The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-10-21
State Aid to Railroads.


matter of the extension of lines
of railroad in western and south
eastern Texas, so as to bring that
country in more intimate com
mercial relations with New Or
leans before the legislature, and
that he viii advocate the most
liberal policy in this respect.
Suppose the subject is brought
before the Legislature, what can
the legislature do to aid in ex-
tending lines of railroads.. The
constitutional limit of the State
debt has been reached a large
deficit in revenue to meet current
fexpenses is already announced !;
State warrants are hawked about
at 4S cents; there is a general
distrust in State securities; the
crop is n poor one-not half
what it was last year and the
prospect for next year far from
being encouraging.
If railroads are to he aided by
public funds, it must necessarily
be done by the parishes, cities
and towns. The State is practi-
cally in bankruptcy, and if it
were not, no aid, under the con
stitution, could be given, until
some of the existing debt was
liquidated by the collection of
taxes over and above those or,li-
narily levied and collected, in
order to give the Legislature a
margin for appropriations. The
Radical plans for stealing, doubt
less, contemplate such a step.
Our deliberate Judgment is,
that the less the people have to
do with the Legislature in the
building of railroads, the better
it will be for them in the end.
We should be willing to see the
parishes authorized to issue bonds
for subscriptions of stock, but we
have, albeit, no confidence in the
integrity or even honesty of that
body. When the Legislature be-
gins. to Iegislate upon Il moneyed
subject, ten to one the rings do
not get the lions share. One of
the advocates of delay in one of
our recent railroad meetings, pub
licly announced his belief in the
necessity of feeling members to
get bills through.
Nor do we believe in donations
to railroad companies, unless
these donations are lands. No
parish should donate Il dollar of
taxes to a railroad, even if such
authority be granted.
We have just conversed with a
citizen of this par
ish, who. while attending the st.
Louis Fair, saw the principals of
two large misunderstanding COM
panies. This gentleman informs
us that these contractors desire
to take contracts i'm this region,
and that they want no better Sc
curity than that afforded by
lands and the voluntary SUBJ
scriptions and support of the peo-
pie Interested in the work. And
this security, they say, is better
than that they now have on the
roads they are building. In four
these contractors will be !
ready to make new contracts,
and have asked to be kept posted
IS to railroad enterprises in this
'egion.
The folly of the delay which
las taken it's origin here, may
hus easily be seen. Valuable
ime is going to the dogs; COM
,eting movements arc ripening
nto maturity; opposition compa-
lies are being organized we are
the dead Of winter,
o be followed by the absorbing
abors of Spring we are wait
ng for the Legislature to change
l law which the Legislative wis
lom of 1856 thought was ample
or the encouragement and aid of I
public works. This delay will
prove fatal;-wc should believe (