The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-09-02
How Railroads Are Built "Out
WeSt.7

@Z0O,OUO III Hlu OF u marrow ,
gauge railroad from Lcavcnworth,
Kan, to Denver was voted Oh
and carried by 1000 :
majority. The people of Colora-
do propose to appropriate $780,
900 for the same purpose. All
the counties in Kansas along the
line of the road will vote lands
in its aid. Work will be corI
menced Immediately. Fifty miles
are to be bnilt this fall, and the
whole line will he in operation
within two years.
We find the above paragraph
in the Washington Chronicle.
Doesn't it seem strange that
one never meets with such items
as the above in reference to rail-
roads in Louisiana? Here is a
railroad project, just started, con-
templating the building of Il rail
road hundreds Of miles through
a barren and uninhabited coun-
try, which i'll a very short time
assumes the character of an act
ual reality, and "fifty miles are
to be built this fall" while 1.-The
whole line will be in operation in
two years. Where are the adj
vantages the people Of Kansas
and Colorado have over the peo-
pie of louisiana? We know Of
none. On the contrary, they are
new settlers, with q sparse popu-
lation, living in Il country COM
paratively unknown, and as would
be generally believed, with no
brilliant future before them. But
right here lies the secret Of this
wonderful progress we see mani
tested by the Western people:
They look to railroads, and very
wisely too, to make them Il pros
porous and wealthy people. They
very properly regard waste and
uncuItivatcd lands as idle-dead
capital, which, however, may
be turned into active capital,
yielding enormous profits, by
pledging it for the construction
of railroads, which will bring
population, wealth and manu-
factories within their borders,
thus enhancing the value Of their
uncncumbcrcd acres from two to
tonfo1d. They see no money in
holding thousands of acres of un-
improved land for Il markct-pay-
ing taxes and falling behind in
the race for improvclncnt--when
half-a-dOZen years of waiting has
proven satisfactorily that there is
no market, but that u market
must he made. There are thous-
ands OF good, easy people in this
country who need to learn that
wild and lncultivatcd lands are a
bttrthen to their other property,
and will remain so for the term of
one natural life, if the ordinary
elements which here produce Il
market are solely to be relied
upon.
But it is urged that 4 railroad
cannot be built with lands as 4
financial basis. We know Of no
unsuccessful effort to build Il
road in this way, and we know of
no railroad company which has
not generally made industrious
efforts to procure grants OF land
from the general government, re-
garding such grants, it appears,
as the most desirable basis for
the establishment of Il good cred
it. The people Of Kansas, in the
case mentioned in the paragraph
qnotcd, aid the road there with
lands, and it appears to be Il sut-
ticient foundation for Il positive
belief in the completion of the
road within two years.
But there are other sources of
aid beside lands. There is not
a parish in North Louisiana that
is not free from indebtedness. Is
the credit OF these parishes of no
value? They mi ght issue bonds,
payable III ten, fifteen OF twenty
years, to aid the construction of
railroads, and long before these
bonds would full due the en-
hopcr5 vnynnpnS Sf + no ,,,ri Sbns