Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-16
VICKSBURG AND THE EASTERN
TERMINUS.

| NlCKSOurg Is pleasant City, winch, forty
years ago, appeared as if it had a great
future before it, but, unfortunately, its fate
has been to come in for more hard knocks
from complicated difficulties and untoward
events, than caresses from the fair gales of
prosperity. Whoever are acquainted with
the citizens of that place, and know their
kindly and hospitable character, cannot but
regret that it has had so much to endure,
and ardently wish that some stroke of good
fortune may arrive that shall put it fairly on
the way to happy and permanent success.
One good thing, at least, Vicksburg possess
es, and that is a newspaper, the Herald, that
stands up pluckily for its interests, and is
ready to take the offensive or defensive in its
behalf on all occasions. If the citizens of
Vicksburg do not highly appreciate that
faithful and interchangeable champion of their
beautiful city, as the stern and uncompromis-
ing advocate of its welfare, they are doing
their own interests injustice, for encourage
ment to their champion and defender is a
duty they cannot neglect without damage to
those interests. The proposed transconti-
mental railroad is just such an opportunity
for improving commerce and awakening en-
ergy as Vicksburg stands in need of, and the
Herald stands up stoutly and battles earnest
ly in behalf of its claims to be the eastern
terminus. While we have had to oppose some
of the positions of the Herald, we are by no
means unaware of the rights of Vicksburg to
obtain all the advantages that can be secured
from that road, as long as no injustice is
done elsewhere. The difference between the
people of Memphis and the position of the
Herald appears to be that, while the people
of Memphis believe full justice can be done
both to Memphis and Vicksburg by making
each of them terminus of the proposed rail-
way to San Diego, the Herald appears to be-
lieve that if justice be done to the claims of
Memphis, injustice must be done to those of
Vicksburg. As against Vicksburg, the supe-
riority of the advantages of Memphis as a
terminus for the road are so indIsputable that
a respectable portion of the Mississippi press
itself has frankly acknowledged them. That
we do not misrepresent in saying this, is clear
by such expressions of opinions as the follow
ing from the Sardis (Miss.) Star: 1--WE are
Misslssippian, and it might be supposed
would favor Memphis, because of being a
Mississippian, over any other route. This
might and probably would be presumed if we
remained silent. That our position may not
be misunderstood, therefore, we desire to say
with all our State pride-and we have our
share-we nevertheless believe that Memphis
is the proper eastern terminus of this great
transcontinental thoroughfare. Indeed, we
may go farther, and say that in our opinion,
1t is the only proper one." Supported by
such authority, we cannot be regarded as I'M
reasonable, or as arrogating more for Mem
phis than she is entitled to, when we assert
the extent of her claims and their superiority
over those of any rival. But why should
there be rivalry2 Why should Vicksburg
and Memphis be in contention when it is
easy to make each of them a terminus, as is
provided for In the Johnston bill. To Houses
bill we declare uncompromlsrng hostility, be-
cause it fraudulently, surreptitiously, and by
a mean subterfuge, excludes Memphis from
being a terminus, thus not only denying
justice to its claims, but forbidding any OPP
portunity to make those claims available
When the VIcksburg Herald supports that
Injustice, it is doing no good to its own cause,
tor the Vlcksburg claims are strong enough
on their own grounds, and to take a false po-
sition is to weaken their force. The Herald
mistakes us when it says the APPEAL ac-
knowledges that Houses bill provides for
commission that shall select a terminus at
some point on the east bank of the MISSISSIPPI
pi river south of Cairo" and then constructs
that acknowledgment as equivalent to its
own erroneous assertion that ''the bill itself
provides that the commission may select any
suitable point south of Cairo" The two
words we have put in italics show just where
the disingenousness of the Herald
toward Memphis shows itself The bill
does appoint a commission, but it
ties the commission hands as far as
Memphis is concerned, by providing that the