New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-06-02
Another Memorial.

contracted by any person attached to the Office without
written order.
Another Memorial.
ri5n LAST sHrFr or THE ENEMIES OF THE POINT.
CHARTRAIN RAILROAD.
The opponents 81 the application Of the Point
chartrain Railroad Company have resorted te
another shift, another scheme to prevent tbs
Submission Of their proposition to the people. i
is quite as transparent, quite as creditable al
the great memorial of 6 The Martyrs" ane
bears marks of like origin The officers
creditors and canvassers Of the Great Northern
Road appear to be the only parties, with few
+ exceptions, who interest themselves to defea
the application Of the Pontchartrain Company
and il must be acknowledged that their activity
and zeal are worthy Of better cause. 1t i
fortunate, however, that their efforts in that
behalf are characterized by 80 little judgment,
skill and tact, that in every movement the
cloyen foot protrudes itself, and their devices
become quite as transparent as those OF the
famous John Falstaff, when essaying the char
acter Of Hero and Fire-eater. When the peo-
pie Of New Orleans comprehend the character
and motive Of this opposition; when they per-
ceive that all these shifts are employed by the Off
ciaIs Of rival company, which has already OBJ
tanned large aid from the State; when they see,
in fact, as every one with half an eye must
see that the whole opposition to the extension Of
the Pontchartrain Railroad to Mobile originates
with, il maintained by, and is confined to, those
who are connected with the company and spe-
cially interested in the prosecution of the Great
Narf1inrr, Road vrn nh hayv hy1f
little argument to convince them that the mea-
sure is one of great benefit and advantage to the
city and people of New Orleans. The Pontchar
train Road can never injure the Great Northern
except by beneftting the citizens Of New Or
leans The people are called upon, then, to sacri-
ice their own advantage to support corpora
tion, a particular railroad. This, we think, is
asking toomuch Our aid to railroads is not given
to enrich stockholders, contractors or capital
lists but its great motive is to increase and
cheaper the facilities of communication between
our city and distant points. In that view of the
object Of railroads, self-interest may palliate
the opposition Of the officers Of the Great North
ern Road to the Pontchartrain extension, but ii
would hardly justify the people for voting
against a measure of such general benefit to
themselves.
But we digress from the original purpose of
this article, which is to notice communication
that appears in this mornings Crescent, signed
- Tax Payer" which is the last device employed
by the Great Northernites to defeat the ordi-
nance now before the Council for the benefit Of
the Pontchartrain Company. It is a kind Of
counterpart, the chief parts Of which are per-
formed by the same old actors who have already
appeared before the public in this Drama of the
Martyrs, with some accessories from an old and
long extinct company. The argument of the
play is that the Mexican Gulf Road may be
purchased for $500, 200, one-third of the sum
proposed to be subscribed to the Pontchartrain
Company; that by extending this road to Cat
Island Harbor, distance of twenty seven miles
from its present terminus, making fifty five miles
IN all from New Orleans. you can reach point
but half hours sail from the Bay of st. Louis
and Pass Christian, and but about six hours
sail of Mobile This is the scheme whose ad
yantages are compared with those of the Pont-
chartrain extension. On our first perusal Of
this communication, we arrived at the conclu-
sion that It was simply an advertisement or
puff Of Alderman Gordon's; but, on closer view,
we detected the fesh-marks Of other parties
having deeper designs. This view was confirmed
by hearing on the street that memorial was in
circulation, which had been extensively signed,
praying the Council to purchase the Mexican
Gulf Road, as furnishing a preferable routs from
this city to Mobile. til quite evident that such
memorial cannot be serious it is only in
tended to excite new opposition to the Point
chartrain Road No such appropriation as is
prayed for could be made by the Council with
out the passage by the Legislature of an act
authorizing it, No such act has been passed
1t is because the Legislature has specially pro-
vided by law for the submission to the people Of
New Orleans Of the proposition to subscribe a
million and q half dollars in bonds to the ex-
tension Of the Pontchartrain Road, that the
friends of that enterprise now apply to our
Council for the passage of the ordinance which
is now before the Board of Aldermen
Nor can this memorial be serious in other re.
spects. The idea of abridging distance and time
in communicating with Mobile and the Atlantic
shore Railroads, by building road of fifty five
miles TO reach point 125 miles from Mobile by
water, as preferable to continuous Railroad
between the two cities, is too preposterous ever
to have been suggested-except as joke, or
most audacious draft upon popular ignorance
and oreduity. liza joke, it certainly must be a
very grave one to those who have succeeded to
the burden of the present property of the Mexi-
can Gulf Road, which has nearly bankrupted
every one who has ever been connected with it.
The pretext that there still exists road run
ming from the city to Proctor's, distance OF
twenty eight miles, yerges on the apochryphal.
There are remnants, mere vestiges of road,
over which some shattered old cars make out
with great difficulty to bear few hunters and
fishermen TO the Gulf shore at the rate of six or
eight miles an hour. A more distressing and
painful spectacle of decay and desolation could
hardly be presented than this once brilliant
project, upon which SO many have broken their
fortunes and so many more have nearly broken
their necks. But admitting that it is real
Railroad capable of performing the ordinary
functions Of a road-let it be extended to that
famous Cat Harbor, and then let us count the
value of the Improvement First, on arriving
at this famous port, we are reminded of one OF
ITS attractions which appears to have been lost
sight Of BY the rsyivors of this ancient scheme,
IN the exhaustless hordes of mosquitoes which
thso Al.