The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1886-01-17
wnAr MONROE NEEDS
..t:enia.'' asa ..Brain.'' No coed :,
Editor 7esey,ugh !:

terprises, which, il ever undertake IeE
aud completed, are In the far distant
future-and are utterly neglecttna
matters Of vital importance, PrActical,
aud within their means OF accomplish
ment We hear great deal about Y
North and South railroad and q road
to Kansas City and to other parls-in
fact,- certain psrties, have, In their
minds, constructed railroads frOln and
through Monroe to each aud every
point Of the compass, until, al this
time, she is, In their Imagination, the
central point, from which trunk lines
rAdiate as the sparks from the nut OF a
wheel. The North and South railroad, !,
|socalied, was undertaken several years
ago, by capitalists, TO the extent Of
having the route surveyed. From
some cause-not made public, the
matter was dropped; no capitalists are
moving In the enterprise, and the
parties agitating It here, proposes I
understand, to contribute nothing to It
except ssgenius''-ssbrains"-that 10 to
say: They propose to do the uwind
work." While this may be neacessary
and useful, It dces not require prophetic
powers to predict, that, alone, will not
give US railway connection with the
WFuture Great" The talk Of road to
Kansas City, is 80 surerlatively nom
senslcal at this time, thatit Is astonish.
ing TO the writer TO be g,Avely dis
cussed In the press. What Monroe
needs, Is, to obtain more trado and
more means to handle it-and the
uue3tiOus to be considered are !: What
will bring the trade-aud how Is the
capital to be obtained : IT no practical
plan can be devised by which these
objects can be accomplished, Monroe
is doomed to rstrogade, at least for u
number of years. AS cotton Il the
basis of nearly all the monetary trans
actions of the country, II follows, that,
whatsoever will bring cotton to the
place will also bring trade and busi>
ness, because 1t is the source of both.
There are three reasons why Monroe
does not and cannot handle cotton TO
advantage.
First: Railroad discrimination
against her.
Secoud-Want of compress.
Third-Want Of Banking facilities.
The FIRST can be easily remedled, If
the people OF the city and parish will
call upon the St.'e Legislature, through
their representatives, to enact laws
prohibiting 1t. Common carriers
ought to bc compelled by law, 10
charge no more for short haul than
for long tn,. They ought not be
allowed to advance rates, without
adequate notice and they should be
prohibited from sspooling" nnd also
from discriminating for, or against,
Incorporated in q Legislative net and,
accompanied with adequate means OF
enforcement would give Monroe the
benefit of the competition AT Shreve>
port, and compel the road TO take
freight from and TO Monroe 0s eheaply
as any other point on tie line-at least
west of this place.
The second, Is equally within tho
grasp of the business men OF the city
anu the planters of tho surrounding
country: II ono halt or even one
home, foreign capital would gladly
supply the balance-and before another
crop be ready for market, the compress
might and would be ready for opera
tion. In view of the fact, that all cot
ton shipped TO New Orleans the pre-
sent season has realized less than could
have been obtained at this place, with
ont means of compressing, 1t is fair tC
presume that, had we compress, the
CO. ton Of Morehouse, Caldwell, Rich
la I'd and Union parishes, Mt least
would find a market here.
This, of itself, would invite buyers
and they, in turn, would furnish the
necessary banking facilities for hand
ling the trade.
We have been talking about railroad
for many ynars-with as yet, no prac
tical results; we have made valuable
concessions to the V. $. p, in the
hope that the interests of the city
would be advanced. We find that ar
accommodation train" runs daily L
Shreveport, which renders it more
,nveinent and economical Tor mar
living twenty miles west Of here to e
there than to come here. We fint
that any town, west OF this place cal
ship cotton to Shreveport, have 1t con
pressed and shipped back over tn,
same line, for less than we can ship
Vicksburg. That on freights, excep
when the river is open, every tow
| ,,,ouA as ,uaIl a Minlos, dn hnilor