The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-12-19
Csoraps from my Note. Book, concluded. }


road is soon to become an accom-
plished fact. The five hundred
miles already constructed Ia Nut
ern Texas have already transformed
that region from an almost unpeo-
pied country into one of the fairest
and richest districts in all America.
The road has added perhaps hun
dred thousand people to that por-
ton of this immense common
wealth; the business OF the road has
gone on increasing from year TO
year, and the company are now u
ing all their available funds to cx-
tend its line. To hurry il forward
from Fort Worth To San Diego. no
thing is asked, and nothing is wanl
Ell except an expression OF conf
dence and good will on the part Of
the government. This expression
would consist in guarantee of IN
terest on the companyis construc
ton bonds, which guarantee is four
or five times secured by the provls
ions of the bill now before Con
gress. The only formidable oppO
sltinn to this great enterprise comes
from the present Pacific railroad
monopoly of the 42d parallel. The
roads embraced under this head
the Union, Central and Southern
Pacific-have been subsidized in
lands, bends and unpaid interest TO
the amount Of nearly 100000, 0OO-
These CON panies have s. 'naniipu-
lated this princely bounty of the
government that they have acquired
ra lroad property valued 10y III m
selves at S5O0OOO,O0O, built up COZ
lussal fortunes for favored few,
and now they tax the commerce of
the country eight or ten millions
year, and use a part of their ill-got
ten plumber to oppose the building
Of competitive line of Pacific rail
way.
WEALTH AND WANTS OF THE SOUTH
AND WEST.
One thing is certain. The valley
of the Mississippi has reached that
point in population, wealth and 10
htical power, where it will Go long
er play the role of a meek slave to
the behests of the north and east.
Covering more than half of the set
tied territory Of the United States,
with about half OF it's population,
ard being the great producing re
gion of the Continent, it asks and
claims such means of transportation
as shall give it free access to the
best markets of the world. Its
twenty millions of cattle scattered
over a thousand hills and broad
prairies; it's more than twenty mil
lions of fat swine; its immense
docks of sheep with their feecy
covering; its vast crop of vegetable
wool whitening millions of acres;
its more than a Thousand million
bushels of grain; its hundred mil
lions worth of gold, silver, lead and
iron; in short, its more than five
thousand millions worth of annual
products, gathered from mine, farm
and factory, demand such facilities
of transportation for this vast and
fruitful region as shall place the
producers of the West and South
on an equality with their neighbors
of the North and East. To secure
these facilities the West and South
must have two more roads to the
Pacific, one on the 47th and the
other on the 82d parallel; they must
have the Mississippi and its leading
tributaries so improved as to make
them open channels of commerce to
the sea; and last of all, there must
be such enlargement of our mer
chant marine as will extend our
trade relations to all the countries
that offer a good market for our
productions. These improvements
would add to. the home value of all
our products. and every man in the
West or South is personally inter.
ested in having them speedily
made. j. l.. L.