The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-11-23
PROM TRENTON.

PROM TRENTON.
4 TRENTON, LA, Nov. u, 1877.
E11i4os Telegraph 4
DusfneW for the past week has been
Anything but satisfaetory. Receipts
Tor the week ending the 18th, 5l9 bales,
with prices ranging from to 1O4c.
Sales to brokers have been Of limited
|extant, ia consequence Of reduced sup.
plies. and Offers to sellers unremunera-
tive. -.-;.. .E
The Shannon passed up yesterday
morning the Fanchon will follow in
day or two. These two boats, with
other connecting boats for the bayous,
form the Independent Ouachita Packet
Line. Freight rates for the present are
SO cents per bale ON cotton, Is cents per
barrel ON -four as basis, and first-class
cabin passage IS. II this schedule is
maintained through the season, very
large amount of money will be saved
to the merchants and planters of the
Ouachita Valley. Long live the indie
pendent Line '''3'
!, We notice that the merchants of
Monroe are circulating petition ask
ing the Police Jury to donate, lease or
sell the Monroe ferry to the city of
Monroe. AS general rule, people
sign petitions without stopping to con-
slider the effect, but we hope the tax
payers OF the parish will consider this
matter seriously before lending their
sanction to scheme, a subterfuge,
Matched up by the Board of Trade in
Monroe to benefit their business exclu-
sively and throw the expense of the
Same upon the Taxpayers of the parish.
say subterfuge, because the merchants
Of Monroe do not mean to buy or lease
the ferry; IL they did, the petition
would be useless, because the ferries
are let out once in four years to the
highest bidder. The real intent of this
petition is to get the Police Jury t'tO
dOnate'' the Monroe ferry to the city of
Monroe, Let as consider the cost to
the Taxpayers of the parish of this
gift. The Monroe ferry leases for about
$500 q year. A prominent merchant of
this place told me few days ago that
he would give $500 a year for the Mon
roe ferry, ami that he would pay the
four annual payments in advance, If
necessary, making 5000, that would
20 into the treasury of the parish for
this ferry alone. This terry is a piece
of property which belongs to the par
ish; 1t Is worth $500 year, and the
Police Jury would betray high trust
by donating it, or making any other
disposition of it contrary to the strict
letter of the law. How can the mer-
chants OF Monroe have the assurance to
ask the taxpayers Of the parish to give
them $500 year? The city OF Monroe
is exempt from parish taxation, except
for q very small part of the criminal
expenses. So little do they pay toward
the support of the parish government,
SO little are they interested pecuniariiy
in the extinguishment of the parish
debt except as creditors, that it would
he wrong for our Police members to
consider their welfare to the prejudice
Of the Taxpayers of the parish. Make
the Monroe ferry free, and you destroy
the business Of the Trenton ferry, which
has been leased by two citizens of this
place, and the parish gives the Iessees
the right to charge u certain toll on
wagons, etc. Where is the justice or
necessity for violating this contract
But II the Monroe ferry is to be made
free, by all means have all the bridges
and ferries in the parish free. Let US
have no class legislation by the Police
Jury. Suppose all the bridges and fer
ries in the parish were made free, what
would it cost the taxpayers? Yearly
cost Of boats, lines and hire of ferry
man and repairs on Choudrant bridge,
say $500; add to this the annual lease
Of same, say $l45O, and we have 1880,
to be added. to the already over
burdened taxpayers, and not one dol
lar of it would be paid by the city of
Monroe. We are not quite prepared
for this yet. In conclusion, we would
i