New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-01-10
WEDNESDAY MORNING. IAN TUARY 10, 1866
For the Crescent
commercial Relations Fsctyeen Ne,y OF.
.a.-.u. leans and Arkansas,

constituent why more of the New Orleans 1ner
chants do not visit US. in former days we could
constantly sec men Of business from the Crescent
CITY, bat we are now scarcely ever honored with a
Visit from them. Why is this? Are we hated
by you? To use common Phrase, have you
thrown of on us?" Or are We too poor to be re-
cogD'zed by the people of New Orleans? If this
ls IT, we plead guilty of our poverty, but claim
| that we are loyal to New Orleans and wish them
when passing to give us at least one nod of re-
cognition We hold ourselves ready to reeipro-
cate all faYors that we may receive from all per-
sons OF whatever grade. III former letter en-.
| deavored to show your readers why the present
| COTTON crop was not sent to your CITY, which was
true, as all the planters in the Valley will corrob
crate, and which is evident to every rejecting
mind In this one shall try to show, 81 rather
agtN show that the next one arig go there and will
| make some very wholesome suggestions, which
| nope New Orleans merchants will well conaidcr
also pointed out in my former letter the mo.
nopoy that existed in the way Of steamers on the
upper Mississippi and its tributaries which greatly
contributed to the inducenlent otherwise held out
to turn the cotton trade against New Orleans !.
hence, the pTopriety of establishing line of
steamers from Memphis, Tennessee, and Little
Rock, Arkansas, to New Orleans, was thoughtfully
suggested and in addition to that the establish
| ment of subordinate houses at Napoleon Arkan-
sas, was also intimated. This Inay have been
| lightly considered by your business men, but
whether it was or not ! vii ncw try to prove how
| much Importance it is entitled to. As before re-
Marked at the close of the war our planters found
themselves greatly in need of the necessaries of
NE, and such articles MIST be forthcoming in
qllcK time or MIR. Negro would not work Know
ing, as our planters cid, that their former friends
in the Crescent City had not opened out " their
only alternative was to hunt up few friends, or
father aeqnalntances which the gradual occupa-
ton of the country by the Federal forces, had in
troduced to our planters inside and adjacent to
Their lines, and from them obtain the necessary sup
pIes and other articles of comfort and attraction
ihe headquarters of these new acquaintance were
AZ hiemphs, Tenn, with connecting links to New
York and elsewhere North. They were soon
found, and very willingly offered did fgsli.li all
the articles needed by the planter, but at such
wholesale prices as caused many poor fellow to
blush behind his wlskers at such exhorbitancy
aud especially when he had to pledge his present
cotfon crop for the payment OF the same in order
10 be accommodated at all. Tt had, however, 10
ne done, and as there was no getting around it, the
thing was done in quick time. The crop was
raised, and our planters, true to their allegiance
labeled each bale for The North as fast as packed.
The crop has been disposed of, and ali parties
satisfied, or at least party is and the other had
just as well be; but ahem he is not quite well
pleased with the facts and figures, but they are
perfectly clear, and no mistake he must submit
without murmur, as the politicians used tetsay
\ ct he thinks his next cotton crop will go to New
Orleans, if he doesn't raise but one bale and that
light one, as heard very Industrious andsintel-
ngent planter say few days since just after he
had paid some very extravagant bill hich was
somehow or other not exactly satisfactory but
the Oldest merchant or planter seemed too young
in business to explain the causes, whereforefs and
reasons of such large dollar marks
AT present, we have no steamers plying between
New Orleans and Little Rock, Ark, at ALL anlInone
between New Orleans and Memphis that belong
to Southern men exclusively. The Atlantic and
Mississippi Steamship Company is an attempted
monopoly of Northern east, although it is con.
tended by parties that Southern are principally
interested in this institution. Be that as it may,
the planters in the Arkansas valley have to pay
pretty dearly for favors from this company. Their
prices are more exhot btant than any other line of
steamers on the river, with less aecommo odatons in
return.
