Year: 1859




A Tempest in q Teapot


In our issue of two weeks since, we pub.
iished m article in relation to Rail,oad =
the Pacific. on the 35th parallel route, and
for which the Fort Smith Times comes down
upon US :. like a thousand of brick" Ir.
stead Of combating, by argument, the DO
sition of route, as submitted, for road in
our article, the Times attempts to wither us
by sarcasm; sarcasm is not argument. We
must be permitted to deny the charge made
against us by the Tsnses, of any effort Of
the Press to depreciate the interest or pros
perity of Fort Smith such is neither our
wish or our intention


The Argument of the Times, that because
perhaps we have never: travelled over the
route spoken of, that therefore we have no
means of information in regard to it, is fall
lscious we have the same means of acoui-
ring geographical and statistical informa-
ton that the Editor of the Times has he
very correctly advocates the advantages OF
the S5th parallel route, for Pacific Road.
but has he ever made pilgrimage >"
over it


We acknowledge that we are 9. fresh -
from what the Editor is pleased tc call the
" wooden nutmeg Ssate :" we have never
yet denied our native State. and never in
tend to IS regards. however, our having
been born out Of the State Of Arkansas. wc
believe our friend of the Irsces stands in
about the same position that we do-for, if
our information is correct, when we were
citizen of the &c wooden nutmeg State" he
was at one time our neighbor, and resident
of "John Randolph 6reecAes' pocket STATE"
SO If place of birth makes any difference as
regards ones means of information of any
proposed route for Pacific Railroad, the
Editor of the Times and ourselves are about
on par. We are willing to acknowledge
that we may at sometime err in our views,
or that our information may at sometime
be In fault-we are not so cgotistical
as to suppose that We are always right. The
Editor of the Times we are justified in say
ing is occasionally at fault in his Judgment
as regards routes of travel For, although
we are " fresh from the wooden nutmeg
State, we have been for some years close
reader of the Arkansas Papers, and distinct
ly recollect reading letter of the Editor of
the Times, published in that paper, a short
time before the California Overland Mail
line went into operation, in which he said
that it would be utterly impracticable for
the mail stages to run over the road from
Van Buren, to Fayetteville across Boston
Mountain, and gave such vivid descrip-
tion of the obstacles incident to the route,
that as he stated, the only route that the
overland mail could be conveyed upon from
Fayetteville to Fort Smith would be via
Evansville. and thence through the Chero-
kec Nation to Fort Smith, cutting off Van
Buren, entirely. Now, to show how liable
the Editor is to err in Judgment, we are re-
lIably informed that he came through on
the first trip of the California stage that
was made, and over the very same route
that he had but month or two before said
was so utterly impracticable anu the
stages have continued to run on that very
route from Fayetteville to Van Buren, from
that day to this, making good time, and SO
far as we are advised, without accident In
conclusion we hope that in our efforts to pro-





hereafter we may not often run in counter in
terest to the efforts Of the Times, and that in
any efforts we may make, where the Editor
of the Times cannot agree with us, if he
-" will only lay low, then we will show him
sig hts"