The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-03-10
AGAINST THE RAILROAD TAX.
EDITOR DEMOCRATS:

road, because | hope that the building
of it will benefit the Parish generally
by opening up new markets for our ag-
ricultnral products; by affording in
creased facilities for the shipment of
manufactured products and conse-
quently bringing capital here to en-
gage in manufacturing enterprises and
by bnilding up here a wholesale trade
with a new section. This the most
that can be fairly claimed it will or
can do, and strange to say, those who
advocate the tax, do not rest their
claims nor base their arguments upon
any Of these grounds. 10 do so would
be to admit the strength of the argu-
ment against the tax, because any
thoughtful man of business experience
knows that a tax upon capital will
keep it away, no matter how many
railroads we have or what the facilities
for trade are.
If two railroads and 26-mills tax
have killed the trade of Alexandria as
dead as Hector, how long will it take
three railroads and 3l-mills tax to
bury it out of sightl The principle
reason l have heard urged in favor of
the tax is the threat that the North and
South road might go to Cheneyville
instead of coming here. If the parties
who make and reiterate this threat are
authorized by the Rice syndicate, for
whom l presume they assume to speak
| would like to see their authority. If
we are to be bulldozed into voting the
tax it may afford some satisfaction to
some of us to know who the bulldozers
are. If it should turn out that they
are only the local advocates of the tax
who speak vithout authority, then we
might not be 50 very much frightened
after all. If it should happen to be
that they are authorized by the Rice
party, then it would seem to be the
part of wisdom to be very exact and
business-like in our dealings with peo-
pie who open negotiations with q
threat. Prudence would suggest that
if "stand and deliver!" is to be the
policy on one side, extreme caution
should be observed on the other. In
that case let us know in advance to
whom the money is to be given, when,
how, and above all, for wAat is it to
be given.
1t is a sufficient answer to the threat
whether made with or without author
ity, to say that after all it is only a
threat, mere pretense. Any North
and South road which may be built
will come to Alexandria tax or no tax.
The tax would not bring it here if it
suited the purposes of its builders to
carry it elsewhere, nor will the refusal
of the tax keep it away if they wanted
to come here. The talk about its 60
ing to Cheneyville is the veriest bosh.
There is nothing to go there for that
cannot be found in our town, and any
company which would undertake to
build thirty miles more track. through
such barren waste Of rugged hills as
they would encounter on the north
side of Red river below and in the rear
of Pineville, build bridge across the
river alone and unaided and then run
through from seven to ten miles of
such swamp as there is on this side
of the river to get to Cheneyville,
swamp where they would have to build
miles of tressle work 6 feet Highland
all this at cost of million, because
our town would not vote 5-nill tax
would be to characterize it mildly, de-
mented. If any company could be
guilty of such folly because the tax is
refused, it would be unsafe to trust it
with the money if the tax is voted.
AS a reason for the tax it is urged
that the building of the road will in
crease the value of property. This is
mere conjecture. 1 have heard that
kind of talk before. A friend has
kindly sent me a circular issued in the
interest of the Corse syndicate who
were then asking bonds amounting to
s750,0OO from this Parish for building
what is now the T. and P. railroad.
For the sake of The comparison and to
show how cheap are promises I make
the following extract from the paper
which is dated August 18th, 1874, viz:
''But even the pittance of increase of
taxation, which we have presented, is an