The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-05-30
THE RAILROAD TAX.

Our dispatches or saturday Iast
brought US the intelligence that tue
tax to be lavied in New Orleans in
aid of our Railroad, and which was
submitted to q vote on Friday last,
was defeated. This is bad news to
US and was unexpected as everybody
was confident that the vote would be
in favor of the ,evying of the Tax.
1t is certainly a short sighted policy
on the part of the property holders
of New Orleans to defeat the tax, if
the blame is attributable to them,
and if it was the vote Of the class
who own no property that defeated
the ak, just appreciation of the
necessities of the case, should
prompt the holders of property then
TO come to the assistance of the road
by generous voluntary contributions.
We can add nothing new to what
has already been so often written to
show that the life of business in New
Orleans, so long stagnant, is depend
ent on the trade which would 60
there over the proposed road. St.
Louis with an energy and enterprise
unknown to the merchants Of New
Orleans by fostering and building
railroads has monopolized almost all
of the Texas and Arkansas trade,
which formally went to New Orleans,
and even North Louisiana, looks now
to St. Louis as the base Of its sup.
plies. The best proof of this is the
scarcity of boats in the Red and
Black Rivers that used to be teem-
ing with them. The passage of an
up river boat by here now is of rare
occurrence, and we don't believe that
there are half dozen boats in the
trade at all, and not more than one
or two of them pay expenses the
year around.
We have been speaking Of the in
terests of New Orleans in the road,
but we have ourselves deep inter.
est in its success. 1t is true that we
have water communication all the
year with the Crescent City, and We
can do better without the railroad
than the City can, but we look to it
to bring the tide of emigration to-
wards us, and to enhance the value
Of our lands. Ours is an indirect
so to speak, but that of New Orleans
is direct and material. So far as we
are concerned in Middle and North
Louisiana if New Orleans does not
want our trade, and her merchants
and property holders are unwilling
to help build the road, we can look
to st. Louis for assistance in build
ing the road down this far anyway.
The news of the defeat Of the tax
has cast gloom over all friends Of
the road here, but we have not yet
despaired Of ultimate success. 1t
may be postponed for while, bu,
that the road will finally be compile
ted we have no doubt. Now tina,
peace and order have been restored
to Louisiana, we should think that i,
would be easy to sell bonds in the
markets of the North ane of Europe
and while it would have been much
more satisfactory to have built anC
owned the road as a home enterprise
it is better to have it owned by O,
mortgaged to foreign capitalists thar
not to have it all. We hope that the
managers of the road will not give il
up before they have exhausted every
possible means Of obtaining the mon
ey necessary to build the road, ant
we think we can safely say
from what we know of them, tina
they will complete the road in some
way.
:. We refer our readers to the out