New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-05-28

From the Louisville Journal, 10th inst.l

the proposal of this great Southern Company for
the hire for term of five years, or the actual pur
chase, of 1000 slaves. The advertisement of Dr.
Fowlkes in another column presents general facts
upon which to predicate q contract with large
slave.owners along the free States border, facts
which should not fail to challenge examination
We feel assured that an investigation would lead
even in times of perfect security in
the possession of that species of property, to rea
lie that this company can offer inducements for
LABOR under their chartered rights and muniicent
land grants to railroad companies by Texas, lar
the profits of the employment OF slaves
in agricultural any other industrial pursuits 70
which slave labor can possibly be directed at this
time. We submit the facts briefly.
This company receives land bonus from teXas
of 49, $40 acres of land for every mile of road it
shall construct; and it is estimated that 1000 men,
women and boys, duly proportional, can raise on
the lands of the company along the lines OF It's
road all the provisions essential to their support;
that Is, corn oats, potatoes, wheat, pork, beef,
and mutton and grade, cross tie, and track-lay,
about 100 miles of road annually. This is the es-
innate Of some of the ablest and best railroad men
in the South, who are familiar with the subject,
and who have, for some 400 to 500 miles from the
Eastern border of Texas examined the country
over which the road will be constructed. If this
estimate is at all correct it will be seen that the
company will receive from Texas 60nuS or land
grant for each 100 miles of road of l,024,000
acres of land, and the road worth, at cost of say
10000 per mile for every 100 miles of completed
road, So 900, 600. This, with the l,024,000 acres
of land, will be the annual product OF THIS La
BoR less the cost of iron and rolling stock of the
company: and these will be comparatively small
in nominal amount, as the price of everything
must largely decline during the period of hostil
ties between the North and the South. Placing
the price of the slaves at s700 head, the cost of
1000 will make to the company the sum of
100000. The lands of the company annually &C
CURED, as bonus, from the munifcent liberaity
of Texas upon the estimated quantity of road this
labor probably perform-at 70 cents per acre
or,tjra hose ole
without estimating the value of the road itself.
The lands at 81 per acre, the minimum price of
public lands to actual settlers and in limited guam
tity of $50 acres to each settler VIII produce 0O0
600 dollars annually at the rate at which the State
of Texas sells its lands in large bodies and not for
direct settlement that is at 81 rs per acre. the land
bonus will produce 81 900, from the labor of
1000 hands, according to the estimate of practical,
experienced and capable contractors. For the
distance of some 400 or 500 miles the Southern Pa
cifc Road passes through the finest body of land in
the world: space of twenty miles on each side,
for the distance of 500 miles, will produce more
cotton than is now produced on the American con-
tinent-a startling fact, but strictly true. What,
then, are these lands really worth? Not merely 10
cents 81 81 Is per acre, but from $40 to $50
per acre. The Illinois Central Railroad Company
acquired rich but nominally ualueIesS lands before
the construction of the road-wihout any price or
any demand whatever, yetsince the construction Of
that road this company has sold ,000,0 900 of acres
of these hitherto Vaueless lands for $4,000, 900,
making an average sale of SIT per acre.
We have simply presented these general and
familiar facts, and run out these feoC and simple
results indicate the ability of the Southern Pacific
Road Company to secure and finally pay for 1000
or 20U0 slaves with p0SiUe certainty, and to offer
to slave owners undOt6ted security for the labor
sought in the overture of its general financial
agent, DR.. J. FoWlkes, in another column. Asimple
statement Of the facts show the premises, the argu
ment, and the conclusion. The skeptic cannot
doubt or cavil. Now what has this company to
sc indie for Of
slaves?
