Biographical and historical memoirs of eastern Arkansas, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties named herein, and numerous biographical sketches of the prominent citizens of such counties., Part 132

Author: Goodspeed Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; St. Louis [etc.] : The Goodspeed Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 836

USA > Arkansas > Biographical and historical memoirs of eastern Arkansas, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties named herein, and numerous biographical sketches of the prominent citizens of such counties. > Part 132

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

west coast of the Gulf of Mexico as soon as practicable; and

WHEREAS, such a harbor is of such great national im- portance that it is worthy of an ample appropriation from Congress for its construction; and

WHEREAS, we have already adopted a request to the present members of Congress to favor snch appropria- tions, but would make that request more emphatic; there- fore,

Resolved, that the legislatures and people of all the States and Territories included in the region described be earnestly requested to elect no senators, representatives or delegates to Congress, except such as are known to be heartily in favor of such an appropriation, and will ear- nestly and faithfully work for it nntil such a harbor is completed.

After the adoption of the above resolutions and the appointment of the general committee and the State executive committees, the general committee adjourned to meet in the city of Dallas, Tex., on October 17, 1888, and a quorum being present the committee formulated and adopted the following act, to be presented to Congress:

A BILL TO ESTABLISH A DEEP WATER HARBOR ON THE COAST OF THE STATE OF TEXAS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled:

Section 1. That the President be and is hereby em- powered and requested to appoint three engineers of the army and two engineers from civil life, who shall procecd to make a careful and critical examination of the coast of Texas and select the most cligible point for a deep water harbor, to be of ample depth, width and capacity to accommodate the largest ocean-going vessels and the commercial and naval necessities of the country, said se- lection to be made at one of the present ports or at a dif- ferent place if the commission find one more eligible for the purposes above indicated.

Seetion 2. That the sum of $10,000,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, be and the same is hereby appropriated and made a permanent and available fund for the purpose of selecting such deep water harbor and constructing the same as soon as the selection shall be made.

Section 3. That the commissioners herein provided for, not in the employ of the Government, shall receive as compensation - dollars per day, and their expenses while traveling.

Seetion 4. The money hereby appropriated to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise ap- propriated; said work to be conducted and the money expended under the direction of the secretary of war.

812

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

The reason I voted for the above act asking Congress to appropriate $10,000,000 is simply from the fact that I am opposed to the driblet system of appropriations for the improvement of rivers and harbors, for I do regard the system as having been a great drawback upon the improve- ment of our rivers and harbors now and heretofore so much needed. In consequence of the great and often ruinous delays caused too often by tacking appropriations for rivers and harbors on the gen- eral river and harbor bills, which is too often done by a system of demagogy, where each congressman wants some bayou or river opened up to give them a little brief local popularity that they may be re- turned to Congress. And so they frequently work for each other's local schemes to give each other local popularity, but with no advantage to naviga- tion, but to the great injury of the country and the depletion of the Federal treasury.

Still this system is quite expensive and ruinous, because the work that is done under the driblet system frequently washes away between the appro- priations. For instance, take the Mississippi River improvements. The unfinished levees wash away as fast as the appropriations are received; hence the labor bestowed, the money spent, and no per- manent good results. For that reason I am in favor of making ample appropriations to commence and carry out the work to completion, without any delay, and for that reason I voted for an appro- priation of $10,000,000, and would never be satis- fied with anything less. What is $10,000,000 to such a great country as this? The difference in the price of freights in one year will more than pay for a first-class harbor on the Texas coast. But, before I commence the argument, I will say that I have no written speech prepared for this occasion, but my remarks will be drawn from my observation and study of this great commercial question for the last fifteen years, and I regret that I have not time to discuss this great question as its magnitude demands, but I will not weary your patience or impose upon your kindness and good nature. But I do unhesitatingly say that the question I present to-night is one of more impor- tance than has been presented to the people of the

Trans-Mississippi States in forty years, and without any further delay I will subdivide the question into three divisions.

The first subdivision of the question is: Do the inhabitants of the Trans-Mississippi States need a deep water harbor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico ?

