The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-02-05
THE SPIDER AND THE FLY.
Some Pertinent conjscturss as toiths
Best Method Ct Extricatirg the
Latter from the Web.


recent railroad movements which
have caused so much excitement
but as my views were published in
your last issue TO q certain extent
desire to give then now more al
n length. 1 am not an enemy of the
- L. d. N. Company but have been
- from the beginning its firm and
= steadfast friend. As early as 1916
- l suggested the building Of q rail-
II road from the Lakes to the Gulf
y through Middle Tennessee. This
= is the road which the L. IL n. Com
pany now own or control. Subse
. quently, in 1871. advocated in a
, speech at Elyton (now Birming
ham the extension Of the Louis
vile road into Alabama by the pur
. chase or lease of the South and
, North (Alabama) road. More re-
> Gently favored keeping the Duck
: River Valley Road as an indepen-
dent road, in order that it might,
. whilst furnishing competition be adj
vantageous to the L. d n. as well
as the N. d.. G. road. In q speech
In your town on the first Monday
in December, / advocated the imme-
date building of q direct road to
Atlanta by the L. d. N. Company
as a means of protection agains st
the n. & &. Company. mention
these things to show that / had no
prejudice against the L. d n. Com
pany, but rather sympathized with |
them. was anxious to see fair
and honorable competition between
them which, whilst it would greatly /
benefit the people, would not injure,
but Father benefit the railroads by
increasing business. / confess the
recent movements OF the l.. d. y.
| Company have startled me as they
seem TO have done The whole coun
try. | suppose it will not be de-
| MED by any one that it would be a
| great misfortune to any country for
all its railroads to be in the hands
oil any c-mpany, as these railroads
are It's chief, if not its only modes
OF transportation. Railroad mana
gers, like other men, when they
have Unlimited power, are apt to
abuse it. | all the railroads in the !
United States belonged to one com
pany and that company had all the
means of transportation under its
control and could manage the entire :
carrying trade of the country, we
would be in deplorable condition.
have not heretofore had much con-
tdence in legislative restrictions to @
control railroads. thought com :
petition was the best and surest i
remedy, but if all our roads are to
come under the control of one great
monopoly whose object is to de-
strny competition, then we may be
forced TO resort to legislative action
for protection. l had no preference
for the n. d {. over the L. & n.
company, and would have been as
much opposed to the n. d G. com
pany getting control of the L. & n
road as l am to the present ar
raDgement. l was tor competition
between them, which would have re {
suited in cheaper rates and greater
development of the country. Y
All of Middle Tennessee is now !,
in the power and at the mercy of ,
the L. d. N. combination. 1t is true r
they say they will extend to each
city and town what she is entitled
to from her geographical and nat
ural advantages" "Words, words,
words" What do they amount TO? a
We prefer performance to promis "
IS, action to words. Have they
given any place the advantages CT n
is geographical position. Pulaski :
IS 40 miles nearer Nashville than
s Decatur and yet it costs from fif-
~ cent? to a dollar more on a bale
IF cotton from Pulaski than from
Decatur. Pulaski is 80 miles near
n the Alabama coal mines than is
and yet it costs more on
! carload of coal TO Pulaski from
hese mines than to Nashville.
Columbia and Pulaski
re all very much nearer Montgom
Try than is Louisville and vet it
osts considerably more on a barrel
# -four from each of these places
o Montgomery than it does from
louisville. Mr.. Newcomb says
coal and iron are cheaper at Louis
lille than at Nashville" and yet
Nashville is much nearer the coal
elds and iron banks than Louis =
lille. Competition at Louisville n
lakes coal and iron cheap and SO S
would be at Nashville if she could e
ct sutficientucompetitIon There .
lust and will be some difference y
etween local and through freights, &
ut it should be reasonable aud not =
rbltrary and exacting. We ex
ected to get coal next winter at 8
ON eight to twelve cents per bush
at Columbia, and would do SO, y
ad it not been for this purchase. 6
Ill we do so now2 That remains ,.
} be seen. With competition be 8
Geen the n. dE G. and the L. d N. 2
ads we could have made Colum- q
a and Pulaski large manufactur- %
G towns. Without manufactur-
g there is but little hope for the Q
'uth. Cheap fuel and cheap raw Q
aterial, whether iron or cotton,
g essential to successful manufac-
ring. Under the management Of =
Q L. d N. company, without any
mpetition, there is danger that 9
, can never succeed in manufac
ring, because of the high rates Of g;
light. If the L. & N. Company F
'uld really give every town and "
,tion of country the advantages ~
which their geographical posi- e
n entities them, we would not q
nplain. Have they ever done so? :.
mpetition would regulate these 9
ngs, if we were allowed to have -
Then the most enterprising %
ople would get the advantages to e
ich their energy and public spir- s.
entitled them. AS it is, we are in
folds of an anaconda, and
ether it squeezes Us to death or ~
!, remains to be seen.
Have we any means of relief? l -
not rely very much upon legisla- y
: action. fear it will be delu- x
E. If we had, or could get, the
ans of building a railroad from