The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-02-21
EXPOSITION T4IY.

1 - - = = = ~ 4 alakLl-
The 1snss.Dsmoerats column le.
vnted 70 4Letters from The People,
attraels our attention This week II
the Issue Of tho nth inst, t.JgHgE-.''
bake City, MINI. sna 'Simel.1' 4
ncrshWestorner. very ably ana traly
defends The people Of New Orleans
against "W. T. Ms" charge Of want
ct hospitality -. f. f." and
ssSiwelIY have oar thanks FOR thcir
kindness, rs We feel that any unjust
fling a. the people Of New Orleans is.
e vel, one thrown at us. Bat IN
charity to aW II. H., and in harmony
with our usual way Of thinking, ii
i1aseald be e most strangely scanstitn.ed
set Of people thatconld please all men,
and the people Of New Orleans, no
less than those Of any other city
Of our Union, nuhappily for "W. I.
~, seems only TO be off on this point
that's All. Perhaps, though, be
may be one Of those who, convinced
against his will is Of the same mind
still"
In the same issue, "Weli Wisher'
bits the nail on the head when. 10
addition to bis prayer for lower rail
road rates Of fare, he asks that ticket
holders be allowed to "select what
route they choose to return home by, |
at the time they buy tickets, as was
dsne in 1876, 10 visit the Centen-
maj" Also, to i'aIlow holders of
tickets to stop over al points of in
terest, going or returning" (
In this age Of a demand for ad-
rancement Of general intelligence. I
should there not be some little i'm
.Petns in that direction granted by our
railroad companiesl We say, there
shonid be; bnt such is not the case,
The main way in which the railroad
companys might have contributed,
IN fixing rates at such figures as would
bring visit to the Exposition within
the reach of all; bnt have they so
fixed their rates? No. We can only
say that rates have been partially re
dnced, and the people are still de-
barred from this great privilege, and
the boosted advancement Of civiliza- :
ton, ocGasiened by railroads, which
has been the poetic and oratorical j
theme of statesmen in our Legisla- I
tnrss and the Halls of Congress in the
advocacy of aid to railroad companies, \
turns ont to be a mere trsyssty. Well, I
for this reason, il no other, in showing Z
up to the people the true auimus Of {
oar railroad magnatcs, the Exposi-
iien has done a good thing, which we
hope will not be forgotten in the fu- I
iure. We mean no threat, but we !
mean that it occurs 10 us, onr railroad
companies certainly cannot, in the fu- !
tare, expect a continuance of that /
spirit of liberality which heretofore
has been extended to them by the
poor farmers of the couatry, in giving /
to them millions Of dollars worth Of
"rights of way" and other privileges, ,
and to whose children, to say nothing ,
Of themselves, are now debarred from !
writing this great and wonderful edu- /
catonal institution, by prohibitory I
rates of fare. Bat then, they are 1.-THE !
ehildren) learning something, and, al s
though the railroad companies are the
teachers, they are pursuing, seemingly /
to us, poor way Of being remuner- q
ated for the tuition they are rendering. i
We mean, further, that the people e
arc not asking too much when they y
ask for n further reduction Of rates,
because VIC consider that "one good |
turn merits another" whether it is
granted or net. II