Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-09-18
The Baton Rouge Bonds.

= 3ecGAat $HJollON MAS iHaAE " ia. A'o"1"N
L seconded by Mr.. Bguaor, to authorize III
' Mayor h'' that city to sign the bonds for so,
900. votrd by the taxpayers as q Subscription
! to TIL Baton Rouge and Crosse T'ete Rail
road, H
This taotion was laid upo. thu table ~
d. huitaIh, and without discussion,by u vote
Of faurtp two, it being the intention of The
frientls IT the city and The Road in this qaes'
tion5 whete the honor Of the one and tbs
welfare pf both is in question, to renew the
subject Mad discuss the matter thoroughly q!
the EextElnonthly meeting. 1t is not in OH
province, perhaps, to speak upon this subject,
and II yduid be out Of place If Our argument
was In The least dictatorial, bnt sour readers
are numerous in Baton Rouge, it becomes us
some what 10 throw what light is in our pow
CT upon th'e subject.
The Press ofzthe city are united in opinions
au! hayeH all aided the friends of Baton
| Rouge sna her tax payers in their efforts to
throw Of this clog npon the fair name Of the
city-thisEhiot upon her escuttheor.
During. The summer Of 1857, the question
carne bejora the Council, whether or not the
the tax payers Of the city should be ALLOWED to
vote upon the question whether the city
| should subscribe the sum of S &c, 1000 to the
Crosse Tdte Railroad. For months ii jori-
ty Of the Raenlbess persisted in defiance of
the risft,A et the people guaranteed to them
by statute, in .heiF futile efforts to strange
the question and decide that for The tax-paY-
es which The iaws OF the State declares they
only shall decide. At length, in answer TO
a petition OF over 100 taxpayers, the vote
was taKenl . ud in a poll Of nearly 200, the
friends and Supporters of the tax trlunphed.
III osedisnee to this dictation Of the prop
erty-owners, and in compliance with law,
bis Hotmrt 1.-THE Mayor Of the city of Baton
Rouge, agaeMa upon The books Of The Company,
this Subscription, payable within i've years.
10 this there was no objection, and non G
could be maip. !.
During the following session Of the Legs
l~ature, ia: compliance with the promise of the
CH.s. 4. SLACK, made whilst Prezi-
dent Of The Roa'f, the present President COM
piled with The request Of the friends Of the
Road, in the City Council, and that body nm
aninnou,ly apfRa,nted a committee oftwo MEM
bers to petit Jpn the Legislature to allow the
to !vnte upon the question, whether or
not they srosyld have their subscription ex-
tended TO bouts having twenty years to run.
with six Yer cent. interest. On the 9Th Jay
of April, 1885, the question was put to the
and carried by over ore hundred ma
in tayorof extension.
To any pnes not totally blinded by inbound
cd prejudice Il would seem like folly run
in the. face of this vote, and the previ-
Gus procecu ipgs Of the Beard, for them to at
to set aside the repeated verdict Of the
And yet it was attempted. The
City Council NET, and to the utter assouish-
nent OF friend land foe, interfered in a matter
with which they had now nothing t., d.: and
.esolved that j. ne W election should be held
md appointed the day. This, however, did
lot take plas Is, for it did not take many days
Q open their fNes to the fact that their con-
titue ncys were#=Ioutraged at this school boy
'lay. The bow changed their tactics and
eternined that the Mayor should not sign !
he Bosds-enanloyed an Attorney, and stub
orally resolv ed ito take Il stand against law, S
~lstice, amt thk twice- peated verdict Of the :
whom they pretended to represent - .
he Board, Of! tourst, Immediately instituted p,
against tho: city, and there is bpt one /
pinion in RE- arl to what will be the opinion
f the Court. IT is obvious that the directors =
, this subscription, have, or pretend to hav' a
'rne grounds aof the bumiliatirg position in V
.hich they haYe placed the city Of Aa,on :
before the people Of the State.
'lti. contendeti by themthat it was u,.der- v
God by al! l1artles that this amount subscri- I
ID should be |u.tsd in ex1emIing the Road." !!
the vo'efs5uid not know that ~interes. /
as to BE- allowed upon these Rouds.n And h
'e<e are all. y
In answer TO fhe first objection. we. would fl
ate that the Road is out of debt, and the b
lily use they wiHls make Of these bonds will fl
to purchase neg roes, and push iorwanfthe o.
DAD TO the AscIlsfstaya. in compliance with '
Of The, Directors and their charte1. ,
To the second. We would state that tbs +
ct Of the Legislature authorizing the City o
,unci1 TO take tie vote upon the question OF o.
stated broadly that SIX per cent. =
serest wtautd be Iattachtd to them. :,
This Act was published in every pa per in hi
d around Bafo Rouge, and in the active /
nsass that e 1saea's, must have been known b. h
every tax paysf nj the city, We are to
raid that the opiy motive that a~ctua,ss a hi