Year: 1877

To the Voters OF New Orleans.


Fellots VOters-In unusual emergen-
cies, SO far from 1t being considered un-
| becoming In q man pursuing any pece-
| liar vocation to place himself and
| bis humble opinions on important pub
| lie topics before you, it may rather be
considered the duty Of the humblest to
| do all in his power, in every possible
way, to avert that which appears q
threatened evil, or to remove that which
has been realized as oppression. The
| in waging unceasing war on political ty-
rants and their villainous works. With
| thousands of others l had earnestly
hoped for long respite from conflict
with the enemies OF those immu-
table principles which underlie well or
ganized society. / had hoped that the
lesson OF the past eight years would
have taken such deep root in the
hearts and minds Of our peo-
pie that many a long year
would elapse before any organized effort
could possibly assert itself. More than
all, / had such faith in ordinary human
consistency that l could hardly have
imagined people just emerging from
the curse of utterly wreckless and
protligate government--government de-
nounced by every honest tongue for
annihilating all property value by @ sys-
tenn OF rotten subsidies-now contem-
plating close imitation of the works Of
their oppressors. But 1t seems that we
ourselves are to certain extent vitiated,
and it is quite evident that we are
either to calmly and earnestly enter the
lists and battle against our own obliqui-
ties, or lapse into q system Of govern
ment only better than that from which
we have escaped by sharply-defined
comparison.


/ When we were still under the iron
heel OF the Oppressor, but beginning to
raise q voice In the General Assembly OF
the State, q few gentlemen Of this city
so-called "business men"-associated
themselves together and started the
idea Of building railroad from Alex
andria, on the Red River, and one hun.
dred and ninety, miles from New Or
leans, to Marshall, Texas the ultimate
plan being to connect New Orleans by
railroad with Alexandria. This rail
road, when complete from New Orleans
to Marshall, would be three hundred
and thirty-six miles long, and 1t was to
be called the New Orleans Pacific Rail-
road. They laid their plan before our
people, and the most thoroughly dis
tinctive feature In 1t was that the rail-
road was to be built entirely by pr1uate
enterprise-th the vicious system oi
State aid, direct or indirect, was to be
eschewed. Soon after subscription
lists were started / was waited on
In person by the President of the board
directing this enterprise and requested
to subscribe $1,000. ] honestly replied
that was not able to make 30 large a
subscription, but he was earnest in his
appeal both to mypurse and to my public
spirit. agreed to put my name down
on his list on conditions, the most
prominent OF which was that under nc
circumstances whatever would he or his
board approach the Legislature for pc
cunlary aid, either directly from the
State Treasury, or by taxation OF prop
erty. He then and there assured me
that he would only attempt to build the
road through private subscription, and
board would never ask legislative aid
nor seek to tax property for the purpose.
On this pledge / signed the subscription
list. Or course / do not seek to prove
what | here say. / assert it to be posi-
lively true. Yet it can be fully corrobo-
rated Ii necessary.


It was not long after this interview
before [ heard that it was contemplated
by the president and his board to tax the
property of this city to build the road
then we found them In the halls of the
General Assembly urging bill to tax
then we found their bill engineered
through the house without that body
being fully aware Of it; then we found
the House passing resolution to recall
the bill from the Senate; then we found
that most corrupt Of Senates refusing to
accede to this call. and passing the bill
and fixing it on the House and the peo'
pie; then we found the Property
Holders Association opposing this
measure and carrying the mat.
ter up to the Supreme Court
Of the State, where it has been
decided that the law calling on the peo-
shall not be taxed for such purpose is
constitutional. The Court says you have
q right to vote On this subject, but it has
not said you have @ right to tax. Now,
what is the state of the case, and what
Is it that is proposed to be done?


A few persons in great community
of more than two hundred thousand
souls get together and conclude that q
railroad from New Orleans to Marshall
Texas, via Alexandria, is o positive ne,
cessity-that the sum of the trouble
that is on US Is the want Of this railroad
connection-and they propose to take
oho AdohOJ u q opOSl1i SAetOC pLOPOAVy
owners Of all kinds taxed-and build ita
their (the board's) intelligence may
direct.


Now, am wholly at a loss to conceive
how the advocates OF this road car
logically assume the absence Of this
road to be the prime business cause ol
our general distress, or that il it were
built and put in running order to-mor
row our prosperity would be thereby
promptly and necessarily restored, il
they will but take casual glance at the
present condition OF the civilized worlC
to-day and for one year past.


England is threaded with railroads
yet, such is the frightfully depressed
business condition Of that country
money has for year past been loaned al
the extraordinary rate Of one per cent
or even one-half Of one per cent, pei
annum. The Bank OF England during
that term has been lending money al
two per cent.


The northern and western portions