The Opelousas courier., 1889-05-11
From City to Country.

.~""'iu u conway, IL New VI
leans boy who a few years since cas-
MS lot IN the growing parish of St Ian
dry, paid his respects to the Item
yesterday
Mr. Conway belongs to what may be
termed the progressive element of the
state ana everything looking to the
general advancement meets with his
hearty support. For some time past
those living around Willie Plate, the
geH eHtlcman's ncjghboEhood, have been
agltdtlnga a proposition looking to the
building of railroad connecting that
town with the Texas and Pacific Road
Mt Morrow Station. The distance is
abont twelve miles and the estimated
cost 100000.
The L. and 7. officials were at one
time urged to take the matter in hnlld
ont the road being in the hands of q
receiver, nothing came of the move
ment, At present all the traffic in the
country surrounding Vile Plate is
done by way Of Washington and Ope-
lousas. The distance is eighteen miles,
ana everything has to be transported
by wagons, which is necessarily slow
and tedious, and not in keeping with
me increase i'll prosperity aud popn.la-
uon OF the section interested. The
building of this twelva, miles of road
would not only be a great convenience,
but would naturally enhance the price
OF lands and other property in the
section: and ina6lnuCh as most of the
open land thereab5ut il owned by the
| =
SELF interest In Lis direction alone
would secure their al if the matter
We're properly placed baiore the officials
which, however Ilat not been so far
done.
Some time sILGe Air. tonway,was en-.
powered to consult MI. WIeelock in
regard to the matter, which lie did, and
was informed By GAat gentleman what
steps to take, but neig ghborLood@ differ
ences at the tune prevented uniAed ac
ton Necessity Will, however, compel
this rich traffic to eventually seek the
cheapest outlet, which the figures COM
piled by those in interest show to be
by the way of Morrow station.
Vile Plate contains about 600 inhab.
tauts, and is surrounded by rich and
tnickly settled country. At present,
from actual calculation. it costs about
S9o,O pea annum to transport the
proa1cts OF the section, say 300 bales
OF cotton, $4,000 Is $4,000 barrels of
rice, eggs, poultry, cattle, hides, ETC.,
and tliE 'etul4,,'goods from Washing
ton aud OpHousas- Tie proposed
road would enjoy not only all this
revenue. but of course its construction
would give an impetus 10 an already
rapidly improving country. The fact
must be borne i'll mind i'll this conuec-
ton that the poultry business is no
small item, as st. Landry makes more
shipments OF this character than auv
parish i'll the State.
Some idea of the progress being made
aud prosperity enjoyed may be inferred
when 1t is stated that where ten years
ago could be seen nothing but unculti-
waited lands which could be had for a
little more than a nominal figure, now
everything is taken up-except rail-
road lands-and held at good figures.
lt Is no exaggerati0n to say that land
tIas increased in value in the past ten
yeats one to ten fold. The nopulation
has also increased rapidly, not only by
natural increase, but there has been a
good deal of immigration from the
Western States-so much so, in fact,
that the road from Vile Plate to
Washington is continuous lane. As
the tide of immigration moves from st.
Landry to the Caleasieu river, so does
1t extend from the latter direction. The
waves will shortly meet, and then iu
MIR. Conway's opinion, the strip of coun-
try between the I. and P. road and
that rlvcr-some thirty or forty miles
will be the garden spot of Louisiana.
The fact must not be overlooked in
tins connection that as fine sugar cane
can be grown in St, Landry as St. Mary.
The farmers there all raise "a sufficient
quantity for their own consumption,
lack of labor aud machinery alone pre-.
venting its cultivation on a larger scale.