New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-28
Local Intelligence.

GIVE THEM A CoMPENsATIoN.-Owner
of real estate and persons doing business in
that portion of our city which borders on
Lake Pontchartrain are taxed equally with
parties dwelling in more favored localities,
yet they do not have the benefits of gas
light, waterworks, drainage, paved streets,
markets, schools, or the hundreds of other
facilities furnished citizens living In central
portions of our city. Still worse, the in
habitants of those faubourgs known as
Milneburg, Elkinsburg Metairieburg and
Metairieville, which include territory on
the shore lying between the Pontchartrain
railroad and that point near where the old
Jefferson railroad once was, are not pos
sessed of single free highway to town, yet
if a hotel or other business is opened in that
section, the proprietor is compelled to pay
as great license as he who transacts his
pursuits ON St. Charles street.
To say the least that is unjust; the suffer
ers can not be blamed for terming it tyran-
ny. In coming to the centre for supplies,
those unfortunate inhabitants have only
three routes-namely, by the Pontchartrain
railroad, by a rough dirt road along Bayou
st. John, or by the new shell road, and trav-
elers must pay toll on either of these ave-
nues. Taking the old or the new canals,
the toll gate must be gratifed. Thus it will
be seen that a laboring, poor portion of our
citizens are compelled to expend money out
of their scanty means for the miserable
privilege of living in a suburb, taxed be-
yond the amounts paid by those who dwell
in urban sections. This is indeed a singu-
lar condition of affairs, and until a generous
remedy is applied, that interesting portion
of New Orleans will remain unimproved,
uuproductive.
One feature connected with this subject
has long been matter of surprise to us.
Bayou st. John is natural stream as much
as is the Mississippi or other rivers termed
national highways, yet the corporation of
New Orleans is compelled to pay char
tered company five hundred dollars per
month for the right to drain its refuse water
into it. Lake commerce is sally checked,
because it is subjected to toll for using
this same natural stream Is there another
community in this country that would sub
init to these extOrtions We think no
other city would permit its great interests
to be fettered in such barefaced manner
Abolish these extraordinary tolls and
open the highways; certainly let Bayou st.
John be as free as air. No valid excuse
can be given why this stream should not
be offered up to public use. The subject of
the city's right to drain into it is now be-
fore the Supreme Court, but the subject
Oh ha of
litigation and never could have reached
that point had honesty or decency ruled in
high places previous to the war. As well
might those then in power have granted
the Canal Carondelet Company right to
govern Lake Pontchartrain, or any other
body of water declared by United States
laws to be public highways. Even had
any power the right to give that corpora
ton exclusive control over the bayou, we
believe the managers forfeited that right
thousands of times in not performing their
part of the contract
1t is true the stream has been improved
slightly, and a small sum ofmoney expended
on it, but not a 1.-THE of what should have
been. For every dollar expended by the
company tax of ten cents or more was
imposed, and those interested were well re-
paid If the State or city can not relieve us
of this incubus, then we will be compelled
to call on the general government for It's
assistance. Commercial and every public
interest demands that Bayou st. John be
thrown open to free trade. Succeeding IN
this. and other efforts for the public good,
the REPUBLICAN will have performed duty
it owes to our citizens, and all we ask is the
thanks of our fellow men.