New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-07

| .roroa twentieth OF April, Io' -
co. lizard them as valid obilgations, y. in
STATE. the money which has acouni n tha.e
the treasury to meet the in.e.eSt ito 70 pur.
ocEuS, Nv, w." rosd from here to Donaldsons,aH ~
at The nrice of 81, 500 per mile snouio '"'
he determined upon.
THE BACKBONE RAILROAD.
Rv .ct No. 43, approved December oo'
1863 the New Orleans, Baton housa +he
Vicksburg railroad was charterso aut oe
State authorized to issue s9co gnn , n Site.
| bonds to the amount OF ei-,v 70 hnild
branch roads. Congress by an act app!oso-
| Mach 2 1871. entitled an act 70 inco.
1nrata the Texas Pacific Railroad Com
panr practically recognized TINS loa -
90 branch of the Texas Pacihc ran IL
| ro.d. and in aid of the Dniioins ~
the road from New Orleans to ohrevepond;
| via Baton Rouge and Alandria s; nn of
"" 80. oon,nanv every alternate section OF
nnhI;c Land designated by odd numbers ia
| Il h,It of forty miles on each side OF tne pro
nosed route. This land has been Withdraw
| from sale by the general governmeat unu.
tho nrovisions of the act. 1t Is made con
a;,;rn in the act that the company snaii
connlete the road from New orleans ~
| Vicksburc within five years from ~. .ne
passage thereof. By act OF tae 6"Isans
! tine No. 100, of 1872. the New orleans,
Ration Rouge and Vicksburg company
| are given a more specific right TO ouiio
| a road from New Orleans to Shreveport wa
! Baton Rouge, and are authorized W iesuo
| first mortgage bonds to an amount not eA
| ceeding $4,000 per mile. This act apro.
| gates the provision Of the original quartz
granting the Endorsement OF tns St az y. W
| the second mortgage bonds OF $l2,oVo IN
xAl.a iSlY
first mortgage bonds. To avoid all ques.
ton in this regard, 1 recommend that
an act be passed repeating 80 mucn
| of the original charter as authorized any
guarantee on the part OF the S'ate
to inGorse the second mortgage bonds OF the
road. 1t is difficult to ascertain the con
dition and prospects of this company
at the nresent time l am informed
that they are now making an effort to COM
biue with other interests to build the road
before the grant made by Congress lspses:
This grant apprOximatos nearly I,oOooeV
acres of public land, and ought to afford
sufficient basis, when the Importance and
advantages of the proposed route are con
sidered, to secure the early complexion OF
the road. The company, oy the act OF io1S,
are required to build the road TO Baton
Rouge. on the east side of the Mississippi
river. The railroad now built to point be-
yond Donaldsonvllle might be utilized
in forming a connection to a point
on the river opposite Baton Rouge, and
thence to Shreveport, by which, 1t seems TO
me, the company might comply with the
conditions Of the act OF Congress, ana So
cure the land grant from Baton Rouge
Should the company ask that the
act Of 1872 be amended 80 as not to
REQUIRE them to build on the east side OF
the river, l suggest that you give
such request your careful consloera
ton. Railroad connection placing New
Orleans in closer relations with the
vast trade Of Texas, as we'll as the trade OF
the distant portions of the State, is what Is
most needed. No effort should be spared to
bring about this result.
THE LEvEES.
During the past year nearly 100000
cubic yards of levees have been built IN
this State. The report of the commission
of engineers, herewith submitted, shows
that they have ordered ninety seven levees
to be constructed this season, and have had
to decline building many more. which they
have tarned over to the Levee Com
pany to repair. These new levees
will amount to 10000 cubic yards,
the report of the board of State eng ineers,
it appe ars that at least million cubic yards
could be adyantageOusly ordered. The
maintenance of the levees of the Missis-
sipp, is a subject of national Importance,
and the State of Louisiana, holding larger
alluvial territory than any other State Dor
dering upon that river, is vitality interested
in this question. The works required are
so vast, the benefits to be derived so
widely extended that it has long been
thought an appropriate subject for national
aid. As l stated in my inaugural addressoa
year ago, l was in q position during my
labors in a d iflerent department Of the pub
lie service to ascertain the views OF the ma
tonal legislature on this important subject,
and found them to be in UnsOnance with
this opinion; but the Legislature of this
State, BY the incorporation eff the Levee
Company in ls7l having adopted on very
large scale a plan of it's own for the CON
struction and repairing of levees, the con-
sideration OF the subject by the national
government was postponed. l take this |
occasion to renew the recommendation | |
then made, that the Legislature authorize |
the appointment of a committee, to be com
posed of citizens, fully competent to ex-
anime and report upon the character and !
sufiiciency of the levees constructed and in |
process of construction blythe company.
and the degree of energy with which the
work IS being conducted. In a matter
OF such magnitude and Importance, and |
likely to constitute so great a drain on |
the State treasury, it is all important that !
the people should know from the most re- |
liable sources whether this gigantic under |
taking is really to be successful, and confer |
upon the State the results promised.
In the meantime l recommend that the four |
mill ieyee construction and repair tax au- |
thOrized by the acts of 1871, be reduced to |
three mills This amount, am assured will
be amply sufficient to provide for the CON !
of the levees ordered, and all |
probable necessary repairs.
RED RIVER
When representing the State in the United
States Senate, believing that the work was |
practicable, L urged successfully an amend |
ment to the river and barbor bill, making.
among others, an appropriation for the re
moval OF the raft from r. a Ever and the
Improvement OF Tones BAYOU
, Inc removal of this raft by the United
states, and the closing of Tones bayou
with the same logs, has been a great feat of !
engineering. What the actual result will
De, IN respect to navigation and the heipht
OF floods, remains to be seen.
Referring to the Instructions presented
oy the falls at Alexandria, together
Win the probable closing of the mouth
" oiu river, concerning Which petitions
nave been received, l will state that
nave sent these petitions to the State eng;-
neers, Win Instructions to make a special
report on the subject. But as these worLs
appear 100 extensive for the State in ber
present condition. and as Red river ia a ma.
u river, bearing the products of severa,
s., ana as the general government has
ton, 1t is to be hoped it will continue TO
work. l recommend that your BODY meme
rlal1e Congress in this regard.
CHEAP TRANSPORTATION
The people CT the State are to he oono,..
liated upon the favorable light in 1sh;ch
Inc attention of the entire country has heen
directed to the Mississippi river by the nrn.
pltious agitation of the cheap transportat;on