New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1910-07-09
THE TROLLEY QUESTION.

As stated in our last issue we
are. and have always been ready
to aid and assist any one who
is endeavoring to construct or
have built an interurban railroad
in this locality.
Mr.. +. w. Crosby, citizen OF
New Orleans, and well known III
this community has been lnstru-
mental in having corporation
! organized under the name OF the
Southwestern Traction and
Power Company" with its dom
icile in the City of New Orleans,
for the purpose of building an IN
lterurban electric railroad from
New Iberia to ueanerettc and
probably as far as Franklin. The
citizens of New Iberia. as well as
the managers of this paper have
never failed or refused TO vote a
tax or to assist any corporation or
individual that wished to con
struct or build a railroad to or
from this point, and now that Mr..
Crosby is using his best efforts to
have constructed an electric rail-
road here, we feel certain that tie
people of this City will give HIM
every encouragement. SO lar as
we have been able to learn, MIR.
Crosby, will not ask this City to
pay any tax or for any contrlbu-
ton unless this electric road is
built. only 4 nominal tax.
If Mr.. Crosby, should be sue
cessful, which we trust he Will,
in having this road built connect
ing New Iberia with Jeanerette,
and it should prove to be a pay
ing investment; the day is not tar
distant when we will have electric
roads leading in every direction
from this City making New Iberia
a central point. If New her
should be made central point
with electric roads leading in
every direction. every person
must admit that we will receive
most of the trade in this portion
of Louisiana, and that we will
receive more benefits from such
lines than any other town.
Many of our people seem to
think that the citizens here should
tax themselves and build their own
road, but we differ from them !;
for the reason that the costs
would be more than we could pay,
and in the next place, because a
community or city never prospers
or grows unless outside capital IS
brought in to build up and de-
velop its resources. Whenever
community induces a firm or
corporation to come into its midst
and make an investment that To-
cality is that much the richer in
proportion to the amount of the
investment, but if only home cap
ital vs. invested ! here it has
been only the swapping of dol
lars and no wealth has been add
ed to the community and that &C
ton has not become any the rich
err We believe that every citi-
zen here would hail with delight
the building Of an electric rail
way, and this being the case, it
becomes our and your duty to
encourage Mr.. Crosby, in his I'M
dertaking, and to assist him in
any reasonable way we can, and
| not to expect him to bear all the
hardships and losses if he should
| not be successful. The only way
to secure railroads is to encourage
those wishing to build them and
not to discourage them by exact
ing too much from them. We hope
and trust that the citizens and
tax payers Of New Iberia. will
look with favor upon all parties
desiring to build railroads of
| every kind in this section OF the
State, and especially the building
| of an electric railroad, as we be-
lieve that it would be Of more di-
rect benefit to this community
than any other road that could
be built.
We have abiding faith in the
people of New Iberia, and feel
confident that when the time
comes they will help Mr.. Crosby,
or any other person who is striv-
! ing to construct a railroad in this
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