The second division of the question is: Can a deep water harbor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico be built ?

The third division to the question is: What will be the results to the Western Hemisphere and to the world if built ?

I will now proceed to dispose of the question as indicated, by each subdivision, as the same pre- sents itself to my understanding, and say with great earnestness that the 15,000,000 of people embraced in the Trans-Mississippi States do greatly need a deep water harbor, a great commercial en- trepot, somewhere on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico as an outlet, mart and market for the produce of that great country, to save the ex- pense of the long railroad haul that those people in the Trans-Mississippi States have in order to reach the Atlantic seaboard with their produce raised in those States and Territories. The Trans- Mississippi States on 1,132,245, 113 acres of land, with a population of nearly 13,233,696, and an assessed value of property of $3, 296,320, 568, pro- duced in the aggregate, in 1886, 715,791,000 bushels of corn, and shipped out of the counties where grown 315,677,940 bushels. The wheat crop of the same year amounted to 30,240,500 bushels, and the crop shipped out of the counties where raised, 22,393,270 bushels.

Now, in order to determine whether the coun- try west of the Mississippi River needs a deep water harbor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico, which question I think will be fully set- tled in the minds of all fair-minded men, whether they live in the East or West, as soon as I make a statement of the comparative distances and differ- ence in the railroad haul from any given point in the Trans-Mississippi States to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic seaboard, which I will proceed to give.

813

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

To Gulf Coast

From New York

From-

Miles.

To-

Miles.

Little Rock, Ark

440

Little Rock, Ark 1080

St. Louis, Mo ....

.720

St. Louis, Mo. .. 885

San Francisco, Cal 1820

San Francisco, Cal 2650

Topeka, Kas

680

Topeka, Kas,. 1135

Lincoln, Neb

... 820

Lincoln, Neb 1185

Bismark, Dak

1240

Bismark, Dak 1335

Santa Fe, N. M

760

Santa Fe, N. M. 1735

Denver, Colo 920

Denver, Colo. 1620

Salt Lake City. 1200

Salt Lake 1960

Helena, Mont. .1495

Montana. 1920

Oregon City, Ore. 1885

Oregon City. 2440

Carson City, Nev .1480 Carson City

2380

Hence the expense of rail haul to and from the Atlantic seaboard to the cities west of the Missis- sippi River to any point in the Trans-Mississippi States. That a great saving in the expense of transportation by bringing the consumer and pro- ducer in close proximity with each other, and such would certainly be the case with a deep water har- bor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and by that means obtain much lower freight rates, which would cause the producer to obtain much greater increase of profits on the productions of their farms than they have been able to do when depending alone on European countries.

By reference to the trade of Central America, West India Islands, South America and Mexico, and the trade of Mexico with foreign markets, as will fully appear from the statement of surplus grains produced in the Trans-Mississippi States alone, is almost as much surplus of wheat and corn as the balance of the United States. The truth is that the Trans-Mississippi States, including the Pa- cific States, do furnish almost the entire export trade of the United States; and from an accurate estimate that has been made, giving the number of horses, mules, milch cows, sheep, hogs and cattle in the United States in 1887, it will be seen that the greater portion of live stock in the United States is now west of the Mississippi River, and the great- est production of meat of the United States is fur- nished by the Trans-Mississippi States and Terri- tories.

A large portion of the trade from Europe to Mexico is at this time being carried through the ports of Corpus Christi and Galveston, and it is believed that the completion of the Mexican Na- tional Railway, that runs down Galveston Island, when connected with any railway running to the city of Mexico, will turn away much of the trade

from Vera Cruz and bring the same down to a deep water harbor on the Texas coast, and a suitable harbor on the Texas coast would save 1,500 miles of transportation. And the trade of Northern Mex- ico will in the future greatly increase the commer- cial business and trade of the United States.

This opinion seems to be entertained by rail- road men, as they seem to be pushing their lines toward Mexico. And an immense saving would be made in the long lines of through shipments. If there was a deep water harbor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico, this would certainly control much of the trade of Mexico, because the same would pass through the ports on the Texas coast, there being no good harbor on the Mexican coast.

