The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-08-08

THE RAIL Road.
We intend to fight the particu.
lar Rail Road proposition now be.
fore the Police jury and which they
are called upon to present to the
people, to the last gasp. We will
de mighty hard in the last ditch il
that scheme ever gets through. The
Democrat asks US why We are IN.
willing to have it put to the PEG.
pie if they are opposed to it, and
why not let it 60 before them and
let them vote it down. We answer,
for three reasons. First. Because
1t is an insult to their intellie ence
for the Police Jury to submit any
such outrageous proposition to
them. Second. Because these are
days when it is possible by chican-
cry and fraud to cheat the people
out of their will. The ballot boxes
might somehow get stuffed or there
might he made q big mistake in
counting the votes. Third. Be-
cause of the useless expense of
holding tho election. We can very
readily understand the anxiety of
the Rail Road men to get this prop.
osition put to a vote. They think
that with their interest in the prop.
osition they could and would get
out the votes Of every advocate of
it; it would be their business to see
to this; but no body would make
it their special business to get out
all the opponents and the election
would he carried by default. It Is
this nice little ''heathen Chinee"
game that We want to nip in the
Police Jury, but if it should 60
through that body, We will see that
every man in the parish shall know
the importance of voting against
this scheme. They have got the
two other papers here yok-d up in
Rail Road harness, but we reach as
many readers in one issue as both
the others put together. and we
have got job Office that can turn
out anti Rail Road circulars as fast
us they can. "Lay on McDuff I"
Come on now gentleman and we
will have q nice lively time on this
particular scheme.
The Democrat says too, that we
gave the Police Jury bad advice
We do not admit it's right to set it.
self up for Judge. We except to
the jurisdiction of the Court, rat;ome
materiae ct ratione pcrsonae. We are
before the people and for
Them. Answer our arguments if
you can, Mr.. Democrat, but do not
set yourself up as Judge and Jury.
The same Rail Road authority says
also that it is gratuitous assump
ton ofours that the principal would
have to be paid yearly or even pro-
vitle'l for at all at present. Now
let see. Rays Revised Statutes p.
$40, Section 27SG, says:
THE Police .Jnries Of the several parishes
and the constituted authorities Of incor-
poratcd towns and cities in this Htate-
shall not hereafter have power to contract
any debt ar Iecnniary liability, without
fully Proridingi' the ordinance creating tho
lebt the means Of paying the PRINCIPAL
and interest Of the debt contracted. The
L0Ilc6 are ours.
Now how about paying the prin-
cipal !
We have tried our best and can.
not get the Rail Road gentlemen
off Of the glittering generalities in
which they indulge 80 lavishly.-
They have scrupulously avoided
meeting us upon the question of a
guaranty that they will build any
more of the road after we have
given them as they ask. $780, 900 or
b3O, 600 a mile for building the sir-
IeeM miles from Alexandria to Le-
That is q question they
10 not like to talk about, but how
hey do glory in talking about
fields blooming as the rose" "S1O0
IN acre." "work for poor mechan-
oo,, and oil cnrh hash We 1o,,,f