The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-27
SEQ Supplement-.
TIE NEW ORLEANS PACIFIC.


few days ago one Of tho most prominen
and useful members of the Legislature salt
to lis that the business and agricultural out
look in Louisiana WAS so unpromisng that b,
was seriously thinking Of leaving his HON,
and locating in the prosperous and growing
state of Texas. The gentleman referred to L
highly hOnorcd IN his section Of the Statt
and man whom we can III afford, at this
time. to lose. That ho should be thinking o
leaving the State Is very significant Wher
. mon Of means and personal and political posi-
tion and influence talk Of abandoning our FER
!, tile soil and genial climate for strange ant
distant lands. 1t Ii surely time for thinking
mon among us to pause and ask If there Is
not something radically wrong III our indus
trial and commercial systom. it, in Other
words we are not out of line with the balance
of the worldf
Aa MIR Jonas remarked on Monday n
glance at any railroad map Of the country
will show that there is network Of railroads
ever every state in tho Union except Louis
lama, Indeed, any Intelligent man who looks
nj such map as Mr.. Jonas referred to must
be impressed by the fact That Louisiana is
tho only State without railroads, and that. i'll
thing seems to be shaped TO avoid her
territory. The swindlers who controlled
this State for SO long are tho parties
originally responsible for this fact
dO They devised wild cat railroads and applo-
priated wild cat bonds to build them: a,1s III
that their rcign has left us are forfeited
charters and repudated bends Shall the
want of wisdom on the part Of our own Iegs-
laiors and the parsmony Of our own govern
mont leave us no richer legacy than the ras-
cality Of Radicalism
III this bill to aid the New Orleans Pacific
Railroad were q bill to increase, in even the
slightest measure the ratio of taxation, we
SHOULD vigorously oppose it, as we did the
proposition to levy a special tax upon this
city for that enterprise. But IL Ia not a prop
osition to increase taxation. The interest az
is tiSed in the constitution at five and half
miirs, and whether the State debt be s11 900. 900
or be increased to St5,o00.ooO. that tax cannot
he reduced or increased.
The bill cannot affect improperly Of The pres
cnt generation the thousnndth part of spoIll
y Vrhc g. mills provided for in tho contribution
Ia the interest on the State doht must be col
loctelA IF there is an excess over the amount
required for interest that excess goa to tho
sinking fund; but if the 81 mills is not su1l-
Cicnt a pay the interest on tho debt not a
mill moro can be collected. Thus, cvon il this
bill should affect tho sinking fund, and throw
Tho burden Of paying the principal Of the debt
upon the next generation, 1t cannot possibly
affect tho property or interests Of this genera
ton. or in the least degree increase tho bur
dcns upon the property Of this generation.
Will ii throw any burden upon those who
are TO como after us2 We think not Tho
construction Of this road will so largely in
crease the value Of the property Of New Or
leans and Of Western Louisiana that the
interest tax will not only pay the increased
interest, but create n considerable sinking
fund. which it does not do now. We desire to
Impress upon tho minds of Senators and Rep
lrsontatives that this bM cGsl IN no measure
not IN the Slightest increase The rate Of tara
tion upon thc property Of ,Nc,r Orleans or any
othc7 part Of the State.
IL the construction Of tho road docs not
enhance the assessed value of tho property of
the ,itv and State sufficiently to enable the
five and half mills to moot the interest on
the bonds issued in aid Of the enterprise 1t
simply cannot bc paid: If IL docs SO enhance
theaasessed value of tho property Of the State
the most consummate blocllhead in Louis
lana must cunccde that 1t will lie rich and
most wise Investment Of the State credit. We
desire to sec Il refutation of this argumentby
the opponents of the bill
Asto the eject the road will have upon tho
commerce of this city, We invite those who
are to vote upon il to the consideration of
substantial facts. twas stated in the House
Yesterday that the city had boon swnIled
,r, ,,F To in railroads
We are not prepared to dispute that. But
- claim that the city could better afford to
lose ten times her investments in those roads
than to be to-day without the roads. our
eyer trade has greatly fallen off, and yet
or cotton receipts are greater than IN any
war since the war. The Mobile road brings
Cd &, New Orleans 40 pcr cent Of the cotton re-
ce.ved at Mobile while, largely owing to the
Illinois central and Jackson road, our grain
rac>ipts this season have been six times great
or than they ever were before, and through
that goat line We are likely to build up an
immense grain market here. oil
This shows very clearly the influence Of
railroads upon our commerce. Now what
xilI the New Orleans Pacific do for us p? We
have before affirmed that the natural tendency
y az the trade Of Northern and Eastern Texas,
Northwest Louisiana, and South arN Central
Arkansas. was toward this city, but that st
Louis ~ Tie Iron Mountain and Southern
Road and the Missouri Kansas and Texas
Railroad. had tapped those regions and given
Them certain and speedy route to market
instead III the slow and UNCERTAIN one oy the
EpC. 0uaehita and Arkansas rivers.
Cd gagge cqlll We no better cxemplIticatioh Oh