Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1852-05-08
Benefits and Advantages Of Railroads.

s. M
A very sensible correspondent Of The
Little Rock Gazette, thus addresses him.
self through that journal TO the bone and
sinew" Of the country on the benefits and
advantages Of Railroads
MANY of your numerous readers are
plain men, Of brogals and jeans, honest
yeotnanry Of the soil Of hardy how-do. you
| do grip, with axe-llelve corns in tlieil
hands. This meritorious class of popula.
ton we always think Of when writing
and invariably endeavor to so elucidate
our subject as TO make our ideas conform.
able to their understanding. In tlleiI
keeping is the destiny of our State, and
through them must be wrought its regen.
Grafton. They are the class greatly the
more TO be benefited by railroads, than the
wealthy enterprising few, who give large.
" of their means 10 construct them Yea
railroads are emphatieally the poor mans
protectors, despite the machinations 81
egotstical demagogism to the contrary
And he who argues any into a belief 81
this fact, contradicts experience, and il
more to be suspected as knave, than re-
garded as deceived
Why do railroads so materially affect
the interest of communities, commercially
Because they do away with monopoly
and equalize trade, thereby preventing
man from imposing upon lis felow-nan
liy taking advantage of his necessities, ant
regulating trade by the great principles
that control it--delnand and supply. We
will endeavor TO illustrate this position In
the silnplifcation OF detail
| A county Of a thousand souls are usual
" dependent upon the merchants Of 1t, Qel
liz say of the principal town in it,) for such
articles of consumption as their situation
will not admit of their raising at home
helnselves--sugar. coffee, and salt, fol
instance. Now, in such market it viii
frequently go happen for the want of suit
able lneans Of traHsportation--roads---tha
a supply of these articles with many
otlers) will fall greatly short of the de-
mand. Fifty men want a sack OF sail
each, when there is only twenty-five III
market to be had. The merchant knowt
this, and often thus has the planter com
pletely in his power, and nothing but stric
honesty on his part--which the strong
propensity Of avarce too often, alas. proves
an oyer-matcii for---will prevent him from
extorting upon the planters wants, by ad
vancing the price Of his merchandise.
The planter takes his cotton to town
aud finds the price merely nominal, owing
/ to the total absence Of competition, which
it has been well said is "the life Of trade
but money he Is competed to have, aDf
he is necessarily obliged to submit to the
best price offered, though be may know
the quotations il regular markets, justitie'
his receiving q better equivalent. Now
where there are railroads, we can witt
perfect truth affirm that this irregularitJ
| in the operations OF commerce never occurs
! because they continually afford the plante
a choice of markets, aud merchants tls
facilities of purchasing their supplies witt
certainty, and selling at the lowest uniform
rates. II ID certainly fairly inferencial--
In this way we premise, are we liable tt
| imposition, and, often thus, perchanee
made to pay dear for our needed whistle
So, when we ask for tax sometimes. we
only say give us a small one now, to b.
applied TO doing away the very large ex
isting one, which is imperceptibly sap
ping our prosperity, and keeping us ''poo
indeed" Railroads are commercial ther
mometers, always indicating the state Q
trade with unerring certainty, and regula
ting its course to the best advantage"