The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-05-18
TroR THE aEPuBLfc.l
TN. 1900, 900 Loan.

f,,,r .,r,aI municipal election IL near al hand.
In addition to the choice of a portion Of our OIL
GERS for the ensuing year, there viii be submitted
to sths people, for their rejection or acceptance
proposition to loan to the alexandra and orange
Railroad Company sir hundred thousand dollars
For one, | regard this proposition as one OF the
most vital inn portance, and one that should claim
calm rejection and due consideration by each
and every individual in our midst who feels
interest in our future welfare and prosperity.
What are you asked to dos To loan 1900 900 to
a company 10 build railroad into the interior of
Virginia. Could there be devised more absurd
proposition, under the present financial condition
of our cityl Your corporation ia now deeply in
debt, and in order to make this loan you will be
forced to borrow, upon which the legal interest
must be paid and hence, will not the natural re-
suit be to increase present btedness and
not your present rate of taxes centy heavy that
you must increase them / thnk we'll al
monished from all loans when we refer back to the
subscription made by this city the "Chess Peake
and OHIO Canal" some years past, which created
a debt that operated incubus, retarding our
growth and Advancement; out. thanks to the lioe-
rality of Congress, were relieved from II, never
again, I hope to get ourselves la similar posi-
tion. / am, upon reflection this point, forced
to the conclusion that Congress with all their i'm
perfections) are more just to our true interests
than we are ourselves; for, Notwithstanding We
must acknowledge they are in a measure dlsinter-
ested in our " local affairs, yet in heir wisdom
they thought proper (~ithout any suggestion from
ourselves) to provide a law, by which ''city
Legislators" were required to establish a sinking
fund which should be devoted exclusively to the
sxtin adjustment of our city debt; which has been
the means of reducing it considerably already;
and if continued, without our making new debts,
we shall in few years have the qualification Of
seeing ourselves relieved from all debt. Admitting
we had the money to loan. (Which is far from the
fact) what benefit would be derived by our
city, in addition to what it would derive in the
event did not make il; for the road will be
built, whether aid them not. After which,
If we find il TO our interest to have branch
from Alexandria to this place, il be done then
as we'll now, when we will be better able to do
it, besides saving $500 900 Of the now proposed
loan; for we must not overlook the fact that only
100000 of the loan ia to bs devoted to the
Washington branch. The amount of freight that
would come to w Washington would be quite small
and the passengers over the Orange and Alexan-
dria road Who designed going to Baltimore would
certainly prefer visiting the metropolis rather
than remain in Alexandria; and in the event their
local jealousy at Alexandria refused us permission
to make a branch, we could remedy the diff
Guilty by having several fine steamboats, to ply
regularly between the two places for the convey
ance of passengers.
In conclusion, / must add | have too much con-
fdsncs in the intelligence of our citizens to be-
Eeys that they would be guilty of act that
would increase our present heavy debt, the inter
est Of which must delay ali the Improvements and
expenditures necessary for beautifying city.
BOX.
Lsince the foregoing communication was in
type, we have learned that the proposition to which
It refers has been defeated for the present by the
action of the Board Of Aidermen.-ED. REPUs.l