From the foregoing table of distances from the Texas gulf coast to the different points above indi- cated, and the difference between those points and a deep water harbor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic seaboard, the ne- cessity of a deep water harbor in the interest of trade and commerce on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico seems to go without argument, for the opening of a gateway to the Gulf of Mexico is the commencement of a new commercial era. In the countries of North and South America, the West India Islands, Central America, Mexico and all the Trans-Mississippi States new commercial destiny that will attract the attention and consid- eration of the civilized world, and place in the hands of the American people the commerce of the world. Through this gateway to the Gulf of Mexico the future opens to the people of the Trans-Mississippi States a great harvest of wealth, and they are now beginning to learn the lessons before them and turn their trade away from Eur- ope and Asia, and seek other markets, if necessity require, of their own creation in the southern climes of the Western Hemisphere, because there is an immense uncultivated country situated far beyond the control of our laws and constitution, an immense area of navigable waters, a gulf and a sea, destined to become the greatest commercial place in the Western Hemisphere, full of islands and the wealth of nature. All are struggling and

814

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

striving to take an active part in the great com- mercial movement of this progressive age.

Still beyond there lies a vast continent, full of all that is valuable in nature; those continents and islands are our natural co-operators, and with us to become the world's benefactors, for with us un- der the present civilization our people are turned away from old Europe and Asia to distant conti- nents in pursuit of trade and commerce. We are not familiar with the lands and waters of the West- ern Hemisphere that lie beyond and under the tropics. Our people ought to learn more of them. They have a longitudinal position in the Western Hemisphere. In the position they occupy with the people of the Trans-Mississippi States and in accordance with the requirements of a great natu- ral commercial law of trade, mutual intercourse would maintain and wealth be amassed by ex- change of products. Alexander the Great was compelled to enrich his empires with the wealth of the tropics. He, with the great tide of human beings, moved from the Persian gulf and built up great commercial harbors on the Mediterranean Sea, and thence onward to the Netherlands, and to-day has a controlling influence over England's commerce. Such we learn from history and the same has come down to us. Such a destiny now lies in sight of the people of the Trans-Mississippi States, and the rapid increase to 20,000,000 in the Trans-Mississippi States and from that to 40,000,000 in the next half century does certainly command the prompt action of those now living to make ready for the new trade and commerce now growing up between the two continents of the Western Hemisphere, and success of trade and commerce will depend upon the co-operative move- ments between the two countries, one with the other. If we look back through history to ancient times we will find the world full of examples to stimulate us in this great commercial enterprise. We are only required to look back through history to that dark commercial age when commerce and trade commence its final struggle with the military under the feudal despotism of Europe and Asia; when five great commercial highways were opened and traveled from the Persian gulf to the commer-

ciał markets on the Mediterranean Sea, which were the great highways traveled by Phonecians, Jews and the merchants of Alexandria to Constantinople and other cities.

Now, if it be true in those ancient days that nations were made wealthy by the trade of Africa and the East Indies, the prospects must be much greater for the people of the Trans-Mississippi States to enrich themselves by the trade of the West Indies, Central and South America and Mex- ico. The trade that now opens to the people of the Trans-Mississippi States is certainly a much broader field for human enterprise than Europe and Asia affords at this time, which they have only to cultivate to make the same a great ally in trade and commerce and not a rival in any of the chosen industries of the great Trans-Mississippi States. It is certain that the universal tendency of the race of mankind upon this globe has been to make the cir- cuit of the world upon parallel lines with the equa- tor, seeming as by instinct to follow the sun in his movement around the planet. It is also certain that the great wealth of former ages in other nations have been obtained from the tropics. No people have ever been vitalized by civilization who have failed to exchange earth's products with different latitudes and zones. The exchange of similar pro- ducts do not enrich either country. The difference in products when exchanged will create wealth in both. For instance, there is no advantage derived by the exchange of the cotton of Tennessee for the cotton of Arkansas, or the tobacco of Kentucky for that of Virginia, for these are the products of each State; and no exchange can be made that will be profitable to either. It must appear to all fair- minded men that the exchange of the products of the warm climate for those of the cold climate, such as corn, wheat, fruits and arts of industry of the North, for the sugar, coffee, cotton, rice and other productions of the South, that our people are to be mostly benefited in securing the rewards of their varied industries.

