New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-08
ON 10 TEXAS.

men and money is . histoncal TACT
That New Orleans hos derived much less
advantage than other cities from the
Empire State thus founded we suppose no
one will dispute. Without any adequate
watey connection With interior Texas, the
products of that State are borne away by
the rival rail of 81. Louis and New York.
That the natural port and market OF
Texas should be. for want of couple OF
hundred miles of rail. lost to New Or'
leans, is . serious inputation upon the
enterprise of our people. When there is
a unanimous demand for its construction
it becomes the more extraordinary that an
obstacle SO Insignificant should be per-
mitted to continue.
There have been efforts made TO con-
struct this work. The State and city gave
largely aud literally to the New Orleans
and Opelousas railroad. 1t broke down
40 Brashear, eighty miles from New Or
leans. and is now used as . private prop
erty. forming q section of . steam line TO
Galveston. State aid was given to the
New Orleans and Texas Railroad Com
PAW. The work for the first twenty miles
ran alongside Of the Brashear road and'
after passing in its whole length along
the banks of tho deepest river IN the
Union. broke down about the sIxtleth
mile post. at small river village VhiS
terminus is some ten miles less near to
Texas than the Brashear terminus. we
have then two roads. on the same loca'
ton, for twenty miles. each projected to
Texas and each arrested by inability or
indispositiou of their respective authors
ties to prosecute their charters to conclu"
sion.
If we look at the means placed at the
disposal of the Opelousas and jackson
railroads by the State and city. it will be
found that the stock represented in right
of this contribution has been sold to the
corporation for q very small sum: that
this sum has been expended, and that the
city and State now pay an amount OF in
teress on the original subscriptions to
these roads approaching the sums re-
ceiye1 from the sale of the State and city
interest in the roads. The treatment OF the
State by the New Orleans and Texas Rail-
road Company seems to have been even
worse. A subvention per mile was made
by the State for the promotion OF the road
from Donaldsonyille west An engineer
of the company testifies that there was
never any actual construction even begun.
and yet the corporation succeeded in OBJ
tanning from the State authorities the de-
livery of two and half millions OF State
bonds, due only upon the completion OF
the work which had never been begun.
We need not summarize the detail OF
incohereut purpose and consistent sac
rifce. II shows the public to have been
entirely ignorant Of the topography OF
the country. It shows that the public
donations have never effec!ually reached
the purpose Of constructing road to
Texas.
We have now plan proposed by many
citizens deeply. because personally, inter-
ested in a railroad to Texas. They are
neither spectators striving to get hold OF
State or city bonds. nor are they states
men. looking alone to the developed pros
rerity of the State or city. They are
cotton factors. dry goods merchants. bank
ers and other business men. They hon
estly propose to give their own time and
what money they can spare to the execu-
ton Of a work upon which the prosperous
business of each of them greatly depends.
These are und onbtedly the right men en-.
gagged in their proper work. The pro-
moters of this work have. however. fallen
into an old fallacy. 1t is that a road to
Texas can be made by State or city dona'
tons. In addition to the difficulties of
controlling public appropriations. and
combining them strictly to the object for
which they were intended comes at this
day the added embarrassment of consti-
iutionai prohibition Of additional city
debt, and the credit of the city debased to
less than fifty cents on the dollar. Even.
therefore. if the city can, or shall encum'
Der itself with further debt. the beneti-
Charles could not expect to realize half its
face. while their own securities might abb
solutely suffer from a city Endorsement.
In the event Of any city liability. the
taxpayers may have to provide for the in
terest. and extinguish the principal of the
obligation. AS this then is the rrecarious
policy of packing few more feathers
on the back Of QUE fiscal beast Of burden.
let us see if there be not more prac-
teal and American way Of building this
Texas road:
/. There should be. if possible. con-
solidation OF our two Western roads from
the same crossing in this city to COM
mon point Of divergence. west.
2. 4 contract should be made with the
two present roads for right Of connec-
ton with and use by the extension west
to Texas. This extension is worth as
much to the roads used as to the company.
which thus virtually extend themselves to
Texas
Al: the details Of prora.ins and sched-
uies FOX common use may be easily adj
iusted. This will give New Orleans the