New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-28

f...-. Communicated
TAR NORTH LOUISIANA RAILROAD

OAO mO AZAs
..... Communicated
THR NORTH LOUISIANA RAILROAD
A Reply to Mr.. wheeleck.
An artisas appears in the New Orleans
papers of March 26, over the slgnatu1o =,
T.. B. Wheelock, in reference to ral!!osa
matters in Louisiana, and the actlon OF u;s .io
Legislature in regard to the Norsu ' ~ rs.
lana railroad charter, which seems " .o
auire some notice in order that the maSsee M
might be properly understood anu "Ai'
Wheel6ok's notions exploded. .+-
~ folIoVine is the history. OF the mat
= 90 sSN to by Mr.. WheelOck: ,-. A.
On the Nnth of January, 1870 Ms:
dorsey in!1 bill into the e. oenree a.Hoes. y.
rne nlted amendatOry Of the "Iexas
Pacific Raj Company," known as Mr:
Scott's ROAD 8 eleventh section OF that
bill is as fol
Sac. II. tn aar TO secure to all sections Of
the country al dyautaxes to he derived from
the construS the Texas and Pacific railway
as nereinbef pyidsa for. the fol- rall-
way conpanse hereby empowered anu To-
GUired to "a branches to new Oaioa.,
Nicksburr ,nnhis under such authority as
the States q fonisaua and Arkansas may
have teretc sa,,fed OF may herea ter grant
FirstNTbS o., ans aud Southern Pacific
Ra.ircad Co 10 construct or control ana
operate SUD Slroads as may Sc nooes.-a;y c-,;,rs
OF the Tej5<<rd Pacific railway main hne
to point q iissis sippl river opposite the CITY
SscoaiIV& Railroad COMPANY to con.
struCt or II enl operate line rom Inc
easte,n ter S of tie fexa and PACING man
railsay lnsR Shreveport. to point Oh LILO NAis
s;ssppi rvc2 2pcsite vicksDurg.
Thi-ily- Railroad Company 20 cou.
struct or Ct "A and operate a line from the Texas
and Pacihl2dway at the city OF Jefferson, ia
Ma-isa CO r. TTxas, to po mt on the Mississippi
1iye- 2E7f The city Of Memphis: b,r for
~ ~ mn companies, respectively, en- Al. W. ~.
that pui pose have power when ara % ~ sa such d.
of rosi are or structed and equipped a,aJ Oh ha.
csct and practicable routes as may 90 @ .oc nr more
80 eaid points and sections OF Ten =. lnO,o LUZ
c"psac.,ve 1--WE niles thereof accepted by the GOV
eSomert Of the United states, alter M pnrointeS
comm issioner or g. tes for that pur.
poss TO issms bonds, bearing i've per cent am sold
to the amount Of SS5 900 per mile inste ad
Of $40 goo per mile as aad Pacific rail.
w.y; ali Of said bond: to ne "a. oepos'oJh "s ssh,ch ~
the treasury of the untro , :, otn rsserved by the
Sscretarv of the Treasury, - here in1efore pro;
vdea: Tie payment OF the interest," ana ,,r,.
O. which bonds nss sao 81 ,osd o. sSer
ssiseS SI and property Of every kind acquired OF
that nay hereafter oe acq1f@ea @ IN =" ss;d
.ba, Ss ndcrsed thereon BY the Secretary
OF the Treasury, in like manner az on !no OLner
.ass .S~sa 5 sna assa ana a
for .he CONSTRUCTION. equipment and compEtloa OF
aIch roaos; and the same snAlI % vo%mo.or I.' c.
w:.i,in sbres years from the passage OF 1his ACT
aoa 20 ss 70 tSs uss thereof e imposed
th.sa act on the limo Of the Texas and Pscinc Kali
T,h:s section, it will be noticed, authorizes
..-ha New Orleans and Southern Pacnc
Railroad Company, of which Mr.. Wheelock
r. president. to construct, or control and
Operate such roads as may be necessary to
form a connection with the eastern 0er-
minus of the Texas and Pacific railway
main line, to q point on the Mssiss'pp;
and Il also authorizes 1.-THE railroad COM
Danv to construct, or control and operate
line from the eastern terminus OF the Texas
and Pacific railway main line. via Shreve-
-,ort. to a point on the Mississippi river op.
posite Vicksburg."
