The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-22


ARKANSAS"
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
When honorcd by your committee few
days ago with the request 10 respond here
tonight TO the toast of Arkansas" my
surprise was only exceeded by my graft.
tication. ] was gratiilcd that the state OF
Arkansas was esteemed by the press OF
Tennessee subject worthy OF a toast at
their banquet, and surprised that among
SO many others of her loyal sons, who
could the more eloqucntly portray her
wealth Of resources, her rapid develop.
mcnt and arts OF civilization, ! should
! have been selected TO respond. But, with
| no rich theme, | esteem IL both n pleas
| urc and duty to respond. ii fail TO do Vt
Justice il shall be roma lack oipowor rather
! than from disposition. Perhaps | shall
| bc able 10 do my state some service; and
! being an Arkausan from deliberate choice,
rather than mere accident Of birth and To-
| cation, can the more enthusiastically, II
possible, welcome the present rush OF
northern capital, northern muscle and
northern brains 10 the south. II 50 hap.
! pens ! am what is sometimes termed n
| Yankee by Our southern people although
! q New Yorker Is by no means n Yankee
United with the south by business inter
csts in Arkansas, and by marriage 10 one
! OF Tcnncssce's own fair daughters, ! may
| claim right to inheritance among the
! people oi this lair land and the privilege
! OF speaking Tor my own grand state. Her
name Arkansas tradnced for years from
one end 20 the other of this broad
! land, synonymous oi the Bowie
knife the Arkansas toDihpcs, and the
/ Arkansas Traveller, she today shines ont
! brighter and tcn(old more attractive than
would have been the case II she had gone
! along the decades without any attention,
which now affords happy contrast.
| do not pr0pOsn 20 dwell upon The Ar.
kansas Of the past, although 1t is rich in
romance, classic in us poetry, sublime in
its slatcsmanshp. heroic In It's warriors.
History will give due attention g. the past.
Today Is the Time which Interests ~ We
care nothing about the past We have on
| "hbs and the Circulation order books
| will show the daily aud weekly increase
Probably Arkansas today Is ~ little
] known TO the outside world ~ any State IN
the union We have much that is good,
aud We want our neighbom In Tennessee
10 know us better aud they will love us
more. They will also find u market ior
much Of their thorough stock AMI IN
pamllclcd inducements Tor the profitable
Investment OF thcir acuumnlniiJns OF capt.
TAI.
our State, while new In point II dcyel-
opmcnt, runs back into Rucirni history. ~
II was settled 10y the French IN 100, and
purchased from the French government
ut . 80 cents per mere Ia 1865. II
Il became Territory m March, lSD,
/. and on the Goth Of the following NoyCm.
bcr the Afkdusds GdrdE was bora at
Arkansas Post. The material used wa,
brought ia Il keel boat nom Cincinnati,
and was about siX months on The water.
The date Of the New York domestic news
in that little newspaper child NJ 1919 was
four months old, while the foreign IN.
formation was two months older. In 1888
We throw oil the territorial sWaddling
cluihc, and blossomCd forth 49, a State.
As We went tumbliug down tho ayes from
| 1870, each decade up 90 1850 doubled our
| population. From 1850 io 1870 the havoc
of war told another story l,ut the decade
nom 1870 to 1880 placed our population at
| Sn2, $50, and today the number Of inhahit-
ants exceeds ,iOO.OOO. ~ runs
the State away. We're 10 tell
YOU Of all our resources ! am airuid Ten
ncslcc would suffer an exodus, but cnn'
not iofbclr 10 tell You some oi our good
points. II YOU will push over acrnss tht
Dig river, which - inajc.tically flows NJ
your feet YOU will find We have about
twenty daily journals aud upward Of 2Ol
weekly newspapers. The woods are full
Of generous candidates aud they will all
announce. The merchants arr liberal
and YOU can hold your daily COM
position down Ia $1,000 Guns per day.
hut. seriously, We have q State 200 mites
across from north To south, and We uisc
every product known to the temperate
zone and supply scmitropical fruits IN
abundance. Of Strawberries and melons
We run special train loads to the markets
OF the north. Prior 10 1872 We were pac.
| tically without milnals aud now the
1 State Is pridironCd with thrm, AMI We
; have mon miles OF navgablc river than
any other State-4,UO0 miles. The -
, sources are greater than any other section
of territory Of equal area on tho face o
the globe. Can you find another Stat
. where liiiy-cight out VI scycnty.iiye coun
ties bear manufacturing mincralsl Cal
a You find another state whose long Eiapl'
i cotton wins the big premium whcrcvc
\ shown, aud whose FRUIT arc awarded lin
|, prizes In such rapid succcs-iunl Arkansa
~ fruit, came frst nc Louisville. ut the New
~ Orleans exposition, and We followed Il NJ
q with an exhibition at the American To
4 molorical exposition, last fall, at liosio
{. aud won the highest pfiEc offered for III
IN wurld's show. Still not satisfied, we sen
No. over our peaches, apples, plums and pear
10 California, the state oi the muc
=. boosted 1000 per acre climate aud pump
,r Kin sized pears, aud "downcd' them nj
/, their own ground, taking first prize d
4 Riverside. but, pardon me- ] live Ia Al
. kansas. Much triduccd Arkansasl
b, Where ~ there another state shown
a eighty different varieties " timber an
\. 5000 square miles Of heavily umbcrc
al land And We are erecting one new WOO
nj working establishment every ten day
y And, by the way, Arhausus produces MOI
10 cotton per acre than any other Gouthcf
State. r0or old Arkansas
In We have pine trees enough 90 make ~
pi O1O,O01,OjO .vct Of lumber, and last yea
n the output ol our mills brought W So
M | 600. O0O aud furnished our already uy'
or taxed railroad Inns with 10000 car boa,
Al, oi product. and besides We also ma,
h heavy shipments ni logs iO European cuul
pi tries uu river tn New Orleans. unknown
y. idle tmlurDl ArkanSsl
al. The last report OF the United States cc
IN. sus shows the value Of Arkansas iar
Of products 10 have been greater porccn,II
N OF the value upon the amount Invested
he agricultural land and appliances than mn
-, other State ives, Of the Mississippi rive
~. California. Tor example, showed but ~ y
~ cent. while Arkansas had % per cent
II her credit. And this IA Atkansasl