The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-07-15
THE RAILROAD.

dark cloud on our community, sud
den fash of lightning aroused us,
and caused rs to once more ponder
on our situation, and many were the
talks, short, long and excited had
among our Town folks, and the few
country ones who CHANGED to stray
here. The fresh cause Of all this ex
citement was the arrival here Of +.
w. Kellogg, the Agent of the 'Lou-
Iisiaua Central Railway Company"
who came here for the purpose of ''re-
presenting and contracting for said
company for donations from the res
pective Parishes, towns and cities,
traversed by said Railway" AS we
did not see or hear Mr.. Kellogg
whilst here, we gather our informa-
ton from his "Proposition'' to the
Police Jury, as published in the eau
casian, and from the continued talk
and arguments, we were forced to lis
ten to on the streets and at every
cool place, sought as refuge by an
overheated editor; and as the mat
ter is one of such vast and vital i'm
portance to the welfare, prosperity
and pecuniary interests of every liv-
ing soul in this community, we pro
pose giving it a fair hearing, without
fear, love or affection, and without
binding ourself as an advocate in IA
vor of or against the scheme.
The proposition in nut shell is
plainly this: the Company agree and
bind themselves to build Railroad
:, from Shreveport to a point on the
New Orleans, Mobile and Texas Rail
, road, near Vermillionville, on condi-
ton and in consideration Of the Par
; ish of Rapides granting the Company
the donation of three hundred thou
sand dollars in their Bonds, payable
, iu twenty years, with 7 per cent. in
terest per annum, interest payable
semi annually. Two-thirds of these
Bonds to be issued and turned over
to the Company, when they have
completed their Railway from Alex
andria to Lecomte, distance Of Il
miles, with all the rolling stock nee
essary for the transaction Of business
g and the balance of the Bonds, on
hundred thousand dollars, on the com
. pletion of the road from Alexandra
:, to the Northern boundary of our Par
=. ish. t,.s.
y, Now to meet and face this PROPOSE
r. ton, which means business, we mus
:. throw off all prejudices, forget al
past wrongs and not even cast asig
{! of regretful remembrance back to on
glorious past, bat look this matte
square in the face and from our pres
~ ent standpoint. We suppose it j
;. useless for us to premise that we {
. Rapides, as a community and pee
= pie, have crossed the RubicOn {
nearly all our woes and misfortune
- and that we are mired in the las
ditch of ruin and utter bankruptcy
that no change in our affairs can b
for the worse, and any change ca
but be for the better, even if it be
:, i rash and headlong plunge of exper
:, ments. In a word, like the drown
49, ing man, are we not right in clutcl
: ing the straw and make the death e
fort to save that life, and not die b
= inches, up to our chins in the ditcl
where we can't extricate ourselve
save with stranger help in sight, an
-. by our own tlast gigantic will. W
" think this is our true standpoint an
, present position, and are therefor
- forced into the line Of argume1
- which bids us fare better. After a
it is but an experiment, an awful or
it is true, but nearly all the chance
~ are in our favor, and the few again:
W US cannot hurt us or set us back in til
IL least.
le Previous to one single dollar 0
I'll Parish Script being issued to til
Il Company, they must build, with the
q own money, the Road complete frol
=" our Town to Lecomte, which is OF
= old Railroad. Now what will th
~ work cost? How many months of Ii
~ Dor of at least three hundred worl
'e men, mechanics, machinists &C., wi
le this work give employment to- Ho
Ii many of our own people here, WI
i are now out of employment and sta
1t wing Tor want of it, can get it? Ho
ID many dollars in greenbacks will
"a bring here and circulate arount
~ Who will bring all athis here? VIII;
will be the greenback value of II
". completed work? And what it's bel