Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-11-22
ARKsvILLE AND HER COM
MUNICATIONs.

AlCElAAS Va tAC- GOtAA va a teAAC
Oh took place last: week was
ch more CURLY reported than
Acould have desired, for the SUBJ
s discussed were Of immense
Dortance, and though the form Of
cussion was excessively desul-
y. nearly all the speakers at one
ne or another made shrewd sug-
tions of measures required for |
city's welfare; but we had to go |
press the next morning, and a |
rest of the whole discussion would |
We taken a much longer time
IN we had to devote to it. We
ought it better to wait till the
esent issue, and in it to attempt
article of our own on the topic
hich had been discussed in all the
eeches, abiding to the several
/ eakers so far as we remembered
e sentiment expressed and so far
their remarks were adapted to
rowing light upon the main sub
et.
This was, as expressed in our
fading, the interests Of GAINESVILLE
affected by her communications
18th localities and communities
it'll whom there exists or may ex-
L for us commercial relations. All
! Ir modes OF communication by
irt-roads, by turnpikes, by the
yer, by railroad were intelligently
nd exhaustively discussed, and the
Board seemed to be fully alive to
ne growth and prosperity of the
lily.
d The occasion which called forth
III this salutary discussion was the
4 Eews of some recent railroad move
nents. Especially were our speak
rs exercised about a road which
,ol. Cole is building from Russell
lille to Owensboro, which is to give
ssaim communication with Evans
lille, without coming any nearer to
"a than Russellville; and then By
his controlling interest in the Nash
lille and Chattanooga roads he is
o carry his lines Eastward, and
here is to be a scramble between
MIN and Mr.. Wadly about the
communications of our Western
system with the Atlantic. These
conflicting interests are too compli'
Gated for discussion here, and this
paper will be mainly occupied with
matters nearer home. The danger
to GAINESVILLE interests was vari
ously estimated, some (among then
our neighbOr Mr.. Ingram), consid
ering that we had great cause fOl
, alarm unless we can Immediately
construct competing lines; Other
believing that the danger is exag
gerated, but all uniting in the opin
ion that il is incumbent upon US a
soon as possible to throw out rail
road communications in one direc
ton to Princeton and in another t
Dickson's Station.
Leaving these more distant line
y for the present, we have to speak @
improvements more obvious ant
more evidently practicable whicl
were chiefly advanced by Captain
Gracey. The first of these was tn
scheme of rendering GAINESVILLE az
cessible TO the people of Montgom
cry county by improving the road:
and especially by building bridge
over Sulphur Fork at Port Roys
and Piney Fork on the Lafayett
road. We can't help thinking tha
this is beginning at the right place
1t is something that we know W
can do, and it Is something tn
results of which can be anticipate
by the slenderest intellect. Loo
at the northeastern districts of tn
county, No. and No. 5, with Re
river running between them an
Port Royal as a receiving point fc
their produce, and indeed for ths
matter, of Robertson county, Tenn
and Todd county, KY, and Re
river as a natural highway to cor
vey it all to Clarksville! For th
last twenty or thirty years we hav
been labOring in every way to shu
this produce out of GAINESVILLE an
its people from trading here. Whe
the Nashville and Evansville raj
road was built we gave it the col
shoulder and seemed to think ths
we could not drive it far enOug
away from us, and finally it crosse
the l.. & N. at Guthrie, when
might Just as well have crossed it
GAINESVILLE. Then having got
railroad so placed as to take thing
away from our city whose natur;
tendency was to come here, we d
liberately set ourselves to the wor
of excluding them from every Oth'
route. Red river is consigned
fish-dams and over-growing timbe
the bridge over Sulphur Fork hI
long ago been carried down streaI
to help to dam Red river; ever
road leading from those districts
GAINESVILLE has been neglected ii
men travel them at the risk of the
necks; and so the farmers there al
driven to carrying their produce
the Nashville and Evansville raj
road, and when it gets there we al
screaming and grooming for fear
will go to Nashville, to Hopkin
Vile, to Evansville or Louisville, {
a good deal of it does, and yer
naturally, for to get to GAINESVILLE
has to go first northeast to get
one railroad, then northwest to g
to Guthrie and another railroad
and then southwest to get to Clark:
Vile.
One would think that, havin
allowed the railroad from Nashvill
westward to pass twenty mile
away from GAINESVILLE instead {
coming to US through the very di
tricts we are writing of, we wOul