The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-02-16
THE ROA NoKE & SOUTHERN r. r.
ELECTION.

THE 1SOA NohE 81 SUI l1lEh-N ~ IA
ELECTION.
The citizens of Winston Salem are
to go to the polls on next Saturday
and then and there decide whether or
not this city is to become a railroad
centre or only point on the Wins
ton and Wilkesboro railroad.
The Importance of their verdict Is
beyond calculation. Is effects on the
future of the city, county and section
will be stupendous. For commun
ity to prosper either by agriculture,
commerce or manufacturing it must
have advantages in location and trans
portation. The two are often combin-
ed Without either,a section is doom
ed with both, its success is beyond
doubt
Years ago the nov sleepy old town
of Alexandria, lying on the banks of
the Potomac was the commercial and
manufacturing centre of a vast stretch
of country south of New York. Then
its streets were busy marts and vessels
of every flag brought and carried
goods to and from its wharves. To-
day it lies there silent, the streets grass
grown, with only the memory of
) name to command respect and only
few cid houses connected with histor-
ic themes to lend interest to It's crumb-
of Baltimore, on the Chesapeake bay.
Once Alexandria laughed at its efforts
to become town. Now linked with
the states of the Union by bars of
steel and visited every day and hour
by the steamships of every nation it
is the queen of Southern commerce
and barely knows that Alexandria
was ever more than sleepy little
hamlet near the Nations Capital.
The reasons are plain. Baltimore
had the location. She was in the
midst of superb country, at the head
of fine harbor and every railway
coming south passed through her linn
its.
This is the story of commercial
towns, the one with fair shipping ia
cilities, the other with facilities far
superior. The one decayed, the other
lives and grows and broadens.
X
Now let us glance at an agricultur-
al and manufacturing section. A
half century ago Fulton county, Ga,
was known as good farming section,
but the people had little money. By
and by the little town of Atlanta was
pierced by railroad, then small man
ufacturies began to spring up, then
more railroads came, then more fac
tories until the little town had grown
to great city with over forty thou
sand people. Railroads made profit
able manufacturing possible and fac
tories brought people and money.
To- day ninety-four per cent of Allan.
ta's population make something to sell
and the many railroads centering there
carry the manufactured articles all
over the land.
IF multiplicity Of railroads in fer
tile land, inhabited by enterprising
men has brought prosperity to one
town it will to another if railroads
helped Atlanta they will build Win
ston-Salem, and the more roads the
more prosperity.
Saturday we have an opportunity to
gain not only line of road tapping
the C. F. & Y. V. r. r., and bring
ing the ores of Stokes To our doors, but
we canssecure a. through line, connect
ing at Roanoke City with the Norfolk
AID Western, then.on the Shenandoah
Valley route, passing through very
garden land, to HagestowD, Nd, there
connecting with all the Northern
markets. by rail and the European