Washington telegraph., 1897-10-01

while the t,tir utilizes raw materials.
Arkansaa hes millions of dollars
every yearzb bIsuffering available ma
terial to w;.sf or rather slumber un-
touched. Atbusand substances, rang
ing from iion.nd lead to precious ores,
which manutctories could transform
into usefti roducts, are unused and
worthless,whle the people of the state
paw the sAilld laborers of other states
high prizes for manufactured articles
and incur heSy expense for transpor-
tation. The important consideration
is railroads to tap these isolated fields
of coal, iron, zinc and silver, affording
an inlet to @pital and an outlet to
supplies of minerals. Railroads are
assured. The people of Arkansas have
decided that railroad building is
question Of business and they have
taken hold oft in manner which in
dicates that acommercial instinct pre-
walls in allpatts of the state.
Increase of Railroad Mileage.
When the war ended Arkansas had
stretch of railroad little more than
40 miles long Now it has 9,4O0 miles of
railroad, with several short lines in
course of construction and at least 900
miles more projected, not including
extensions which roads now operating
have in contemplation. 1t is an open
secret in commercial and railroad
circles that ST. Louis is forced to put
herself nearer to the gulf seaports, so
to speak, orin plain words, shorten the
distance between herself and the Gulf
of Mexico, and the process of shorten
ing involves the construction of roads
through Arkansas. Galveston and New
Orleans are the ports to which the st.
Louis exporters ship all grain to Europe,
and the present season Kansas City has
had seaport rate which prevented
competition on the part of St Louis
shippers. The Is cent rate for wheat,
from Kansas City to Galveston, on the
Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf road,
was secretly made to shippers from
that point to New Orleans, which ac-
counts for st. Louis being deprived of
handling its share of grain from Kan
sas, Nebraska and other northwestern
states. 1t is not reasonable to suppose
that st. Louis will quietly submit to
these conditions in future Not only
are the grain interests of that city at
stake but also the southwestern and
Mexican business, which daily increase
in volume, is likely to be diverted to
Kansas City fist Louis does not awake
and protect herself by opening new
lines of railroad. These facts of ex-
port movement to southern ports, to-
gether with the local demand for rail-
roads through the undeveloped mineral
belts and agricultural sections, have
given spur to industries and enter
prises of various kinds in Arkansas,
and must also induce northern capital
lists to invest il lands, railroads and
manufactures and bring the train of
and employees which follow such
The action of the legis-
lature in giving state lands to railroad
and in otherwise encourage
ing railroad building, ought to obtain
the confidence of capitol and assure
investors that the people of Arkansas
are fully cognizent OF the fact that
railroads are necessity firmly allied
with the progress and prosperity of the
state. OF all the southern states Ar
kansas is most likely to be placed on an
equal footing with the manufacturing
states of the east 1t ought to excel
any of them, for it has more and
greater resources than the best of them.
All it lacks is capital and men to use it.
With improving conditions for farmer,
merchant, manufactures and capitalist,
and an era of railroad building already
open, there is every reason to believe
the state of Arkansas will soon develop
the splendid conditions which nature
has designed fer it.