IL will be noticed that the name OF TINS
last company is left blank. the reason iot
which was that the Vicksburg, shreveport
and Texas Railroad Company ana the
Eorth I.ouisiana and Texas Railroad Com
panv were in litigation, and it was con-
sidered doubtful whether either OF these
.cOrporatiops could be relied on to carry out
the objects of this act OF Congress; hence
the name of neither was inserted IN the
hill as was the New Orleans and southern
Pacific Rsilroal Company. 1t then became
necessary to have company cnsrtereo'
against which there could be no ooleota2an;s, s.
ia order that it might be Incorporated IN
this bill. This gave rise to the introduction
of the bill into the late Legislature, incor.
no-ating the North Louisiana Railroad
Iompany, which was intended simply to
create q corporation to which Congress
would give the benefits of the above Sec
ton of this congressional bill.
1t will be noticed that the section eleven
of the bill above quoted provides that
orr QnfhnfiZA0 70
issue their five per cent gold bonds, at the
rate of 900 per mile, secured BY hrst
mortgace on the railroad, ETC., the United
States to indorse q guarantee OF the IN.
terest on them, which were to be used
in the construction and equipment OF the
railroads; the roads to be completed within
three years.
In this We can very plainly see the neces
a;ty and prOpriety of the Legislature Great
mo the North Louisiana Railroad Company
There was DO subsidy in the act, nothing
but an ordinary act Of corporation, intended
70 enable the State to avail itself OF the
profered aid of the United States to bnild
these two roads through the State from tht
eastern terminus Of the Texas and Pacific
rsilroad, one to New Orleans. and the othel
to Vicksburg; certainly roth very lmpor
tant to the interests of the State. ana par
t.cularly to New Orleans.
We do not understand why Mr. Wheel
ock. president of the New Orleans ane
Southern Pacific Railroad Company, is st
violently opposed to the North Louisiana
Railroad Company. The latter in no way
interiors: yhs former dfas as the tn 4 ais i
prs.rS Sosed To 6e gwen to like. ihes'
vroads pass through differ ctlons OF tht
STATE, on opposite sides of,rlver, ana 50
TAR from each other thai can NOT ~
tertere with each others usiness' on'
running nearly due south ne otner on'
east from the common p uePai.In1o II
the eastern terminus OF Ass auu =, =
cifc Railroad. Why is en- tnat Ms
WheelOck is SO vi0lentg pOeeu " .l'
North Louisiana Railroad pany9 ~
certainly to the interest S~ OItesn ":i.
that both these railroads lo oo uui..
and we would say that thu n Loulsasn'
Railroad would be of cor aDiy gTGa.S, eTnus,
advantage to New Orlesnl VII th.t ~ S, 20
ock's road, for this simple ,S saS' s;the sT h
.o.5 thn cthar moi hl CONSTRUCTED
would bring the same au s. y. 'n;t"e 81
business to New Orie Go. II p.;1
probable that the NORTH Ha.slanG .Ss M;ss;s
road. in connection .nJ f.a;@h a51;,
s;ppi river, would carry Ouga re FL
cheaper than the Wheel oau. ,,d w oo
Wheelock railroad was 81 wou.I h4 w y
bring to New Orleans any p L;.ssut LIe'sas :, =
business that would not wl;nv ;rt - :, -
Such local business has nd er py.aJN NJ ~ q
to; but it would be difere ltu .no IT, o-.r
Louisiana railroad. 1t vi drsets Uss fro1
amount of cotton and OF .v" o.;.;an
Southern Arkansas and on ~ ro;Irood
that now 90 to st. LOul4 S.o 49, Ina
tnrouph Arkansas, thus 70 I;e;on LHe w.1 :"
ness Of New Orleans at ie trafs;c inc