The Forrest City times., 1897-10-01
FORREST CITY, AFTERNOON OCTOBER l. 1ss7

while the other utilizes raw materials.
 Arkansas loses millions of dollars every year by suffering available ma terial to waste, or rather slumber un- touched. A thousand substances, rang ing from iron and lead to precious ores, which manufactories could transform into useful products, are unused and worthless, while the people of the state pay the skilled laborers of other states high prices for manufactured articles and incur heavy expense for transpor- tation. The important consideration is railroads to tap these isolated fields of coal, iron, zinc and silver, affording an inlet to capital and an outlet to supplies of minerals. Railroads are assured. The people of Arkansas have decided that railroad building is a question of business and they have taken hold of it in a manner which in- dicates that a commercial instinct pre- vails in all parts 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 2, 400 miles of rAilroad, with several short lines in course of construction and at least 800 miles more projected, not including extensions which roads now operating have in contemplation. It 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, or in 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 a seaport rate which prevented competition on the part of St Louis shippers. The 15 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 it's share of grain from Kan sas, Nebraska and other northwestern states. It 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 if St. 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 piises of various kinds in Arkansas, and must also induce northern capital ists to invest iu lands, railroads and manufactories and bring the train of artisans and employees which follow such investments. The action of the legis- lature in giving state lands to railroad companies and in otherwise encourag- 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 a 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. It 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, manufacturer and capitalist, and an era of railroad building already open, there is every reason to believe the state of Arkansas win soon develop the splendid conditions which nature has designed for it.