Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-03-29
Communicated.

events, and TO sucn esPeciaii!
call their attention to the
phenomenal development oil our
country snd the causes therefor.
Our government, the graudest'
wlsest AMI best that has ever eA
listed under Gods sky. has CIV
en- in land grants the enormous
sum Of 2l5, 203, 70S acres OF her
finest lands up to June 80, 20,
to induce the great modern CIV.
liners, the railroads, to spread
their net work OF iron bands
over her domain. Unless sub.
sides and land grants had been
given to the IneOTporators oil
the railroads By the government
as a basis Of credit or margin on
which to negotiate loans or
float its bonds, railroading to-
day would be in Its infancy 10
this country. Can any one
doubt the wisdom Of her policy,
after seeing the result Look
at the great northwest ; only a
few short years ago, on the very
acres where the buffaloe and
the elk grazed, and where the
wild Indian perchance scalped
hin victim, are now erected
GO cities where civilization
prevails, where.God IL worship
ed in magnificent temples, with
gilded spires reaching almost
up into heaven. The increase
in the value of western and
northern lands, in many instan.
ces from 81 to 300 per acre, is
ALTOGETHER due to the facilities
that are given for the move
ment ofits products. Railways
are becoming the necessary sui
stitute for common ways fol
local. or cross country traffic
and they create the very traffic
that will sustain them. How
this traffic is created by the
railways can best be shown by
comparing the increase of the
grain crops of the United States
with the extension of the rail
way mileage. In 1865 less tEar
one and ona quarter billion
bushels of grain was raised IL
the United States /; in 1887 mors
than three and one quarter bill
lion of bushels. If We are
abreast with the times, Missis
sippi in 1900 will have 30Ot
miles of railroads. To-day il
has only l mile Of railroad fol
each 80 square miles, while
Massachusetts has ] mile fol
each 4 square miles, and ii il
said that you cannot get cut o.
sight of o church, nor q schoo.
house at any point in the state
Comparatively speaking our
county is almost uncultivated
Neglect the land for two OF
three years and Il reverts back
to a state of nature /; the gan
stand of forty years date is hard
ly suitable for modern purpo.
ses ; close the dwelling aud il
soon be ruined neglect the
mill for a single winter and its
wheels may never start again /;
what moth, rust and frost do
not destroy, the inventor, more
destructive than either, render
valucless by substituting I'M
proved works or machinery by
which more work can be done
with less labor. Even the su-
perstrueture ofthe railrosd may
be destroyed, but the opening
of the way is permanent, and Il
is almost the only permanent re-
suit OF human labor. The only
work that remains Of the Ro-
man empire, except the ruined
buildings, is the Roman road
that opened the way to the con.
quest of nations, and may even
now serve the peaceful ends ci
commerce. Let "a lat least BY
giving a nominal amount, fifty
Thousand dollars) induce capita
lists TO invest their money in
something which represents one
of the most effective forms Of
fixed capital-the railroads.
that it cannot be said of US that
our wealth will be blotted out
by one stroke of the pen, AZ
was true Of one of the cherished
institutions OF our fathers
siavery-which was as epheme.
raj and evaDescent as the frost
before the morning sun. Each
mile of railroad in this county
when built will have cost about
S25 600 this sum represents the
work of 81 men for one year at
about s40O each. There Is only
one method to adopt by which
we can induce capitalists to
empty their Golfers OF gold in
our county. Shall we adopt
this, Is the issue for you TO dc.
eide at the polls on the Sis.
inst. Ii costa each individual
almost nothing ; only l0c on
each sl00, to liquidate the inter
est each year. ! submit the fol
lowing statement which shows
conclusiyeiy that at the end of
forty years the county will have
received into her treasury after
paying Of Ill interest and the
bonds, the sum OF one hundred
and thirty thousand dollars, be-
sides the advantages we have
OF low freigbts, which lessons
the price of goods and increases