The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-02-07

1t R0he &|Z
ment, and contains a variety of information il
regard to the progress of the various works or
dercd by the legislature. He attaches mucl
4 Importance TO the improvement Of Red River
Of which We will speak at some future day, am
remarks that an immense amount oflabor Woul(
be spared the department, if planters would
attend to the cutting down and removal of TIL
timber which lines its banks. AS the shore
give way from year to year, this timber be
comes submerged, and occasions far more seri
Gus impediments, than any other species Of Oh
struction. The same remark applies to all thu
streams in the State. He thinks that vast tot
and expense may be saved by the simple pre-
caution of clearing the banks of water courses
SO that in the event of a Gazing in, there will bt
no trees to be dislodged. This suggestion de
serves consideration. He makes a compare
tive statement ofthe expense Of white and slave
labor in tile engineers department, and shows
the difference to be fifty per cent. in favor O
slave labor; besides the advantage ~accruing
from the capacity of the negroes to work at all
seasons of the year. The state force now CON
sists of 81 men, and the engineer thinks that it
should be increased fully 400. He dwells at
considerable length on the natural advantages
Of the State in regard to water communication,
and the cleapness Of transportation by water;
and cites the Erie canal, which though running
along a railroad line, is of the highest impor-
lance for carrying heavy freight at rates which
could not be maintained by railroads without
heavy loss. It gives the charges for transpor-
tation by various railroads and water lines, with
a view Of establishing the proposition, which
has never been denied, that whenever the lat
ter exist, they will successfully compete with
the former, in consequence of the diminished
cost Of transportation. The conclusions there
fore are that the State should use every effort,
and grudge no reasonable expense for the i'm
proyement of water communications and espe-
cially of such a stream as Red River, which
sends to market an immense proportion of the
products of Louisiana, to say nothing of Texas
and Arkansas. We are pleased to find a dem
ocrat giving expression to such liberal views,
and hope that the legislature will on this head
at least follow his advice. Gen. Morse does
not wish to disparage railroads, on the contra
ry, he advocates their construction wherever
water cannot be used as a means oftransporta-
as being the very best that can be proyid-
by the art of man, and because the enhanc-
value Of the land through which they pass
goes far towards paying for the cost of their
construction. He says that: While the State
S spending millions upon railroads, why should
t not employ four or five hundred thousand
dollars to properly improve the navigation of {
his great river, (Red River, } which must, even
lfter the completion of the roads, continue to !
AIRY to market nine-tenths ofthe produce of its :
alley, even if left in its present condition. q
here is little or no doubt that most of the mon t
tary disasters which have lately occurred in v
lew Orleans, would have been prevented if
he produce which is ordinarily brought down :
ed River could have been forwarded at such f.
as the planters were willing or even able P
pay. The merchants of New Orleans, of a
urse, understand this matter better than / do, q
it does seem to me, if the vast amount of E
ton alone, which has been retained in the o
LEY of Red River had been added in time to n
e receipts at New Orleans, that it would
We made some difference in the money mar ~
t. 1t would have enabled the country mer- /
ants and planters to have paid their debts in d
. city, and given the merchants there the ;
cans of meeting their engagements. No re- u
citing mind can, for one moment, entertain +
2 opinion that anything like the one hundredth o.
1T of the planting interest situated on Red e.
yer could be benefited in the way of sending n
cir produce to market by railroad. No road !,
uld follow the sinuosities of the stream: and :"
10 would send by it, unless it passed very fc
ar to them? I'VE have been accustomed to
,rk upon about 500 miles of this stream with CT
ly one boat, and that only part Of the year, !,
a yearly expenditure to the Stale, ola
m not sufficient to construct one-fourth of a
lie of railroad; And then we complain that the al
ct is not in good condition, and that the price d;
freights is enormous in low water. We re- c
ire the labor of 200 men on its banks, re- i
owing the timber to prevent the formation of OF
W snags, for the term ofabout twelve months: ne
d then four good boats for two seasons, to re- th
ovc the distractions already in the stream, pc
ks at Alexandria, and wing-dams in woo or hs
rec other places; after which we could leave W
any more work for ten years, and the tie
vigatlon would be constantly improving BY
, timber would be left to fall in, and BY wash al
; out In tie bends, it would change its chan OF
| Oft Of the beds of logs which we could not su
move in the present one. ne
we engineer states that the work performed de
Malllcfert u Raslorff on the falls, c]erta;nlv Ill
ld not improve the condition of the river. th
d last year nothing was done, notwithstand- of
an additional appropriation was made for in
1t purpose The truth is, the whole affair R
ned out to be an abortion, and, as is USUALLY TO
case in Louisiana, the public money has been er
landprnH Mand no one cayn# copt,,o+o. ~