New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-05-01
Taxation for Railroad Purposes.

principles or certain defeat.
Taxation for Railroad Purposes.
The action Of the City Council has already
Indicated to the people Of New Orleans tina
they will shortly have to vote upon the question
Of taxing real estate, for the purpose of build
ing up Railroads Two projects, the New Or.
leans and Jackson, and the New Orleans and
Opelousas Railroad, are submitted to them for
a vote Of approval Or disapprovaL If they re-
fuse to lend the credit of the city to either, the
project which meets with their disfavor must
inevitably go down II is question Of life OF
death to both enterprises.
Some Of the warm friends Of one project have
asked that both should not be brought before
the people at the same time; and in their con-
junction they have found warrant for prophesy.
ing q disastrous result and the peremptory re.
fdsal Of the people to lend the credit of the
city to either projected road. These alarm.
are, We think, groundless The questions be-
fore the people will be simply these-our ability
the merits Of the projects, and the probabilities
of profit in direct gains or the increased value
Of property. If by investing the proceeds Of
taxation in Railroads, we have well reasoned
probability Of realizing handsome rise in real
estate, larger commerce and increased popula-
ton, we have the strongest Inducements to af-
ford all possible contributions Railroads else
where have realized their whole cost-even
whereit amounted to millions--in the increased
value Of the real estate Of q single city. In
Boston the result has been immensely more en-
couraging than the statement we have made
The subscription has been frequently realized
in the increased value Of property, before the
completion IF the road
+ Will the two projected roads work to the
profit Of New Orleans Will the subscriptions
made to them by the city swell our population,
raise our real estate in value and enlarge
our population The argument has been ably
presented, and we believe it convincingly COM
Mhnds an affirmative answer to these questions
It II certain that something must be done, and
promptly, to prevent o threatened decline, in
which our population would be lessened, the
value Of real estate diminished, and our COM
merce enfeebled, frittered away It has been
generally agreed that the proper preventive is
to be'found in the construction of Railroads.
How shall they be constructed; by private
subscriptions Why, the NewOrleans and
jackson Railroad, after the most diligent can
wasting, laboriously and indefatigably urged,
has less than one million of dollars subscribed ::
and completed and 6 mounted it cannot cost
less than FIVE millions! The reason of the whole
matter is, individuals are slow to subscribe and
risk the loss Of the preliminary CALLS, without
will be found in the subscription asked from the
city Of NewOrleans Besides, individuals, as
such, are locomotives the man who is here to-
day may tomorrow forever depart; he has not
as mere person, any substantial and certain
interest in . projected improvement There are
now thousands in NewOrleans who either are
preparing to leave it as mere tarrying place,
or else are ouriously uncertain whether NewOr-
leans will or will not be their home for another
year. Mere individuals would be very slen-
der reliance in the matter of building railroads
And the fact il, that with us population is, to
an unusual degree, the appendant or conse-
quence Of commerce. Our population will vary
from Eve Thousand to ten thousand, according
to the business Of the season. This year it falls
far behind what it was last year. 1t will not do
to tax that commerce, It's already most unfor.
tunately burdened; and it is measurably true
that all taxation upon property daily the SUBJ
ject matter Of commercial negotiation, is par
italy prohibitory upon that negotiation. For
instance; if man can sell a hogshead OF
tobacco at NewYork at an aggregate cost, for
freight, Insurance, commissions, etc., of three
dollars and Of four dollars at NewOrleans-as
between NewYork and NewOrleans, there is a
prohibition Of trade with the latter in the sum
Of one dollar. 1t is unnecessary to add the
advantages of certain and rapid transit, to
bring collateral force to the argument A city
must encourage trade, because trade makes it
city. and makes the narrow town lot as valua-
BILE as the wide limits Of the country farm.
Hence it is that real estate should bear the
burdens as it reaps the profits of internal i'm
provements. 1t is their perpetual and perma-
nent--their only permanent--usufructua 1t
is a common error with landlords to forget that
the increasing prosperity Of the city is their
profit, and that the thousands who own no real
estate are willing and able to pay them only in
proportion to the growing advantages of trade
increase Of trade brings increase of population
and increase Of population creates larger num-
Der OF buyers and lessees of real estate The
non-holders Of real estate want the property OF
the landlord, and will make his profit, only as
they lind in the prosperity Of the city the ability
and the inducement to do so. Nor is it even
claimed Of the holders of real estate-many OF
whom are nonresident, and yearly draw i'm.
mense sums from the city-that they shall glue
their subscriptions. For every dollar taxed, they
to receive dollar of stock. If the enterprises
are sensibly undertaken, if they will add to the
prosperity of the city, raise the value of real
estate, and increase population-they must GER
tainly prove profitable to the owner Of real
estate. If he deem them unwisely planned, i'm
practicable or useless, he should vote against
aiding them by taxation otherwise, his opposi-
ton cen be only selfish and unreasonable
an ungenerous claim that others less interested
shall bear the burden of works which must
enure specially to his profit.
Miss CusHnAN THE RAcE,-We have already men
toned the match made between the celebrated Pc
estrain Miss Cushman and the horse Reindeer of
Mobile The Advertiser of Thursday has the following
account Of it;
"a crowd full Of fun aud frolic.' met at the race
course yesterday the between Miss