The circuit of the globe is now complete. Upon our land the chain of the world's empire has been finished; the conquest has been carried from the East to the West. Astonished at such a tri-

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

815

umph, the Anglo-Saxon race now turns to new fields of labor on longitudinal lines. What else can be done in order to achieve their greatest pos- sibilities in civilization and commerce? It seems to me that nothing else can be done in these pro- gressive and grasping times. It does appear to me that man's travel on this globe has been to make the circuit of the same within the lines of the same temperature with his own home in the East; and the westward movement of the human race along the growth of progress and improve- ment corresponds with the movement of the sun in Zodiac. But the next great and important move- ment to be made must correspond to the second solar movement which is known in astronomy as the procession of the equinoxes. The varying of the sun in its ethereal pathway, what is known as the elliptic, creates the changes and variations in the seasons and revives the vegetable kingdom and causes everything to grow for man's happiness and comfort, and the varying and vibrating of the human race, north and south of the line of equal temperature, creates the immense wealth of the world and pushes forward civilization into every country.

For that reason the people of the Trans-Missis- sippi States have but to live in obedience to this great law of the universe to fulfill the ends of their earthly mission. The development of these facts will at once completely reorganize the present sys- tem of exchange in the Trans-Mississippi States, as well as this continent, and decrease the importance of east and west railways in comparison to those running north and south, and railways running from any of the great commercial cities of the val- ley, Chicago, St. Louis or Kansas City, or other kindred cities, to the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean will sink into utter significance in comparison to those running north and south and uniting the lakes with the gulf. The truth is, one good railway connecting with a good harbor on the Gulf of Mex- ico will be of more value to any one of the cities from which it may run than any Pacific railway that well can be built. For this reason it must ap- pear to every candid mind that in less time than two years the trade with the West India Islands,

Central and South America will be more valuable to the Trans-Mississippi States than all the trade they will have with Europe and Asia. This state- ment to some persons may seem remarkable. Nev- ertheless time will prove it to be true. In this I desire to be fully understood. I don't intend to say that the trade of the West Indies, Central and South America will be greater than the trade of Europe and Asia, but I do say that the time will come in the near future when the people of the Trans-Mississippi States will carry on more trade with the West Indies, Central and South America, than they will with Europe and Asia.

Now let me stop and argue the case, and see if I am not correct. As a proof I will state that the greater portion of the trade of the Trans-Missis- sippi States, as well as the entire Mississippi Val- ley, at present with Europe and Asia, is confined to such products as are produced in the country where they live; and in the same latitude are to be found in all North America, in much greater quan- tities, all those natural products that Europe and Asia have in the same latitude. For that reason may we not suppose that the time is near at hand when the people will produce out of the same kind of raw material such fabrics and implements as they may need in their varied industries ? And for that simple reason our people will no longer be forced to go to Europe and Asia for such things as can be raised and manufactured at home. Then our people will only be required to go down to the elements we do not possess in order to carry on this trade with the commercial marts and markets of the world. This will of course lead them down to the tropical regions of the globe, and for that sim- ple reason another evidence of the commercial destiny of the people of the Trans-Mississippi States, and the surplus producer of these States following the flow of the waters to the gulf, whether carried by river or by rail. Our trade with the warm climates of the Western Hemisphere is rapidly increasing; and to keep it on the increase demands liberal legislation and far-seeing states- manship on the part of our congressmen. No man can calculate the value of our future commerce with the Central and South American States, the

816

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

West Indies and Mexico, when these countries shall be more fully developed, the soils forced to produce and yield to their utmost capacity, the productions of which will mostly find its way to the Trans-Mis- sissippi States. And whatever trade is carried on with Europe and Asia with the great Mississippi Valley must be done through the Gulf of Mexico.

