The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1866-12-19
Memorial

ingleases Us without Monday and Tuesday, news
over the wireS.-ED.
Memorial
To Owners Of Real Estate and Agents Of Non-Resi-
Your memoriasts, merchants of the city Of Shrere-
port respectfully submit for your earnest and calm
consideration the present condition OF Affairs in our
city We are moved to present facts for your con
sideration by tie sense Of duty we owe ourselves
and you.
Rents You are ully aware, have reached figures uu-
precedented in the history Of Shcveport The causes
of high rents, and its effects upon the commercial
prosperity of our city, we desire briefly to notice.
Immediately following the surrender the avenues OF
trade and commerce, so long closed we're opened;
business so long saguant became active, and life and
animation everywhere apparent. A country for
long time stripped Of almost everything all the ne
cessares and comforts of life, and flied with cotton,
the accumulation Of years, offered tempting induce
ments for spectators and Others. Our city, OF
the great depots Of the cotton growing country,
soon filed with large stocks Of merchandise to supply
the great demand caused by Il scarcity Gotten SO
long tied as it were sought Market and was con-
yereG into cash or supplies; an unusual demand Tor
supplies created unusual activity, and candidates
for mercantile favor, mercantile success, sprung daily
into existence. The unhealthy, the bat temporary
prosperous condition OF affairs made forget the
future in the perfect devotion to the present new
and untried system OF labor in itself full of suggestive
thoughts to rejecting minds, almost lost sight oil
its failure in part in whole, hardly coasdered its
success by many deemed inevitable. All these things
combined to produce an unhealthy state in the public
mind. We say nothing Of the imitation Of the cur
rency although it operated in part in producing the
present results
The great demand caused by this unhealthy coudi,
ton Of aiJirs for stores and house-room OF every
kind; the great desire of many make fortunes as
they vainly hoped, in Il day, produced high rents.
Landlords assessed value upon their property in
proportion to the demand and assumeda perma-
nent fixed figure based upon a transient and heeting
demand, and upon unprecedented season of bust
ness That season has passed. that transient demand
has ceased and the business OF the city is fast settling
down into its legitimate and into its natural channel
The great decrease in business and the already
stocked condition of the country suggests most strong
" decrease in rents It Is impossible, and really
feel it So for US to pay the present rents. For the
privilege of doing business give the profits Of our
trade to landlords and for ourselves reserve moth
ing. Your own judgments tell you that, with such
expenses as high rents causes and the present bust
ness condition Of city, it is impossible for US to
live. We have the success of this place at heart
are residents here Sumo of Us, it is true but com
curative strangers but we are all thoroughly identified
with Shreveport and her interests; we feel interest
in her success and prosperity; we will DO all in our
power to promote that success but ia order do So
our energies must not be crampcd, orr efforts not
checked by such obstacles you have placed in
way and which it is in your power to remove. We
H., H.