The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1899-05-25
To Utilize White RIVER
To the Editor of THE REPUBLICAN,.

III tHe past COuCcfusuS the POSstO1lr
ties and probabilities Of railroad
building into and through Tame,
COUNT both as to number of lines c
road and the routes they wonld mos,
likely select, etc. That the future de.
velopment of Iahey coanty depend.
almost altogether upon our facilities
for transportation there is little
doubt, and accepting that PROPOSE
ton as fact, why should the citizens
of Tsney county recline in the chair
of idleness and look to, and depend
upon, the cities Of Springfield, St
Louis or Kansas City, to take suffi.
cient interest in our welfare to push
the construction of y RAILROAD into
this county? These cities are like
individuals aid as long as they enjoy
the trade from this section of coun-
try and without any competition too,
why should they worry about our
transportation facilities They each
have such facilities and have secured
the same through their own enter
prising business men and citizens. 1t
is an undisputed fact that Taney
county has unlimited quantities of the
finest quality of building stone,
gravel beds and hard surface i.ldica-
tions of mineral deposits which might
be developed into paving mines, all
of which are practically worthless to
US without transportation. Then
again, if we could get our products
to market we could raise poultry,
eggs, fruits, berries, grapes and vege-
tables in endless quantities and Of the
finest qualities, which would add
very materially To our annual income.
Besides all this. our citizens would
be induced to embark in new, and
untried industries, such as
raising fax, castor beans. navy beans,
watermelons, cantelopes, barley,
buckwheat and many other things
which demand good prices on the
market.
Now, all will agree with us that
only our lack of transportation facili-
ties stand IN the way, so let us get
our heads together and devise some
way out of the dilemma. We cannot
and equip railroad, but
we can organize joint-stock COM
pany and build warehouses of ample
on the banks of White river
at this place, and buy up the wheat,
bacon, flour, furs, poultry, cotton,
etc., which our farmers have to dis
pose of, aud arrange with Captain
Woodford to send one of his steam
boats up as often as the warehouse
has u sufficient cargo to pay
him. Each time he sends boat up
arrange with him to bring q load of
salt, sugar, coffee. nails and such other
staple goods as our merchants now
have freighted in wagons.
We would suggest that the mer-
chants of Taney county, one and all,
meet at Forsyth aud earnestly con-
slider this matter and set about 10 or
ganize as heretofore suggested, and
if our farmers who can lend a help
ing haud to tho undertaking desire
to take stock in the enterprise, invite
them 10 come in. We realise that we
have those who, like doubling Tho
mas, will say that such an under
taking is impossible, but o9r advice
would be to give each one of those
fellows plenty Of room to find an ex-
it and get out of the meeting. 1t will
require men of enterprise and execu-
tive ability to push such au enter
prise, and we are glad to know that
we have just such men in Taney
and by the way, they are
young men too, who know no such
words as "let up" or "can't do it."
Steamboats, piled White river as
far up as FORSYTH before the late re-
bellion and Forsyth supported and
two large warehouses
then, through which all of the heavy
goods for Southwest Missouri aud
Arkansas were handled.
At that period Springfield freighted
her heavy goods from Forsyth, and if
we perfect such an arrangement as is
outlined, all of Northwest
Arkansas and the southern counties
of Missouri will once more depend
upon river transportation and in a
degree be Independent of our neigh
boring cities.
Who of our merchants and busi-
ness men will take the lead in this
matter and push things along until q
of the advantages to be
gained thereby can be had?
We understand that Capt. Wood
ford is anxious to take up the upper
White river traffic and that he has
ample boats already on hand for the
purpose. He has made two trips up
to Magbee's landing this spring aud
is anxious to come on to Forsyth.
Yours truly,
A CITIZEN.
A Little Previous.
BY mistake, q short editorial crept
;u<o kh> RrpnprrnAN columns 1aSt