been kept empty by the flow
of money from the country, theirs
have been kspt full by the flow OF
money into their country, anC
great portion Of which has gone
; from this country. Thus by Oul
own folly we have kept ourselves
moor and helDed To enrich others