There is line of steamers from Little Rock to
Memphis, but we poor creatures at Napoleon and |
vicinity never see one unless we do at Memphis,
or somewhere on the Mississippi river above lere.
Ihus you see the reason why planters above Ma |
poleon, on the Arkansas river ship their cotton to
Memphis or st. Louis even when it is not pledged.
1t costs them just much, very probably more, |
to ship it from Little Rock or Pine Bluff to Napo- |
leon, that it does to Memphis or St. Louis and |
then the way matters have been arranged hereto |
fore at Napoleon, their cotton would be exposed |
to the inclemences OF the weather and the dangers
OF incendiarSm; and in case everything should |
be arranged to suit the wish of the npst astidious,
the unreasonable duties demanded at Yicksburg,
Miss, until very recently, made it TO the interests
lnconvenience and dangers now happily removed. |
Capt, Ben. Johnson, who has run the Arkansas
river for years, will commence running tri.
weekly packet line from Napoleon to Little Rock,
Fort Smith and intermediate p0ints within very
few days in fact, his first boat is now due at this
point; and in connection with him line of
steamers will also make hi.weekly trips from
here up White river to the head of navigation,
thus affording shippers all facilities for forwarding
and receiving their freight and cotton at their own
DOORS and the travelling public all the accommo-
dation they will need. We also have good and
commodious wharf-boat Of Napoleon on which
cotton and freight can be stored and safely kept
until the parties owning it can make it convenient
to ship it to its fnal-'lestnation. This wharf is
kept by Major Will Warren johnson, noble
hearted gentleman, who has had considerable
experience in the wharf boat business at Napo-
leon.
Thus, you see, everything is now favorably
arranged for the New Orleans market. do, how.
ever, protest against the steamboat monopoly;
but as we have everything else SO satisfactorily
arranged, am disposed to be quiet about it, and
trust to the future for more convenient accommo-
datons.
In my former letter suggested the propriety of
establishing line of steamers from New Orleans
to Little Rock, Ark. did it because l believed it
would have the tendency to turn the cotton trade
into its original channel. l also intimatcd the
advantages to be derived by bringing q good
wharf to Napoleon. Since that time Major John
son has brought his wharfboat here, and that one
fact has induced Capt. Ben. johnson to establish
and Fort Smith, and in connection with him a tri-
weekly line will run up White river. And will
this change the cotton trade2 | think it will.
Last night a steamer from Little Rock landed at
the wharf and put off one hundred and fifty bales
Of cotton for New Orleans This is more cotton
than has been shipped direct from the Arkansas
river to New Orleans this season. And why's this?
Because all Accommodations were ready and favored
it, Thus, if my former suggestion could have been
acted upon early in the season, your city would
have, in my opinion, commanded two. thirds of the
cotton trade belonging to the Arkansas River.
! But the principal part of the cotton is now gone
1t therefore behooves your merchants to make en-
ertions to secure the next crop. When
commenced this article, it was my intention
to zealously advocate the propriety of eatab-
! fishing line Of steamers from New Orleans to
Little Rock as soon as practicable, but the news
having just reached me of Capt. Bon Johnson Is
intentions, and knowing him to be q popular CAP
tain on the Arkansas River, and The assurances
from gentlemen of unqu stioaahlo ycraety that
the present steamship company is principally
/ controlled by not ut at objectionable | win
not urge my former suggestions. but will accept
the preFey,t arrangement as one likely to give en-
tire satisfaction, both to the merchants Of your
city and tho planters on the Arkansas and White
rivers.
But here is one thing shopld not be neglected:
Your merchants should visit cur planters, and
| Tins form a business connection with them. Many
OF them viii reed supplies duriug the year, and
when they iiuJ theY get them from New Or
leans, a snnd ilere fyr then, which Will natur-