The Russellville Democrat., 1884-02-21
conmap ieasea.

y
difference Of opinion IN regard to
tho terry facilities at Dardanelle.
| The "Posts at DardaneIle has been
waging war on the ferry there for
the past four mouths, and has not
been able in tile lexicon of hard
terms to find expressions strong
enough, infamatory enough, and
hostile enough TO answer its purpose
I in denouncing it. 1t has managed
to influence and prejudice the minds
of an element on that side Of the
river To such an extent that n merci
less series OF prosecutions has man.
| tested itself, and, although there
never has been such fine ferry facili
ties there as now, the howl from the
element to which the Post pandcrs
would lead one unacquainted with
the true facts in the case to suppose
that there is no facilities at all.
That there is very grand differ
ence of opinion on this subject is
apparent from the following extract
/; taken from the "Feod Notes" in last
Tuesdays Gazette:
THE FERRYBoAT s'MARTHA,
which plies between Daroanelle and
the opposite bank of the river, has
run every day during the high water
Her trips are not as often as at low
water, but like faithful messenger
this palace of a ferryboat can be
seen riding the mad waters in spite
of the swift current and heavy drift
wood. The people who have to cross
the Arkansas river at that point GER
tainly owe debt of gratitude to her
owner, Mr.. j. L. Shinn, of Russell
vile, for providing boat that can
transport them at such an extreme
high stage of water as the present.
The citizens of Dardanelle especially
should feel proud, and doubtless do
fully appreciate the pains taken for
their comfort and convenience. The
stout-hearted captain who runs the
Martha is deserving of praise and a
medal for his courage and accommo-
dation.
1t affords us pleasure to produce
this well merited testimonial in be-
half of one of Russellyille's best citi-
zens, and to emphasize the assertion
that the Martha is one of the best
ferryboats that has ever been on the
Arkansas river. And this being the
case 1t seems strange more so in
the light of recent occurrences on
that side Of the river that there
should be an element over there
which seems determined to leave no
plan untried to make it so uncom
Portable for the owner and manager
of the "Martha' that he will aban.
don his right there. And not to
leave it in the dark as to what we
mean when we allude to "reccnt &C.
currencas," we will state that we
mean all the hostile demonstrations
that have been piled up on top OF
each other ever since last summer:
first, the vindictive war of the Post,
then the efforts of the opposing ele-
ment to have number Of endict-
ments preferred against the owner
by the grand jury; then the unfair
discrimination of the county court in
requiring j. L Shinn, the owner OF
the "Martha" to pay license of one
hundred dollars per year and to give
a five thousand dollar bond, while
the license and bond of another
claimant to ferry right at the same
place is fixed at, respectively twenty
five dollars and one thousand dollars
and last. the wholly inadequate scale
of rates fixed by the county court.
This all looks like persecution, and,
that too, wholly foundatlonless; for
while there may be times when there
has been some few persons inconven-
fenced about crossing, it must be re-
membered that there are extenuat-
ing circumstances which would ex-
cuse all these little short comings.
1t IS well known that the river at
Dardanelle is one of the hardest
places from It's source to it's mouth
to ferry, and If scale of rates based
upon five cents for footmen is ade-
quate at less difficult places, double
the same scale of rates would scarce
ly he adequate here. The present
owner has, we presume, spent more
money equipping boats and provid-
ing ferry facilities at Dardanelle
than all preceding ferrymen there
put together ever spent. Until he
took the ferry there never was q
steam ferry there that could be re-
lied on, and for forty years the ferry
ing was done almost exclusively with
common flatboats pushed across with
poles, or padded over by main
strength and pure awkwardness. Dc
| the folks on the other side want to
return to this primitive slow and
easy, get-over-as best-you-can stylei
If they don't they ought to show
more OF spirit Of fairness toward
the present ferry.
1