The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-11-28
LOCAL RAILROAD HISTORY.
JANIS c. J0NE', r. c. BRINKLEY,
MILTON BROWN
And Other WORTHLESS Recalled BY
Thtir COlabOrer and FrieLd,
j. T. TrtEeyant.
To the Editor Of the Appeal.

To the Editors Of the Appeal;
Your editorial of Thanksgiving
morning, omits the names OF several
q ntlrmen CONNIE cted with the con.
Il uction Of some Of the Memphis
roads mentioned. The two ablett and
m ct earnest advoc ties Il the Mem
phis aud Charleston road wsre GOV.
James O. JOINS aud r c. Brnkley.
The latter gave literally of his wealth
aud the former Of his eloqueuce and
energy. Neither Topp nor myself had
much to do With cauvassinp for il, tx.
cept for the $500, co. subscribed by the
city the year At or Memphis and South
Memphis became one corporation.
When the vote was taken il was found
that the new city had subscr, b d 10
per cent OF her taxable wealth, which,
in 1859, was $5,0O0,000. l presume no
ether ty in the union can present sut h
an example Of public spirit.
The chief figure 10 the Mobile and
Ohio road, from the building Of which
Memphis was destined to eutfer aud
yet suffers, was Judge Milton Brown,
Of jackson, Tenn. He was a very
able man, and aroused a spirit Of
enthusiasm on the line OF his road in
that S,ats (trom Columbus to Cor
inth), but was very hostile to the
Memphis and Ohio project, which !
started some two or three years after,
and which now connects Memphis
with Louisville, Cincinnati and all the
Lake and North Atlantic cities by di-
rect lines. SubseQ uently the Missis-
sippi Central road was started, under
the auspices of Mr.. Goodman, the
father of our late fellow citizen, Wal
ter Goodman.
/ think Mr.. Goodman was presi.
dent OF a bank at Holly Springs, and
all remember him as an able hpau-
cier and accomplished citizen. The
Mississippi Central was probably
started because the Memphis and
Charleston did not run through Holly
Syringe. Jones, Tate and Brinkley
were opposed to any change Of route.
Topp and myself advocated the Holly
Spriups line, and had it been adopted
Memphis would have avoided all dis
criminatiou made against her and the
late road to Holly Springs would have
been in blast thirty years ago.
The Mi sssippi and Tennessee road
comes next in order; and 10 two men
deserve 81 much credit as my friends
Fr4nk White and Calvin +. Vance.
They sometimes insisted that Topp
and myself should % down the line
and eat some barbecued piPsaud NUT
ton and make speech. But to White
and Vance will our people always be
chiefly indebted tor their direct line
10 NV Orleans.
was hammering at the Memphis
and Ohio road for nearly two yeas
before getting up the amount of sub.
scription, on its tine needed TO
secure the State aid Of $4,000
per mile, with which 10 buy
iron, engines, ETC., and during
that time lin 1853 or 1854 l was sent
TO Nashville to induce the Lsgisla-
tuie, then in session, TO authorize the
Governor to indorse the bonds Of the
city of Memphis, which had, the year
before, voted $500, 900 TO the Memphis
and Little Rock railroad. 1t took q
months lobbying, but the Legislature
took Memphis by the hand then, and
told the Governor, Andrew johnson,
to indorse the bonds. johnson did
indorse the bonds, but against his
judgment. That aid from Mem phis,
backed by the State, saved
the Little Rock road. / may
be pard ned for saying that at a small
meeting nj citizens, held in the upper
room OF r. A. Parker q Co g store, on
Front street, a few doors south OF
Madison corner, the Rev. Frank
Owens, Tom Gholson and myself ere
appointed delegates to attend rail-
road convention to be he'd at Little
Rock on the 4th day OF July, 1852.
We were three days on the boat
aground now and then; but 1t WAS q
big convention for the times. Owen
worked up his Methodist friends,
while Gholson and myself, with Pike,
who took charge OF ne, masse6 the
8 inners-a numerous branch OF hu.
m anity in these primitive days. Pike
drew up the charter for the Memphis
and Little Rock road and 1t passed the
next Legislature.
After tho war, with Brinkley, Forest,
Greenlaw and Topp, went to L tile
Rock during the session OF the Legis-
lature, in 1867 68, and we got toe
leading members Of that body 10
agree TO pass such State railroad
law. remained there till the bill be-
came a law.
This Little Rock road was always @
favorite enterprise with my friend
Topp, for his long and sagscious head
had taught him thet Arkansas was to
be the Egypt OF Memphis. II looks
30 yet, when one sees that, MP 10 dae,
the Memphis and Little Rock road
has brought here nearly twice as
many bales OF cotton as any other
road Stree September lst.
Why the Memphis and Kansas City
should claim priority OF right for
building our bridge one cannot we'll
see. But he truth Is Mr.. Zach Tay-
lor has proven himself to be a far
more earnest advocate OF the Kansas
City road than OF Memphis; and am
very much inclined to think that the
illusirious descendant OF Abraham,
Isaac, Esau and Jacob Especially
Esau) got Tsylor's head "in cbancely"
before he went to Washington aud
him. 'Twont do 10 ques-
ton my conjecture, for, as Pres dent
Polk used to cay, "0ld documents are
dangerous things," In week or so l
may ask permission to cay something
more about the great State lying west
Of the river, and about the bridge
which Poindextef Dunn rightly says
shall never be under the control OF
any one railroad as long as he has a
vote. Is there not a great bonanza
attached IN the control Of that road
II teems so; or one road would not go
per istently claim the right 10 build
and manage H. J. T. TRKZkvANT.
NOVENBRR Is, 1885.
A Schooner Souttled I'm n BllndlBg