The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1875-07-31
Railroad.

| 'o''ss'"" w WIN N"sAy SVNpuVViOu VI
road between this point and Alexan'
dria at present, and New Orleans a,
no future day, still continues unaba'
ted; each and every stranger who
arrives in our quiet city is taken fol
a "railIoad man" and interviewed tC
his hearts content.
We like this spirit because it shows
a manifest interest is being taken
with relation to so great an enter.
prise; an enterprise which IS destin.
Ell to build up our valley and devel.
op the material resources of our
State from one end to another. For
this reason, too great an interest can.
not be shown.
Mr.. e. B. Wheelock, President OF
the road, is gentleman we'll known
to our business community rs one Of
tic leading Drug Merchants of the
South, and thoroughly identified will,
the business interest of this State.
Tho Company, it is proposed, shall
consist of the citizens of Louisiana
only, and the road is to he construct.
ell on tho cooperative plan, as the
paying Georgia railroads were. As.
sistance is expected, of course, from
the citizens, cities and parishes along
the proposed route, which will be up
the Red River Valley, and We opine
Crafty It's tne1f meaiis will allow.
It is useless for some to argue that
the road will not benefit the country
or this town that has been amply
demonstrated hundreds of times al
ready in the great Improvement of
all countries !; all villages and cities
which have had railroads constructed
through them. The city of Natchi-
toclIes has not assumed its present
business proportions, small it is true
at this moment, to what it has been,
through any means save that of the
agricultural Development of the sur
rounding country. The value ofpro
perty in town keeps "even tenor"
with that of tho value of lands in the
parish, let there be a depreciation in
price Of planting lands, and city pro-
perty feels the effect, and then the
town depends alone upon the country
for trade, which is it's support, and
the country not upon the town.
What has led to the present con-
dition of our parish is too we'll known
to refer to here. Suffice it to be known
that it is so, and our duty is to build
it up again; to bring it back, by
encouraging public improvements,
prominent among which are railroads,
to what it once was.
Assuming that this town depends
upon the surrounding country for
support, and that support has fallen
off UNNECESSARILY, it become US to do
all we can to bring more population
here; more intelligent farmers to i'm
prove and cultivate the thousands of
acres of fine alluvial lands along the
Red, Little, aud other rivers OF tho
parish, now lying idle, or worked at
by thriftless people. Railroads are
the great drains which draw off from
the thick populations of countries of
worn out lands, vast numbers of i'm
migrants in all conditions of life,
searching homes where their labor
will be repaid. Natcbitoches parish
can furnish farms for thousands, and
each one of them that comes increas.
es the trade Of our city so much, ad.
vancing thereby the value Of our pro-
perty, both of town and country, and
giving renewed activity and life to all
branches Of business. In fact the
benefits to be derived from this rail-
road to our parish is incalculable, and
each enhancement Of values through
out the parish will he felt in the city
correspondingly. The pro and con
arguments used about the advance
ment Of this city are futile, build up
the parish, and the future of Natchi-
tocles as the centre of a heavy local
trade, is beyond pcradventure.
Oar land owners are, OF should be,
more than anxious to forward this
enterprise. All capital has its starting
point in the soil, it is the lever that
moves the commercial world, if our
crops fail, all fails.
At time when men could afford
it, it was we'll enough to own baronial
estates, but the war has changed all
that. The labor cannot be depended
upon to that extent as when in a state
of slavery, even large farms with in
telligent white labor has been demon.
strated in the West to be failures.
These surplus lands our citizens are
anxious to sell, there is no market
and their value is nominal; but build
this road, and in fayOrinr it Won but