The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-11-10
OUR RAILWAY INTERESTS.

Last summer when the question of rails
ing certain sum of money some forty
thousand dollars, for the. Texas d. st. Louis
narrow gauge railway was under discussion
by our people, seemingly at one time most
difficult if not impossible matter, the HER
AID urged with all its influence the prompt
contribution of the required amount. We
were satisfied then from information not
| judicious at that juncture to be divulged,
that the securing of the Texas & st. Louis
road must force the coming OF the East
Line narrow gauge to this point, especially
| if Mr.. Gould should obtain control
oft. Accordingly, we have now the infor-
nation that onlast Saturday at st. Louis its
directory at their meeting deter
station Black Jack. point some Is miles
east of Greenville and that work on such
extension should forthwith begin There
will now be race between this company
and the Texas & st. Louis company in eff
forts to reach this place at the earliest pos
sible moment. 1t is further understood
that Colonel John W. Forney,
Hon. Samuel Randall and other
Pennsylvania gentlemen will be amongst
us by the middle of this month"; and
will most probably put surveyors in
the field to map out the exact line for the
Dallas & Western railroad, which is to run
from this city to Preside del Norte, via
Throckmorton, in the county of same
name, and for which road not only has
charter been obtained and the required five
per cent. cash paid in, but ample capital
is in readiness to build and equip it
at nco. Add to this tho other fact that the
Chicago, Texas 6 Mexican Central railway
is being constructed as speedily
as men and money can effect
it, and that it is in the hands
of strong eastern capitalists, and we may
feel assured of direct connection by the first
Of the year with Cleburne, Johnson county,
where the Galveston & Santa Fe road meets
it on its route between Galveston and Fort
Worth. Besides all this, we
are advised that the Trunk
line now heading for Sabine Pass
will very shortly have its difficulties COM
posed, and will make fresh start from
Kaufman on toward the destined port. Ia
additiep to,t:4ese good tidings, our people
may not be surprised hear at any mo-
ment that the Dallas & Wichita,railroad
shall be under rapid construction to Deea-
tur or whereabouts. These things
realized, and the great part should, and
most likely will be within the next twelve
months, the status of Dallas as the greatest
railroad centre, as also the most populous
city in the south, saving New Orleans and
comes fixed as beyond all competition
With the right-ofway through the Indian
Nation secured for the st. Louis & San
Francisco road, we will have additional out
lets to the north and east via Paris,
while the New Orleans & Pacific route will
open up competition toward the gulf ports.
This will very naturally lower the rates of
freight and passenger fares which must re-
dound to the great interest of merchant and
farmer. The tendency of all this new
regime will be to drift and force Dallas, as
a large distributing centre, into whole
sale or jobbing business as peculi-
arly her own. This has been
the precise history Of other towns similarly
located and circumstanced; it will be ours.
But in the meanwhile our retail interests
mnst not be overlooked nor neglected.
What we now have can be saved to us and
accessions can be prudently made, if we will
do what other places have done to main
tain it,viz: Secure the construction Of ade-
quate county roads Whether these should
be attended to by the county or by
turnpike companies, we are
not at the moment prepared to decide, but
in the name ofjustice to these retailers, their
welfare should be consulted. We have do
mated to promote the railway interests
which build up the wholesalers let us be
equally considerate about those who are of
such infinite service to place.