The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-07-08

Railroad Building in Louisiana,

Railroad Building In Louisiana.
The building of railroads in the
South has begun to attract national
attention, and the activity shown I'm
Louisiana meets with great deal of
favorable comment. The Shreveport
Times has lately given short resume
of late railroad work which is very
interesting and encouraging.
From every section OF the State
there comes rumors of impending rail-
road extensions, connecting links and
new lines. From outside the State
reports ar. received IF the plans of
some of the big trunk lines In the mat
ter of new construction work in Lou
isIana. We are told that the Kansas
City Southern will be extended from
Shreveport to New Orleans; we hear
that the Orange and Northwestern
will he extended to connect with the
Kansas City Southern; the Southern
Pacific proposes to build n line from
Lafayette to Baton Rouge; the Frisco
Will build mp either the west bank or
the east bank of the Mississippi river
and will build n bridge across the
river ut Baton Rouge; the Little Rock
and Monroe has just been completed
into Monroe; Farmerville was recent
~ put into railroad communication
with the outside world; the Arkansas
Southern. the Louisiana and Arkan-
sas, the Louisiana and Northwestern
and the Louisiana Railway and Nav
igation COmpany's lines are being ex-
tended: the various Could lines are
being pushed forward In every direc-
ton; these are some of the deals that
have either been carried into effect or
Will he with the least possible delay.
In addition there are innumerable
schemes which AZ yet have not reach
ed the stage where safe reliance can
be placed I'm their realization, but
with promise Of success.
What will be the certain result of
all this activity In railroad building
In this State? Need the question be an
swered? There IN I'm the immediate
of the State an area of development
such AZ has never before been Witness
ed by her people. Not alone Will the
lumber interests. already of great
magnitude, the agricultural interests.
the very backbone of the States pros
perity. receive an added impetus. but
It will serve to develop latent resour-
ces that will enrich those who have
the foresight and the energy to take
hold and carry forward the various
enterprises that the needs Of the times
Will suggest.
Raili Dads are great educators. They
have been I'm the past and are In n
great measure today the advance
agents of civilization. Before them.
as they crawled across the continent
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the
once formidable tide Of savagery that
confronted the hardy frontiersman
reached In baffled impotency. They
have advanced the world In every line
Of endeavOr decades. even centuries,
beyond what could have been accom-
plished without them.
Louisiana Offers splendid oppor-
tunity for rapid development In rail-
road building. The people have vot-
ed to absolve the builders of new lines
from payment of taxes on them for a
period of ten years. All over the
state the taxpayers have voted taxes
in support of new roads. Shreveport
and Caddo parish alone have given
to railroads probably more than a
million dollars In cash subsidies. an
nual payments from special taxation
and property and franchises. At
times there have been complaints. but
In the Shreveport of today there IL
complete Justification for every dollar
that has been given to bring railroads
to this city. They have increased
property valuations, brought trade
and built up city the rival of any in
the South in progressive spirit and
commercial activity.
Let Louisiana welcome the rail-
roads. When the State ia covered
with network of them then will the
wisdom OF this welcome be made ap-
parent.
The fatalities and injuries reported