Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-11-22
Communication.


pect in Giles county of your
State, towards the end of Au-
gust last, for the West again.
Arriving at the thriving city
of Memphis, | was soon on
board of the boat, A. j. White,
for Helena, Ark. Helena is a
growing city and bids fair to
become a place of considerable
Importance, at no very distant
day. | am now about twenty
five miles southwest of Helena
and five miles from the town of
Marvel-the latter place is situ-
ated on the Narrow Gauge rail-
road, which extends from Hele-
ma on the Mississippi to Claren-
don on the White river. The
country in the vicinity of Hele-
ma is hilly and broken-the hills
are round and knobby bearing
the unmistakable evidence of
their origin from subterranean
upheavals, and of the earth
quake. About four miles west,
the country spreads out in a
vast body of level land, and, it
is as fertile as any land in the
Southern States. From the
Mississippi to the White river
the country is level and the soil
isunsurpassedin fertility. Large
forests OF excellent timber, vast
plantations Of corn and cotton,
are seen nearly every where.
The country is new, but the
people here have all the advan-
tages of an older settled coun-
try. Good markets, schools
and churches, and many other
things offer inducements to the
emigrant. / must confess, that
| was agreeably surprised upon
my arrival in this State. Ar
kansas has a bad name in many
of the States, and, at present,
does not deserve it, whatever
may have been her earlier his
tory. Instead of the pistol and
the knife about which we have
read SO much, / find kindness and
hospitality displayed Oh the
part OF the people. All of the
various denominations in reli-
gion, as we'll as the secret So
cieties, and all kinds of benev-
olent organizations, are repre-
ted here. Phillips county, Ar
kansas, is good poor mans
country. The people of Ten
nessee who emigrate, have been
in the habit of passing through
Arkansas while going to Texas
without stopping to see the
country and its resources. No
wonder so many emigrants are
dissatisfied and leave the State
of Texas. Texas is a double
curiosity to God, and an enigma
to the devil. ] would say to
my old friends who have made
up their minds to seek a home
in the West to come out to Ar
kansas for a few weeks and
look at the country. | do not
say that it is an earthly para
disc, but it is a very good new
country. We have ague and
fever in the fall in some places
but very little fatal sickness.
Politics here, or the science OF
bids fair to result
as | have predicted-in the dis
solution and ruin of the Ameri-
can Union. 1t is the same eve
rywhere. The credit of the
government is worthless in fl
nancial point of view, while
mortgages, bonds of nominal
value, high taxation, and all the
usual concomitants which por-
tend utter ruin are upon us. 1t
is too late to cry reform when
bribery, corruption and fraud are
seen in every department from
our Cabinet officers down to a
Kansas grasshopper, or o Tex
as cowboy. You concluded, |
believe, in the last conversation
| had with you, Mr.. Editor, that
/ took "gloomy view" OF the
situation, ''too much So" /
find no reason to change my
views-free negroes, popcorn
and carpet-baggers have reuni-
ted into a chemical compound
and our political affairs are to-
day in worse condition than
they are in the Kingdom of
Abyssinia. King cotton has
lost his crown in the Southern
States, and the people of Ar
kansas have concluded to rear
a full-blood herd of politicians
this State is an excellent one
TO raise cattle in, and political