New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-25
missiles as will oyerwhelm New Orleans
beneath q mound and monument Of her
own Injustice.
WORN OUT NINE.

4 WORN OUT NINE.
The merchants Of this city have again
awoke TO the great importance of :,uilding
| q railroad to Texas. That is. they are, as
they have often before been, perfectly
willing TO let somebody else do the work
and defray the expense. while they stand
ready to receive the benefits. The project
is not new one. II has been discussed
| in gingerly manner for more than TWEEN.
~ years. Column after column has been
published in the newspapers 70 prove
that such work would be great blessing
to New Orleans. The State and city were
once cajoled into issuing bonds fox the
very purpose. and few dollars Of private
| capital were paid in for the purpose.
Enough money has been spent, under
one pretense o. another Of building this
road. to do the whole work, and we
have for a result = track Of eighty
miles in length between here and
Brasheaf. and nearly parallel rival one
Of sixty odd miles 10 Donaldsonville. in
neither OF which has the State OF city any
proprietary interest or control. We have
not time now to count up how much it
has cost Us 20 furnish Mr.. Morgan and
the owners Of the other track with their
respective railroads, though We do know.
in general way, that the interest on the
bonds given for the purpose years ago is
among the many other burdens which
now bear SO heavily upon the people. Yet
the proposition is coolly made to go
through the same performance again. The
originators call themselves 'smerchants,"
and their plan. as preached before the
Chamber Of Commerce, is to saddle an
additional tax of two mills on the real
estate of this city to build somebody else
railroad. We lay aside for the present
the legal difficulties in the way. which
could probably be overcome. as many
another has been, and limit Our inquiries
to the prophecies Of the case and the
physical obstacles to be encountered.
According to our estimate, and we have
scanned the subject closely, there has not
been taxes enough collected during the
expired portion of the fiscal year to pay
the November interest on the city bonds.
There will, therefore. probably be de.
fault, and consequent disappointment on
the part of the bondholders. Now, with
this evidence Of inability to pay what the
city owes already. We are asked to take on
new burdens and new obligations-to do
what: To build railroad which all ad.
NIT to be indispensably necessary for the
commercial prosperity OF this city and
the personal profit Of the petitioners and
gentlemen Of their class. The "mer-
chants of New Orleans thus beg for
somebody else to stake them in their bust.
ness. that their own risks and labors may
be diminished, and their profits greater
and more assured. Were there really any
merchants here worthy Of the name,
and in sufficient numbers. they ought
to be able TO command credit
enough in the money markets Of the old
world to build dozen such roads. A
city more than hundred years old, stu
ated as this is, with population Of a
quarter Of a million, ought to produce
merchants enough with the requisite
financial influence to build all needed
internal improvements. But. no; we
have none such. Our merchants are
nearly all politicians, and on the wrong
side. at that. They will readily sign a
subscription to send a lot Of idlers to
Washington to keep up a political agita.
ton. OF to buy Belgian muske.s to shoot
American citizens for daring to exer.
else their right Of opinion. but have
not cent to spare to improve their
own interests. character and credit. as
merchants. They would rather sign
an agreement to discharge colored
porter who refuses to vote the White
League ticket than to risk twenty.
five dollars on a railroad. even though
such measure be necessary to regain
trade taken from them by their Demo-
cratic friends in st. Louis, Cincinnati and
Louisville. 1t will be remembered that
ten thousand merchants of St. Louis met
at the court house on the night Of the fit.
teenth Of September to congratulate our
rioters on the apparent success Of their
response to the call Of the New Orleans
merchants, to assemble on the fourteenth
at the Clay statue. The astute traders of
St. Louis clearly foresaw tina: our great
disgrace was their gain. and they certainly
had reason to be jolly at the opening pros
pect. Having, therefore. signed every
document presented to them which had
for its object hostility TO the Republican
party: having put up money enough to
maintain separate State government;
called the White Leaguers 70 action,
and then certified both in the Chamber OF
| Commerce and by telegraph that the sue
sequent asphyxiated condition was one OF
quiet and confidence. our merchant-poli'
ticians think they have done enough
They now demand that the people shall
reimburse them indirectly for the sums
they have thus spent. With the instinct
I Of habit characteristic Of the miller's
horse, they look 20 the old mine, the city
treasury. from which they have heretofore
| worked rich results. But it has ceased e
yield. II is quite exhausted and will moi