New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-06-20
DAILY CRESCENT.
TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 20, 1851


NJ sAu persons having bills against the Crescent
0f6cs requested to present them at the once 1Vf
settlement
as- The Proprietor of the Crescent viii pay no OIL
by any person attached to the once Whou'
written order
The New Orleans and Mobile Railroad
Ordinance.
The able communication below will be found
Of much interest to almost every body here, a.
the matter which it considers is now before tbs
people and will soon be submitted for their de
eisun In regard to the course which we have
pursued, we have only to say that one main OBJ
iect of that course was the indication Of the
principle recognized by the Legislative act that
it was proper and right the people should decide
whether they would or would not be taxed foi
the construction of this road. We thought
toof that the strenuous opposition to the passage
Of the ordinance was unwarranted and was in
stigated by rival private interests rather than
by considerations of public intereft and we
had no fear that the people of New Orleans were
not possessed Of sufficient intelligence to decide
y correctly upon a matter so important to the
! commercial prosperity of the city and perhaps
toits present financial condition,
! Up to the point Of the passage of this ordl-
nance by the City Council we considered our
efforts in its behalf the discharfe of public
duty That point is. attained, and "Tax
PAYER now asks us whether we intend to ad
yosate the sanction Of the ordinance by the
peonle For the present we reply that advocat
ing d measure for the sake of a principle which
1T involves is somewhat different thing from adj
vocating its expedienoy. We shall hereafter
~ defne our position and treat the matter at
length.
To The Eaiior Of The Crescent s..-
Sir-Your paper, up to the passage of this
ordinance, has insisted that the Council should
submit to the people whether they would or
would not subscribe in the manner and on the
plan proposed in it for the construction OF road
TO Mobile.
/ have not understood it as advocating the
rightfuluess, or expediency, or fairness to the
city OF the aa proposed in the ordinance now
IL before tine people for approval or rejection
The course of your paper has been text for
the friends of the project; has given heart to
those members of the Council who wished to vote
for it, but yet feared public opinion; has deeiued
the watering, and stimulated the lukewarm.
The responsibility Of its passage, therefore, is
: in q great measure on you.
You have vindicated the right of the people to
pass upon it; do you intend to advise them to
pass upon it in the affirmative'
Do you not think it incumbent on you to
advise the people Of the objections to them, il
there be any:
The ordinance assures the present value of
the Pontchartrain road to be half a million.
The stockholders, in selling their stock, where
they cum get any body to buy, assure it to be
worth three hundred thousand only. The APP
praisement of the property of the company which
has been paraded with such triumphant air
what does it consist in! One hundred thou
gan dollars is assumed to be the value of the
mi idle of Elysian Fields street over which the
road runs; another large sum is put down for
value Of Wharyes and depots; but the right Of
passage, as we'll as wharyes and depots, is es-
sential to the existence Of the road, and their
value ia entirely dependent on its existence and
continuance. 10 include them then as forming
the value of the road is as if man were to sell
4 a property fronting on a street for price which
compensates the right of front and passage, and
yet charge for front and right of passage be
Ill sides. The argument of this apprasement is
this: 6 Why is the road worth half million ~
because, say they, g it has the right Of passage
and the ownership of the property over which
the right of passage exists, as we'll as wharyes
and dtpots" Why are wharyes and depots, and
the ownership of the soil over which the road
passes, worth the amount at which they have
been appraised They answer, I" because they
are essential to the existence of the road, ant
the road with the Carrollton aud jackson st
roads striking the lake} will have no value in
dependent OF its property. Of the other items
OF this Wanted appraisement, what is the valut
to road to Mobile, OF their rolling stock, cars
engines, &c., which are of a different guage from
the proposed road
The principle seems to have been established
i by the ordinances that for each series of bond,
issued by the city, some tangible value was to be
putin by the other side; but the operative means
through which this principle is to be WORKED
out so.ineficent as to make the recognition
of the principle a mere deception. So the Pont
ehartrain road and the other properly of tbs
company go against the half million of bond
first issued private subscriptions are requires
to go against the next half million Of bonds Il
be issued; but the ordinance is. satisfied witt
the payment of ten per cent or $50 600 on thes
subscriptions; the city is topay up Immediately
but private subscriptions tthe more difficult t
be made to pay in proportion to the necessity 0
paying9 are postponed TO period dependent OF
their pleasure or the interests that may be de
veloped by eventual combinations.
For the third series Of bonds to be issued b,
thecity, sixty miles Of the road are to be finished
before they are claimed But on which end o
the road are these sixty miles to be constructed
10 the answer to this question the city is deeply
interested. 1t would be an outrage and n wron,
TO make these sixty miles on the Alabama end d
the road, yet it is the interest Of the company Il
do SO, and in general we may say, that what j
is the interest," of q corporation to do, they vii
in fact do. The refusal of the company to per
nit the ordinance to be amended 50 as to max
4 obligatory on them to finish the first sixt,
miles within this State makes strong presump
ton that it is not intended to make them in thi
State.
Having, as think, suggested strong reason
why an independent and conservative well
wisher Of the city should disapproye this ordi
nance, l will here pause for reply,
Tax PAYER.
We understand that new company of tn