The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-23
THE OLD sONG AGAINST IMPROVE
. . MENT.
The "Ea-t Drivers" The Most Ineonsc-
f nicnt Of MOIInpOlirs.


Edihr Uemocrak The opposition to
the introduction OF dummies on the
Canal street portiou Of the City Railroad
is, rs the old saying gors, 'cnough to
make horse laugh g 70
! believe in street railroads and cars,
though l am up friend of the railroad
companies al this city rs long MS they
80 ilagrantIy violate their charters rs
they dOra fact which must be as patent
TO our City Fathers as it Is 10 every citi-
zen who drives a vehicle OF any kind.
1t IL simply u wonder that, while private
citizens arc held to such strict account
generally, these corporations do rs they
please, and to the immense injury OF
their fellow men, i-af.f lH
But let us have dummies. IL Is
manifest destiny and tho objections
urged are frivolous. When the street
cars were first proposed there were oil
sorts Of objections and the strongest
opposition came from nh omnibus com
pany. But the cars came, animals were
u little frightened at first. and the old
fogies cried 81 told you 50" but soon
all was serene. A few years ago 1t was
attempted to put railroads on Royal and
Bourbon streets, but the furniture deal
ers did not like 1t because it would
break up their monopoly Of Royal street
asa wagon stand; they got out I'M unc-
tons and delayed the building OF the
railroads several years, but common
sense prevailed ut last. Tho cars arc
running on these streets, and the public
and the property owners generally are
satisfied lT .ta r,hgtUG --fi-.I.I
And now comes another would be
monopoly who oppose steam on Canal
street. / mean the drivers OF fast
horses. elr1J MI So tH."
l.rn Tor hna xrn nj In
men, who Seonl to really ENJOY them
selves, let me assure them that they are
infinitely inore Objectionable than steam
dummies can ever be. In thirty days
time all animals driven will become
fully accustomed to tho dummies, while
nearly thirty years observation teaches
me that vast numbers Of carriage and
buggy horses never will become accus-
toned To vehicles dasbing by them at u
speed OF twenty or more miles per hour,
with drivers crying, "'G'lang! g'lang!"
Everybody knows that our finest drive
is nothing but race track every day Of
the world, and that great numbers OF
ladies and children arc consequently
entirely excluded from it. ] would like
to send my family out Canal street in
my carriage frequently in fine weather,
but experience has taught me that is
more than indiscrect. In other words,
the fast drivers are In great measure an
intolerable monopoly, and this in viola
ton Of city ordinances.
The cry against steam is all bosh. At
any given rate of speed, the vehicle pro-
PEELED by steam is infinitely more man
ageable, and therefore less dangerous,
than one propelled by mule power. Let
the man who doubts it stand alternate
ly behind a steam valve and mule.
Have we not frequent accidents from
ears drawn by mules? And are they not
far more frequent relatively than from
those propelled by steam? ..-...
I hope the City Council will not yield
to selfish or inconsiderate clamor on
this important subject. BY so doing
they may delay the general introduce
ton OF other than mule power, but they
will only be reenacting the foolishness
Of man.
One Who Would LIKE To RIDE ON THE
SHELL ROAD.