The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-01
The MENPHIS BRIDGE.
SHALL ITS CONSTRUCTION BE
IMPEDRD
by the Designs Of Wildcat Specula.
tOrsG-The Meetiug Today at the
Merchants Exchange.

A general meeting OF the Merchants
Exchange will be held this forenoon
at ii O'Clock, to take action with re-
ference to a bill now pending before
Congress, granting the right to bridge
the Mississippi river at Memphis. Ii
is to be hoped that no lover Of the
clty's welfare who is a member Of the
Exchange will absent himself from
the meeting. At a joint meeting of
the two Exchanges, held last June, a
memorial was adopted urging Con-
gress to grant a charter to the Kansas
City Railroad Company and its asso-
ciates to build a bridge across the
Mississippi river at this point. The
passage OF the bill granting such
charter was defeated by corporation
organized under the laws OF Arkansas
and known as the Arkansas and
Tennessee Bridge Company. There
is no doubt in the minds of
any sane man that this company
which already owns charter to build
bridge, has fallen into the control of
spectators who are without the means
to build themselves and have repeat
eddy made overtures to sell their char
ter TO the Kansss City Railroad and
Memphis Bridge Company. This Ar
kansas company has had a charter for
four years, and never has advanced
an inch in the direction of raising
money to build, much less build.
Under the laws Of Arkansas il is re.
qulred to file in the archives Of that
county list of its stockholders and
toe amount OF stock subscribed. That
has never been done, presumably be-
cause no one connected with it has
ever subscribed anything. At the last
session OF Congress it pleaded for fur.
Their time to commence opera
tons, although four years have
elapsed since it's charter was |
obtained. Time was granted until the |
coming session Of Congress, and moth
ing has yet been done. 1t is scarcely |
TO be credited that Congress will again |
permit itself to grant the Arkansas
company further extension of time.
The facts should be vigorously pre-.
scented to the National Legislature and
determinedly urged. The himsy pre-
text that the granting OLA charter to
the Kansas City Railroad and Men,
phis Bridge Company would create
monopoly will not stand in face Of the
provision in the charter, Offering free
access on equal terms to any railroad
desiring to use the bridge. The latter
is ready to begin work at
once; its engineers are already on the
spot making surveys and soundings,
and 1t only needs signal from Con-
gress for the work to be.
gin. No effort should be me-
elected to accomplish that end
and the meeting at the Merchants
Exchange today may largely in fluenCe
hat result. The following extract
rom a letter written by the Hon.
Zach Taylor and published in these
columns June l, 1886, may not be out
If place here:
ut is my opinion that there is some
purely speculative patriotism on the
part of some of the gentlemen inter
'sted In these bills to build bridges
,ver the Mississippi. The Kansas
Jity people do not care how many
'ther bills are passed 80 they are &C.
corded the right to build bridge.
'ome Of the others do care, and only
want their bill passed. What we need
or our great and growing interests is
bridge over the river, and we ought
lot to discourage those who really le-
ire to build one merely to CRAFTY a
ew Spectators. / for one will not
onsent to be made a party TO such :
cheme by my action here or else
Fhere." f,