The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-04-05
RAILROAD MATTERS.

year. The same road, between Vermil-
lionville and Lake Charles, is nearly all
graded. The bill passed at the recent
session of the legislature, to incorporate
the Central railroad, to run from Yer
millionville to Shreveport, has not yet
been signed by the Governor, we be-
lieve; and there is no certainty as to
what will be its fate.
This week a gentleman from New
Iberia was in our office, and stated that
Mr.. Chas. Morgan, the owner of the
Louisiana and Texas railroad, running
between New Orleans and Brashear
City, with the extension o right of way
to this place, which was graded ten or
twelve years ago, will be in that town
in a few days. on an inspecting tour in
regard to this road. This gentleman
believes MI. Morgan will soon proceed
to build the extension of his road from
Brashear City to Shreveport. He bases
his belief ON these facts: Morgan does
not do any thing without an interested
motive. He is not going to inspect this
road but with a view to build it. He is
deeply interested in building it, for as
soon as the New Orleans and Texas
railroad, running by way Of Donaldson
vile and Vermillion7ille, is completed
to Texas, the freights from Galveston,
Texas, by Morgan's line of steamers, to
Brashear City, and thence, by his rail
road, to New Orleans will be greatly
reduced. This is n substantial reason
why he should build his road to Shreve-
port, so as to draw freights not only
from that part of this State through
which the road runs, but from middle
and northern Texas, by the railroads
leading out from Shreveport. But prob
ably the strongest and most urgent rea-
son, on Mr.. Morgan's part, why he should
build this road, is the fact that a rail-
road has already been built, and the
cars + o running on it, from st.
Louis, Missouri, down into Texas, MAX
ing connection, by other roads, with
Galveston. The consequence is, we are
informed, that q large portion of the
freights that formerly went from Texas
to New Orleans, by MOrgan's Galveston
steamers and his railroad from Brasil
ear City to New Orleans, now go to st.
Louis by the railroad we have just men,
toned; and Morgan's financial losses
amount to the value of the freights
which have thus been diverted into
this new channel. It is to the interest
of New Orleans and Of all that section
of the State through which it would
run, that this road should be built. But
all other interests, with Morgan, are
subsidiary to his own; and in this we
cannot blame him, for if the capitalists
and leading mel Of New Orleans and
Southern Louisiana would not and will
not combine, in their own interest, to
build this road, they have no reason to
expect q single individual to do it for
them. Half the money that has been
thrown away, or misused by our capt.
talists or moneyed men, in making
summer tours and visiting Northern
watering places, and in legislative job
bling and corruption, and other sinful
extravaganza and fOolishness, would
have stocked this State with railroads
long ago. "Our people, make oceans
of money and squander it like idiots,
and then expect Yankees" and Gear
pet-baggers" to build railroads for
them. II every man who throws away
his money as above mentioned, and in
others foolish ways, would organize d
company, with honest, competent men
at the head Of it, and deposit the money
with them, we would have a railroad
built without any difficulty.
To prove that this could be easily
done, we will relate N instance. Nor
gan's Louisiana and Texas railroad runs
within some fifteen or sixteen miles Of
Houma, the seat of justice of the parish
of Terrebonne. The citizens of that
place wanted a branch road, and made
an agreement with Morgan by which
they were to do the grading and other
work and he was to furnish the railing.
They built the road, and the cars have
been running on it for a year or more.
This parish has been in the habit of
throwing away annually one hundred
thousand dollars or more in the pur-
chase of corn that could be easily pro-
duced ut home-suppose that amount
was appropriated yearly towards build
ing o railroad through this parish about
fifty miles across, from Lafayette par
ish to Rapides parish, with no streams
of any consequence, and a level coun-
try, and the track partly graded, how
long would we be without a railroad,
il other parishes did likewise, with the
assistance, sure TO be had of Morgan or
some other railroad capitalist
The people ought to movein this mat
ter themselves. The road would be
more for their benefit than for that of
the capitalist who already has his for
tune in his pocket. There are two ways
to do o thing: do it yourself, or hire or
make it to the interest of others to do it.
The people who want this railroadbuilt
must either build it themselves, or hire
others, or make it to others interest to
combine with them in building it. It is
ridiculous nonsense to expect capital
lists to break themselves to build a rail-