The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1870-02-23
River Survey,

River Survey.
With our decided convictions Of our own interests,
nd of duty in the premises, that we do not gro"
weary from repeated disappointment in behalf of rail-
Dad extensions from and connections with this place.
md river Improvements, is the simple effect OF our
aith in ultimate success. Personally our interest is
90 small to require its advocacy on this score IN
mother paintiye effort but duty public journal
SITS will permit to allow ourselves to 60 to sleep
The lotus food that real estate propetors love
10 feed on, and to bepraise natural advantages.
That we have grown to our present size and prosper
y we owe, it is true, in the main, to these advan-
tages and not decidedly not to any intelligent, liberal
or cooperative effort to improve them, or to create
new facilities of commerce. Here we have been ap-
priced for years of the imminent danger to permanent
navigation, through the debouching of the greater vol
ume Of Red river from Its main channel, by Bayou
Pierre and Tones Bayou and yet our business men,
merchants planters, and on, have not contributed
dollar even to ascertain the effect of natural causes
much less to remedy, to remove or to improve them,
but have contented themselves with the promise OF
State aid. Here, too, our solid men stood by with
folded arms and saw the railroad pass completely as
to its management into alien hands, without single
effort known to to prevent it, except one and this
was failure.
While We otus-eaters, have thus fed on our "natu
raj advantages" and slept upon them too, Mansfield
with few hundred dollars has opened up navigation
to Marcelle, through the Bayou Winsey, and has thus
secured better navigation it is believed than the main
river affords for low water between Tones bayou and
the Wnsey. Can we learn no lesson from this prece-
dent? May it not be true that Capt Moore land he is
very capable judge, with the lights before him.
s right as to our duty to extend this improvement
through Tones bayou rather than make another fail
ure to close it? At all events, how this question
be so we'll determined by an photographic survey
made by competent engineers and which must lead to
scientific and accurate results? and why should not we
Join and ask the Legislature to order and to make this
survey with view to intelligent and de6ntve action at
the next session? We think it ought to be DONE and
the sooner it is done by US the more certain is the
chance of legislative action at this session.
Meanwhile, too, ate and slept river
improvements, Designating all lessons taught by the
example of others-utterly needless and obvious of
most significant facts; so have acted f action
and stupid passvity be so caed), in regard to
railroad extension, and the lessons taught by exam
pies all around us. Through the courageous enter
prise of the little city of Jefferson, venture to say,
that the Memphis and Ell Paso road has ten times as
many hands employed on it to-day the Southern
Pacific and that if she can reach Moores landing this
year, land this ought to be done in one year there's
AFTER with the nnetHmles graded from there to Paris,
Jefferson will have three times many miles of rail-
road as Shreveport.
Not content with this cheerful promise, we learn
from the last Flag that charter will be presented to
the next Legislature of Texas for the construction of
road from Jefferson to Beaumont, on the Neches-a
distance of about two hundred miles only-to inter-
sect there with the railroad from Houston to New Or
leans.
shorter, better and cheaper route can be had from
Shreveport to the Teche. Yet do nothing, propose
nothing, and hope for nothing for hoping in Morgan,
the Chattanooga Company, in God, and natural ad-
vantages" to build this connection without aid,
land we say it not irreverehty) is to hope for moth
ing Can we not be brought think and act to-
gether for our own benefit? Time flies. The Legs-
ature will soon adjourn summer will come, and with
it low water and low navigation; but with them a
chance too, to make the river and bayou survey so
that 90 to work nelligently hereafter for the
improvements that should be made
"Virginia is in the Union What curious COM
mentary upon this progressive republic of ours is