Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1901-06-20
THE DEVELOPMENT
Of THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF THE
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
Letter Addressed to the Honorable Fuon IT, n Cha,
ceor Oh the University Of Mississippi by Stuyyesan Fish
President Of the Illinois Central Railroad
Company, May 28 1901

operated. II not by corporations. Al,
least by joint effort. In the South. on
tne contrary. each plantation was a
thing by itself. wit. its own store. its
own mill, its own roads and bridges.
To be entirely candid. 1t seems 10 me
that the North has prospered through
combination and unity OF effort. while
the South has Jagged behind by rea.
son OF Isolation and the absence OF a
community of interest. That this
should have been the case so long as
slavery endured was a necessity. that
1t continues to this day Is a misfor-
tune, which we. as educated men.
should set ourselves to correct.
Another marked characteristic OF the
State lies in the vast preponderance Of
the native-born population. The CEN
sus OF 1890 showed only 1852 foreign
born residents in Mississippi. as
against 1f.264 in Arkansas. lf.f77 in
Alabama. 20.029 in Tennessee, and
1871 in Louisiana.
From the beginning the State WIS
blessed with a seacoast affording natur-
al harbors, available for small
eraft, as well as with a vast system
OF navigable rivers. which not only
gave access to her whole western bor-
der. but also extended for into the in
terror in many directions. No State.
certainly none west Of the Allegheny
Mountains. earlier appreciated the
value OF railroads and AS need OF them.
More than one railroad was in opera
tion in Mississippi before a mile of
track had been laid in Indiana, Ken
lucky, Tennessee or any Of the States
lying west thereof.
In spite or all its traditions in IA
vor OF States rights and the strict in
depreciation Of the Constitution. Miss
issippi, so far as I have been able to
discover. was the first to pass an act
to extend and incorporate" a railroad
company Of another State within its
own borders. Mississippi did this in
its very first charter, which was grant
ed before the Chickasaw Indians had
ceded their lands in the northern part
OF the State, including that on which
the University stands. On December
20, 1881, the first native-b born Cover.
nor OF Mississippi, Gerard c. Bran
don. approved the Act to extend and
incorporate the West Feliciana Rail-
road Company OF the State of Louis
lana, within the State of Mississippi. .
This gave the assent OF the State to all
and each Of the provisions contained
in the Louisiana Act Incorporating the
West Feliciana Railroad Company.
adopted. ratified and enacted IL into
a law OF Mississippi. and provided that
said act should thereafter be in full
torce and effect. as well within as
without the State, -as an act incor-
porating company for the purpose Of
erecting a railroad from the Town of
81. francisviile, in the State of
Louisiana. to the Town Of woodyille.
IN the County of Wilkinson"
w. :. -. :. ,.--,1-a was the first
railroad authorized by the Sta. = :.
Mississippi. and. IL | mistake not, the
nrst Interstate railroad ever charter
ed or built. Ii was conceived and car
ried to successful establishment by
Mr.. Edward McGee. one OF the original
settlers OF the State, who had gone
thither during the territorial govern
ment, and whose descendants are still
living in and about Woodville. 1t
Is today operated as part Of the Yazoo
and Mississippi valley Railroad.
The granting to corporations OF other
States the right to extend their rail
roads into and through its borders.
and of allowing them to exercise, in
the State, charter powers similar to
those granted by such other States. has
throughout been the settled policy Of
Mississippi.
The adoption of this. or some like
policy equally characterized by broad
minded craftsmanship. was a necessity.
arising from the physical fact that IL
Is at New Orleans IN Louisiana, at
Memphis in Tennessee, and at Mobile
in Alabama, that the cotton and the
lumber grown in Mississippi must find
markets, and that il is chiefly through
those cities in other States that the
people Of Mississippi must draw their
supplies.
In this way the New Orleans. Jack
son and Great Northern Railroad,
which had been begun under a charter
granted by the State Of Louisiana, was
continued from the boundary of that
State to and beyond Canton, with au-
thority from the State Of Mississippi
to proceed northeastwardly through
Aberdeen, to the Alabama line, in the
direction Of Nashville. Tennessee The
like thing has been done in several in
stances since the Civil War, and was
done in the case Of the railroad form
erly known as the Georgia Pacific,
which is now operated by the Southern
Railway Company. and extends clear
across the State in an east and west
direction. from the Alabama line near
Columbus. to the Mississippi river, at
Greenville.
1t is doubtful IL any State in the
Union has granted more, or more
liberal. charters to railways than has
Mississippi. Through the kindness Of
a friend, who has examined the session
laws for me, l am able to say that:
From 1881 to 1910 Mississippi chart
cred at least % railroad companies.
From 1S41 to 1850 Mississippi chart
cred at least IL railroad companies.
From 1851 to 1860 Mississippi chart
cred at least 80 railroad companies.
During the throes of civil strife it
incorporated one in 1868, and in the 10
years from 1861 to 1870 Is railroad
companies.
From 1871 to 1880 Mississippi chart
cred at least 49 railroad companies.
From 1881 to 1890 Mississippi chart
cred at least So railroad companies.
Here we have the granting of 203 sepa-
rate charters. and my friend tells me
this does not by any means represent
the total.
The liberal policy of the State re-
suited in their being. in operation
therein, In 1860, some S62 miles of
railway. With Insignificant exceptions,
these formed parts OF interstate rail-
roads leading to New Orleans, Mem
phis or Mobile. In respect to the num-
ber of miles Of railroad in operation,
Mississippi then ranked thirteenth
among the States Of the Union. The
Civil War, and subsequent misruIe.
necessarily had a repressive effect, and
in 1880 we, find only 1927 miles of
railroad in operation.
Under the leadership Of such jurists
and statesmen as Judge Wylie p. Har-
ris. Col. L. @. C. Lamar, Gen. E. G.
Walthall. Gov. John NJ. Stone, Gov.
Robert Lowry. each of whom am
proud to have known, with others we'll
known to you, the strong and wise men
of your State had. in 1876, restored or
der. re-established civil government
and respect for vested rights. They.
and men like them, were at the head
Of affairs in 1882. At the biennial
legislative session held in that year.