First 1t has Is miles of road, with its rolling
stock now in operation with IS miles more ready
for the iron; and when this is completed, this Com
pany will have SO miles of road in actual operation,
with lands and property and assets worth, at
q moderate and fair estimate, something like
81 ,000 600. VAL ss@S5
Second, This company will have the 1000 slaves,
when purchased, in addition to the road, equip
ments, and property specified in item first, of some
thing like $2,O00,000 now in Its possession.
Third. The rights and franchises of the company
granted by the State of Texas, which yields to the
labor of 1000 slaves yearly not only the road which
this labor can build. OF something like one hundred
miles yearly, but this particular empoymentof this
species of labor will bring this company not only
road worth the labor, and equal in value to its whole
cost annually, but the rights of this company in ad
dition thereto will take with it land bonus of
i ,024000 acres, which cannot fail, under what
ever estimate or price you may choose to Fix upon
it, q sum more than equdJtO the entire cash p1r
chase consideration of The 1900 dborers and now
subject by this company for its prosecution.
The Southern Pacific Road Company can offer
inducements for LABORERS which no agricultural
pursuit can possibly, in the present condition of
the country hold out Neither the production of
cotton, of sugar. tobacco rice or grain can at all
equal or begin to compare with the products of
this labor to this company. All results mainly
from the acquired rights and franchises of this
company from the State of Texas. These rights
and franchises are fixed and vested by law, and
the GOOD FAITH and INTEREST of the State are
pledged for them; FAITH not to be questioned
for recent events, trying as they have been, could
not induce her to touch, even for the defence of
the State, those D. S. bonds no,g in her treasury
which had been pledged before to her school fund.-
and, after being so pledged loaned, by simple sta
tutory enactment to railroad companies Her
FAITH was pledged and she refused to violate her
HONOR or the RIGHT CLAIMS OF OTHERS upon her
treasury.
This company can buy iron, rolling stock, etc.,
for its construction bonds at par or near their
nominal value. 1t only needs THIS LABOR to build
the road and produce the provisions to sup
port itself; and, with the progress of the work.
the company yearly adds to its road section after
section, which yields large income and receipts
over and above expenses; enrich itself with the
vast acquisitions of land as Notwithstanding
useful and powerful to Texas and the nation by
securing the East India trade to the continent
1t will be as easy and as simple for this company
to secure and ultimately pay for the proposed
purchase of 1000 slaves well and judicousy
managed--as it would be for planter who has
plantation with 100 hands, farm already opened
and well stocked, to purchase ten more hands
annually, and pay for them from the products of
his other 100 hands and his farm ready for use
THE RIGHTS AND FRANCHISES AND THE ROAD
already completed, are equal as a basis for the
proposed operations by this company, to the 100
hands and farm open, etc., of the planter, who
would purchase 10 more additional laborers but
with this advantage, the products of the farm are
l,cdys uncertain both as to the product itself and
the price of the product; but the acquisition Of
lands as bounty to this company are certain and
absolute and feed and, at the minimum price,
yields annually, above the actual cost of the whole
labor bought or proposed to be bought by it-as
well as the further acquisition of the road con-
struGted; which will yield an annual nett income
eqnal to, if not greater than the whole income of
channel Of Investment whatsoever!
The profits deriyable from the Southern Pacific
Road must be large 1t has no competing road
within great distance to lessen its aggregate of
travel and freights; it has navigabe streams to
take Off and to divide its business its SOIL climate
and productions warrant the largest returns ever
realized from any similar enterprise. No other
roads pay so well as those through cotton regions
Of the South upon their cost.
Finally, the security for the purchase of 1000
slaves by this company is not only all that have
indicated, but other considerations of indemnity.
no less potential and weighty, might be offered.
We allude to the present dctiUe managers of this
gigantic enterprise. They have no such word in
their vocabulary as q fail Y and we may specially
refer TO the President of this company, Col Y. X,
Stevenson, whose success, uniformly and always, in
his railroad projects, his high reputation and his
large experience, allow none who know him to
doubt for m0ment the SstteeSs Of this stupendous
work under his management; a work which has