The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-11-08
NEW ORLEANS BULLETIN
NEW ORLEANS, NOVEMBER 8, 1874
TAXES, PUBLIC DEBTS AND CONNER
LIAL PROSPERITY.
SECOND ARTICLE.

RAILROADS which IL was bdlu d. tHo uuc were OH
wanted to insure our commercial prosperit
We had the Nashville, tho Mexican Gull, tt
Atchafalaya, the Clinton and Port Hudson an
some Others and for the two first swind cs v
have still TO pay taxes. Again in 1853, we ha
the yicks5urg, Shreveport and Texas, Bato
Rouge aud Crosse Tete, the Jackson, and Ope
lousas and Great Western, and Mississippi an
Pacific always big names, fastened upon us an
for which we have been paying taxes ever since
After the we had device, far beyon'
anything that went before it, for taxing the PEG
pie for private benefit, under the pretonce o
pnblic good. ..
The law of 1929, which was but tho continue
ton OF previous laws, and which, we believe
never was repealed, required the riparian o.
front propriet1rs to make and keep the levees in
front Of their properties in repair, and no one
had the aud icity TO propose general tax Tor the
benefit Of private river property, until the owners
o. plantations on the river, headed by Messrs.
Durable and Oglesby, succeeded in having their
leveos rebuilt ut the expense of the Taxpayers of
ths State; hut although they and the Louisiana
Leyee Company have received over ten millions
Of dollars wrung unconstitutionally from an i'm
povcrished people, the ovee5, tho reconstruction
of which was t. have made us all rich, are in a
worse condition today than what they were
before this uni ist and Illegal system of taxing
New Orleans for the benefit Of private property
outside of her limits began; and We trust and
hope that the delegations from New Orleans will
vote to man az ainst putting one dollar on the
appropriation bills to pay interest on Levee
B,-ds for the repair of levecs. his will be the
shortest way to put an end to this ''punder" of
Now Orleans
But if we were to be made rich by the build
Ing OF the levees. We were to be made mllionaires
by the construction Of the North Louisiana and
Texas, the New Orleans and Texas and the Ope-
lousas and Shreveport roads. Gov. Warmoth in
1871, while taking credit to himself and his fol
lowers for their patriotism and public spirit, in
pledging the faith If the state to these projects
for s7,00l0D0 for which no bound us to paw
$4,000 per annum intarest, and boasting that
tn SO roads would be completed within eighteen
months, took occasion to rebnke the want OF pub
lie spirit shown by our business men, in being
only ALE to obtain subscriptions on paper, to the
amour Of s75o, 900 to huild the Opelousas Railroad
to Texas. But his boisting and his waste OF the
peoples means on those projects has had the
same ttrmination as nearly all the other i'm
provements by which we were to be made rich
nothing left of them but the taxes, for which our
properties are daily sacrificed to pay.
And now, during the excitement of an election,
We have one OF those old projects revived and en-
deavored to be rushed through the Council as of
old, although the whole board is on the eve Of re-
turing to private life. We think that il the mer-
chant princes Of New Orleans believed in the
statement that the Texas ExilrOad was of the
Highest ImDOrtanca and ahaO1uieIv f.,I
the commercial prosperity of the city, they would
very soon be able to raise the money for its con-
struc.ion, particularly as they propose to mort
gage every ten miles OF it as 10 progresses. We |
have been hoping and expecting with every new
project since 1897 to see this road or some other
one to Texas built, but we do not believe it can
be done on the plan proposed by Mr.. Gardner,
and VIC scarcely know what to think Of the bust
ness capacity OF gentlemen who recommend the
entering on such an important and vital improve
mcnt depending on the Endorsement of bonds by
corporation whose gold bonds are selling at
35c ON the dollar, and which cannot pay its Fire
Dep ,rtment, ITS school teachers it's employees,
and on taxes to pay the interest on these bonds,
to DO wrrng from a people having more than
fifty Thousand suits pending against them for un-
paid taxes.
But we do not expect that oven il this road
was in existence at this time, it would have much
effect on the business of the city.
Acre is what the Picay,ne says about the {
business Of New York. Business in New York
Is said never to have been 80 dull as now, and
dealers generally arc very respondent. A large
portion OF trade has been transferred to Western
cities and this after they have built railroads to
every point South and West, in order to bring the
trade to them. Mr.. Morgan, wo believe, has
offered several times to continue his road to
Houston and why his offor has not been accepted
snd co-operated with by the merchants OF New
Orleans, We are at loss to know.
But oven if this road could be built in the way
we emphatically protest against over a
again loanng the credit of either State or CITY to
any company, or taxing us IN any form for any :
projected improvements whatever; and wo were
glad to published in tho city papers that :.
twenty-five States in their Constitutions prohibit
The loan OF State credit or money to corporations
Tor internal improvements, and that nine States I
prohibit the engagement in any work Of internal
improvements in the name aud at the expense Of
The people, and We hope coon to see these pro- {
bill tons inserted in the Constitution of the State
md in the charteracf the city. Gen. Bussey is !
ported to have stated to the Council that it was
only "two hundred thousand dollars whicu it J
was proposed should be raised through the me. ,
dunn of tax on the property of the city," we /
thought it that the city was to pay per cent
interest for ten years on $2,5OO,OOG, which we
make out to be donation Of $40, OOO, 900 demand
cd of the city Of New Orleans.
But II it is only 10000 that is wanted to in ,
sure the success of this work. that is still an ad
ditional reason for our business houses, our t
banks, our city railroads and insurance compa- :
MES to put their own shoulders to the wheel and !
this road themselves. r
Very respectfully, your obdt servt
d. s. =
November 3, 1874.
Ladies', look ON page two for Felln,an Bro.
hers Dry Goods advertise mene.