New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-08-08
OFFICE OF THE SOUTHERN On CONF
Nav q teals.. J ma q. 1871

oihe Editors of the Richmond Dispatch
Inyour issue of the 2st inst, you call attention
to the prospect Of scarcity Of oil for railroad use
at an early date, and accompany your remarks
with certain suggestions by which partial supply
may be temporarily secured. 49, hrs
herewith hand you q copy of a letter addressed
to each President and Superintendent Of every
railroad throughout Virginia. and every other slave
State, during the months of January and February
last. Iaso send you a circular which accompanied
each letter. Duplicates of the latter were mailed
to some parties in April.
BY these, you will see that if the Southern roads
run short of cdr-5oG oil, it will only be because
OF their unbeief in the merit of Southern Heantt-
fdctured article. Ii cannot. be from ignorance
of the existence of Southern oil for, you will
perceive, the greatest pains have been taken by
the Board Of Directors through their late agent to
inform the officers Of all railroads located slave
territory of the fact that an Gil eQdtto any in the
troftd for ai.j0stfndls can be had on our o,G11
sol, manufactured from Southern material. in
Southern State, (Alabama) the stock; oaened and
the whole business under the eGcttsiUe control of
perndnett residents of the Southern L0ntederocy,
(New Orleans) and at onehalf the acreage cost Of
| lard oil !.
Now, as some parties may conscientiousy state
and believe that the Southern oil is of Inferior
quality, that they have tried it and It did not come
up 10 representation, permit me to anticipate such
CONCLUSIONS and meet the issue in advance of all
| those who honestly proclaim such opinions.
In the first place. oil will ,tot burn in any or
| binary lamp Therefore, If any Of the employees
have been in the habit of furnishing their families
with burning oil from the Railroad Company's
storerOom, tits to their interest to- and they a0W
oppose the Introduction into use of an oil which
| eciaasot barn This is q powerful influence to sur.
mount.
! Again Heretofore the Southern country has
swarmed with travelling agents of oildealers North
and West, and who can tell but what employees con
nected with the roads have in some manner been
conciliated in behalf of these travelling agents
and, in other cases, actually bought np? 1t is
well known that in most instances the Superin-
tendent or Master Machinist, as the President in
yariably refers the matter to Of them, have all
70 say as to the description of oils to be nsed in the
/ parlons departments of their respective roads;
/ while they, In most instances, rely entirely on the
report OF their 9redSers and the greasers in turn,
! are governed by the reports Of those under them
/ 70 y can be readily understood, by all who give
the matter consideration, how easily an oil of in.
1 arinsle merit may he condemned too in
most eases--by those high in authority though, as
VIII be seen, solely through the prejudice, interest
or ignorance Tor all combined) OF the subordinates
4 on the roads, upon whom their officers rely for an
impartial and truthful report Officers of Capacity
and intelligence, Of wellknown Integrity and
worth, thus otten risk their own Professional reyln
talon, and do injustice to an enterprise ofInaa Il
4 tnde and Importance TO the South by misplaced
\ confidence in those Hnder them. It may be asked
i why not Ineetthe Northern and Western dealers
and compete with them and fight them with Hair