The construction of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, as well as the railroad from Panama to the City of Mexico, will most certainly bring the trade from the western slope and the Pacific Ocean through there and into the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, which is destined to become the great commercial place of the world, and thousands of ships comprising the fleets of all christendom will meet in this great commercial highway, which these waters will most certainly become.

But without a deep water harbor on the north- west coast of the Gulf of Mexico these things can never be; and with a deep water harbor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico the great commercial advantages can and will be accom- plished in the near future as certain as any fut- ure event, the building of which is not a local matter, but of great national concern, being need- ful for national defenses, where she can erect her forts and fortifications to protect the sea coast, as we have much open coast along that line that is entirely unprotected, and the civilized world is alive to the fact that the United States has a poor navy.

I do hope I have convinced you of the neces- sity of a deep water harbor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico with ample sea room to ac- commodate the trade and commerce of the world. This is the great question, the all-absorbing ques- tion, the question of the hour with the people of the Trans- Mississippi States.

I am convinced that the thing can be done and that speedily, if Congress will make the required appropriation for that purpose, which 1 believe Congress will do if the people of the Trans-Missis- sippi States will unite and properly present the matter to Congress.

The next question to be considered is, can a deep water harbor be constructed on the northwest

coast of the Gulf of Mexico with ample sea room to accommodate the trade and commerce of the civilized world? The solution of the question, to my mind, is quite easy, if we are allowed to judge the future by the past, and for our purpose we will look back through history for 2,000 or more years and see what has been done beyond the seas. Have not the nations of the Old World spent millions upon millions of dollars in the improvement of their rivers and harbors? The Danube, Seine, Oder and other rivers? The harbor at Antwerp and the Amsterdam Canal ? And have we not a more powerful nation than any that ever existed beyond the Atlantic ? Besides vast sums of money expended by the nations of the Old World for the improvement of their rivers and harbors, none of which is equal, in commercial importance, to a deep water harbor on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Still our legislators hesitate to move forward in the development of this great country, as the situation demands, for the best interest of this generation and others to come.

I will call attention to two of the great canals of the globe, the character and magnitude of which require the deepest thought and the most profound consideration.

I will first mention the great imperial canal, of China, completed in the thirteenth century, which was 1,250 miles long, a distance from the northern lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and the Chinese wall, which is 1,500 miles long. And during this cen- tury the Suez Canal was constructed, which carries the waters of the Red Sea through the Gulf of Suez into the Mediterranean Sea, which is the greatest commercial water highway for trade and commerce that has been made since the time of Pharaoh, when Joseph was carried down to Egypt. The said canal furnished more direct communica- tion with the Eastern Hemisphere famous in those Trojan times. This canal is ninety-two miles long, twenty-six feet deep, its draught is twenty- five feet, it required thirteen years to construct it, was finished in 1869, at a cost of 17,026,000 pounds. It has a capacity for barges 400 feet long.

To the American legislator this great com- mercial enterprise looks wonderful, and the ex

817

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

pense almost beyond computation. But what are they to this great country and its needs? Which canal has only been completed twenty years, and has done more to civilize and Christianize the in- habitants of the Eastern Hemisphere in this short time than had been done in a thousand years be- fore, by bringing the people of the Eastern Hemi- sphere in close proximity with each other, and thereby the morals, customs, habits and intelli- gence of the people were improved. Within the memory of men now living many improvements have been made on the American harbors. The Erie Canal has been constructed: Milwaukee, Chicago, Buffalo, New York and many other great harbor improvements have been made, too tedious to mention in the brief time allowed me. The truth is there has never been a failure to improve any American harbor that has been undertaken. So I do unhesitatingly say that a deep water har- bor can be constructed on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Mexico. There can not be a question as to the successful construction of such a harbor, if Congress will make the required appropriation, which I believe it will do, as I have before stated.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Author: Goodspeed Publishing Company Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; St. Louis [etc.] : The Goodspeed Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 836

Author: Goodspeed Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; St. Louis [etc.] : The Goodspeed Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 836