The Monticellonian., 1898-10-21

with other avenues of traffic than the stream upon which it may be located.
 Cotton manufactories are not the only ones likely to avail of the splendid op- portunities these mill sltes present for location. The pure waters of some of the tributaries of White river are ad. mirably adapted to the manufacture of paper, besides the textiles used in paper making abound throughout the dis tricts drained by these streams. Ma terial, too, for the manufacture of bag ging and cotton ties exist in various l parts of the state and this material can be wrought into finished product with in state limits. Wagon factories, farm implements and machinery. furniture factories, foundries, etc. will spring up at each point where 8 lock is estab- lished.
 As stated each lock will yield to the state volume of revenue in the form of tolls and every manufactory will contribute it's rentals, part of which sum will be apportioned to the sev- eral counties.
 The article of paper alone consumed in Arkansas yearly amounts to hun dreds of tons, every pound of which should be manufactured here. All the elements needed in the production are now either wasted or shipped abroad in raw form Popular qualities of news paper are made almost wholly from wood pulp from species of pine and other trees which grow in profusion in various parts of the state. Straw and varieties of swamp grasses are also used in paper making, which materials will become articles of commerce the moment paper mills are put in opera tion. Il is therefore seeS that the idea of forming connecting link between points where streams are unnavigable carries with it the idea of expanding facilities for manufacturing It is true that high engineering skill is inferred in the enterprise, but even that can be obtained when it is called into use.
 Confidence in the future of the terri tory lying between Missouri and gulf ports Is manifesting itself in practical ways. The trade interests of St. Louis demand increased transportation facil- ities to tide water. Kansas City is ex- pending vast sums in permanent i'm provements and has an eye to the min eral fields of Arkansas. Expansion of trade interests in these growing com mereial centers will give impulse to business affairs in all territory lying between them and the Gulf of Mexico Every dollar expended in the interest of commercial expansion by St. Louis and Kansas City will have bearing on the future of Arkansas. Surplus money is accommodating in these cities, and the low rate of interest is causing invest ment in bank stock to become less profitable than it was in time passed, which causes money lenders and specu- lators to look for other investments which promise higher rate of interest Money will drift into maHafaetories where high dividends are assured when ever conditions are favorable. It is safe to assert that the prairie regions of the northwest do not present the re- sources for manufacturing that are to be found in the territory lying between the Ozark and the Boston mountains, and it is equally safe to say that the eternal fitness of things demands that manufactories shall be established at the base of supplies It is therefore natural to assume that when sites for mills are established at the numerous points on the rivers included in the projected scheme for river improve ment, capital will gravitate to these locks and dams as readily as water seeks its level
 The spirit of business is healthy. There is naught in the industrial re. vival savoring of reckless speculation. All ventures in new investment are in keeping with the general tone of mod eration which shapes enterprises. It is not intended or desired that boom period shall be instituted in carving forward the project to open to naviga- tion the rivers of Akransas Indeed, it is preferred that the plan suggested shall be taken up carefully and dis cussed dispassonately Being emin- ently feasible, in nc sense visionary, the plan is legitimate and within the grasp of the people, with an immediate bear ing upon the direct interests of all the citizens of the state. Water powers on lasting streams constituting permanent boating highways can be successfully operated while there is demand for manufactured products, and with the evid ence now manifest of capital seek ing new fields of investment, no think ing person can doubt that certain sec tions of Arkansas can be made the most promising and attractive fields in which it can be placed for safe investment and large returns. The key to the sit nation is river improvement.
 William Porter, who is said to have manufactured more illicit distils than any one man in the country, was