The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1881-04-20
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EsEs|sS!1 4l4&Il y Sl1 A!4ll ~. 81
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RAILROAD RALLY!
The Vidalia Road a Big
Thing!
An Enthusiastic Mass
Meeting!
Alexandria to be a Great
Railroad Cen
ter!
Pineville and Alexandria in
Council!


order by the Mayor, Mr.. James An
drews, and Mr.. James G. White was
chosen as Chairman and James R. Wa
ters, Esq, as Secretary, with Messrs.
B. C. Duke, Patrick Kelly, w. A. Crit
fin and James Richardson as Vice.
Presidents.
Mr.. j. G.. White then explained the
object of the meeting, as follows; viz:
On Tuesday last the committee ap-
pointed by the Town Council, of which
he was member, had met Colonel
Reber, of the Vidalia road and Messrs.
Lane and Hazlehurst, contractors on
the Pacific line and with the Town
Council they had considered the ex-
pedienoy of extending what encourage
ment and assistance to the Vidalia
road as might be necessary to secure
the building of that road through Alex
andria. That road was q proposed
narrow gauge road from Vidalia, op-
posite Natchez, to some point on the
Sabine river at or near Burr's Ferry,
where it would connect with road
being built from Houston, Texas, East,
by Colonel Bremond. In order to
bring the road by Alexandria it would
be necessary to make a detour of about
sixteen miles, and as an inducement to
the gentlemen In charge Of that line to
make that detour, the committee had
guaranteed that they would have the
preliminary survey of the route made
and would secure the right of way
through our Parish from the Catalonia
line to the Vernon line, all free of cost
or charge to the Vidalia and Texas
road. It was estimated by Colonel
Reber that $4,000 would be necessary
to accomplish this. The committee
had, on behalf of the people, guaran-
teed ..,.a5 Gum and that the work
should be done, to Col. Reber before
he left, and he would cay that that
gentleman had left here very much i'm
pressed with the natural advantages
of Alexandria and surrounding coun-
try, and that he was much gratified
and pleased at the cordial reception
he had met with from our people, and
with the favor with which his project
ed road was received by our business
men, and that if the work promised
was done the building of that road
would soon be an accomplished fact.
It remained for the meeting to say
whether they would ratify and endorse
the pledges that the committee had
made on their behalf. AS Col. Lane
and Col. Hazlehurst were present and
would address the meeting, he would
not detain them further, but would
now have the pleasure of presenting
to them
COL. HAzLEHURsT.
He had been requested by Col. Re-
Der, when he was here, inasmuch as
that gentleman was stranger here, to
assist him, and had been with him be
fore the Town Council. and when he
had been asked to be present o-nlght
and to report the remarks he had
made to the Council, he had not felt
at liberty to decline the courteous
invitation.
The road from Alexandria to Nat
chez, which is represented by Col. Re-
Der, is not a local line, but is part of
a narrow guage system which is even
tually to put us in direct railway COM
with Mexico. This line
took its inception from Col. Bremond,
who is a prominent railroad man and
who built the Texas Central road.
He is man of indomitable energy, as
a proof of which he would refer to the
fact that lie built 70 miles of railroad
out of his own pocket, and that re-
Gently he has again built eighteen
miles of road, grading, ties, iron and
cars all paid for by him. Col. Bre-
mond had been a Director in the
Texas Central Railroad, but had re-
signed from the Directory because he
became convinced that that line had
been wrongly located, and that the
true line was further East-in this d.
rection. He therefore resigned and
inaugurated the movement in this d.
rection. He has, so far, only issued
bonds to the amount of $4,000.
When I was in Texas short while
ago, was requested to examine into
this road, and Col. Bremond submitted
to me his book and plans, and re-
ported to the capitalists who had re-.
quested me to examine the matter that
l found everything in irst-class order
that his draw bridges, grade and all
the paraphernalia of the road was per-
feet and that they could buy the bonds
of the road and otherwise identify
themselves with that enterprise with
perfect safety. Col. Bremond receives
for bis road from the State of Texas a
grant of ten thousand acres of land per
mile. When l was at home and be-
fore I knew the cause, was astonished
at the rapid progress of railroad build
ing in the STAGE of Texas. 1 find that
it is owing to the generous aid given
by the State. This is as it should be,
and shows the benefit to be derived
from liberal policy. believe that
the State should aid such enterprises,
and this aid should be something sub
talk, but genuine assist
ance, which would identify the State
with the enterprise. It seems that as
,oon az q road is built there grows up
IN antagonism to it on the part of the
people. As soon az man pays his
or freight bill to the railroad,
le begins to abuse it. This is all
wrong, and there ia no reason for such
! condition of affairs, but it neverthe-
ess exists. The remedy for this is
hat the State should be q party to the
ailway enterprises In it's borders. In
france the government owns two.
birds and controls all it's lines, and az
consequence it's roads are all man.
ged in first class style. and the gov
not only protects. but it re.