New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-16
OUR RAILROAD CONNECTIONS
EXTENSION OF EXISTING LINES
LETTER FROM A. M. WEST

The jackson Pilot alludes to certain cor
respondence in reference to railroads, IN
which CoIoRel McComb, of the jackson rail-
road, is interested, in this editorial para
graph:
The able letter of General A. NJ. West,
with the accompanying Correspondence,
will be found of interest to the pubic gen
orally, and more particularly those hVlng
between Canton, Kosciusko and Aberdeen,
where this road is about TO be extended TO.
The article is bold REPUTATION of the hap
hazard writer of the Clarion, who styled the
extension scheme as anything but honor
able or desirable.
The letter of General West, vice presi-
dent of the Mississippi Central railroad,
and the correspondence referred to follow;
As there seems to be some mlSapprehen-
sion in the mind of the public relative to
the character of the bill which has just
passed the Legislature amending the char
ter of the New Orleans, jackson and Great
Northern Railroad Company, and granting
to that company certain stock held by the
State in other railroads, in consideration OF
the completion of the New Orleans railroad
to KosciuskO and Aberdeen, l deem 1t
proper to make a short statement of the
facts connected with the passage Of that
law, which statement | am persuaded VIII
justify, in the mind of every candid person,
the action of the Legislature.
In 1852, nearly twenty years ago, the New
Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Rail
road Company was chartered. One OF the
great benefits anticipated from it was the
completion of railroad through the north
eastern part of the State, by way Of KOS
cuskO and Aberdeen to the Tennessee line
That enterprise had languished for nearly
twenty years, The Southern railroad, IN
the meantime, had been completed, to the
Alabama line. The Central railroad had
been begun and finished through the whole
length of the State, intersecting with the
Memphis and Charleston railroad, thus
making two highways of travel from New
Orleans to the North, and rendering the
completion of the New Orleans road from
Canton to Aberdeen useless, as a measure
of general commerce and travel, and only
important to the people living in the imme-
date district of the State through which 1t
was to pass.
Nearly twenty years had passed since the
original project was conceived, and the
completion of this road to Aberdeen seemed
more hopeless as each year rolled round.
In this condition of things, l was called
upon by some friends living along the line
of the proposed road to inaugurate a plan
by which the completion of the road might
be assured. To that end / proceeded TO
enter into negotiations with the president
of the New Orleans railroad, having in
view the adoption of the measures neces-
sary to attain the desired object. With the
purpose of giving to these negotiations a
definite shape, | prepared the project OF a
law to be submitted to the Legislature, and
which, by comforting additional powers ON
the New Orleans, jackson and Great North
ern Railroad Company, would enable it to
complete the road within a reasonable pc
Rod.
This bill was submitted to the president
of that road, and after various consulta-
tiOns and notifications resulted in the act
which the Legislature has just passed, an
act which venture to say will secure the
completion of the railroad as originally con
templated within short period of time, if
the people along its line will cooperate in
the work with the railroad company III
that generous and liberal spirit which this
great undertaking calls for upon their part,
The only objection urged by any one to the
action of the Legislature in passing this
law, is that provision of the act which
transfers to this company the stock now
held by the State in this and two other
railroad companies. This stock is now
worth in the market not more than 100000
or $500, 900, and it was obtained by the State
by investing in these railroads part of the
money obtained from the sale of the five
Congress in the year lS4l for the purpose of
internal improvements.
briefreference to this act of Congress
and to the subsequent legislation of the
State will show that the stock transferred
uy this law was only held by the State as a
trustee to be used for purposes of internal
improvement, and not otherwise, upon GER
tain conditions contained in the act of Con-
gress. 1t was granted to the State by the
fa4a ont Il
for that purpose only; and the transfer of
it by this bill has only carried into effect
the original purposes and objects fer which
the land was, in the first instance, donated
by the United States. Nor could the State
in good faith have used the money arising
from the sale of these lands except by APP
proprIating it in the manner provided by
this bill, or in some similar way, and for a
similar purpose of internal improvement.
The act of Congress of 1871, before re-
ferred tO,eontains this provision:
''SEC. 3. The lands herein granted the
States above named shall not be disposed Of
| at price less than one dollar and twenty
five cents per acre until otherwise author
| lied by a law of the United States; and the
net proceeds of the sales of said lands shall
be faithfully applied to objects of interna
improvement within the States aforesaid
respectively, namely: roads, railways
draining of swamps; and such roads, rail
ways, canals, bridges and watercOurses
shall be free for the transportation of the
| United States mails and munitions of war
and for the passage of troops, without thu
payment Of any toll whatever"
This grant was accepted by an act of tn
| Legislature of the State, passed in 1912
which upon its face declares that said gran
is accepted on the conditions specified il
! tha ninth eaptiou Of the act of COD0rpR
Just quoted, and the same act provided 70
the location of the lands so granted.
BY an act of the Legislature passed il
1913, the sale Of the lands was directed, til
proceeds to be paid into the State treasur,
to the credit of the internal improvement
fund, and the State to be charged as
debtor to the said fund for the amount S
paid, in an account TO be kept by III
Auditor. BY an act passed March l6, 1856.
the Legislators provided that whenever an
incorporated railroad company in this Stat
shall grade and lay down the superstruC
ture of any railroad in this State for tel
miles, that such company should be pai
out of the internal improvement fund, /
the treasury, a sum sufficient to pay for tn
iron rails for said ten miles, and for whie
the said company shall issue to the State
certificate of stock in said company TO a
equal amount, to be deposited in the trea
ury.
BY an act passed Mhrch 9, 1854, the Legi
latnre further provided that the money
the treasury belonging to the internal in
pFOvement fund, or which might thereafts
come into the treasury, ''be and the same
hereby given to the New Orleans, JacksO
! and Great Northern railroad aud the Ri
sissippi Central railroad as follows, to wi
! Une-third psrt thereof to aid in the co
struetiOn OF the New Orleans, Jackson an
4 4Arnat Mart rail road 4rn4u tho rufi