Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1867-03-30
THE RED RIVER A

-CAH5 e4S @-t|'SpcAI - -
' ling the people OF New Orleans som
heavy blows in regard to their iDdifel
= ence TO the trade of the Upper Red Rye
county. That able Journal, after man.
sound arguments in favor Of containing
4 that trade to New Orleans, cautions then
9 to be on the alert to their " interests
t or the day will speedy come, when tina
trade will be diverted to other channels
Says the Southwestern: One of the larges'
afiuents of wealth which has helped tC
brim the commercial prosperity Of New
Orleans, has been the Red River Valley
Will it always be so? Look at this glar.
ing fact More than one hundred and fifty
stcamboats-of value sufficient to build
q raj! road from New Orleans to Slrev,-
port-lie rotting il the Red River, and
New Orleans has not peer able to shake
the dollars from her closed eyes sufficiently
to see the immense commercial value of a
direct rail line to the head Of Red River
navigation Since the close Of the war
navigation has been unprecedentedly dis
astrous as many as FIVE boats q week
have been lost, and none estimate the loss
at less than fifty boats What must be
the result Of this Nothing less than a
freight.tariff which will greatly discour-
age, if not irretrievably ruin, the product
OF the great staple, in the handling Of
which New Orleans is largely interested.
1t will contribute largely to isolate our
agricultural interests until u speedy and
safe transportation is furnished.
These facts were brought to the notice
Of the merchants and business men Of
New Orleans, time without number, be-
fore the war, but the prosperity Of the
city was then SO great, that they thought
it useless to extend and increase it
Things have changed most materially
since then. It now behooves those who
desire to see prosperity restored to New
Orleans, to be up and stirring, or others
energetic will carry away the gol-
den prize. Shrewd fnanciering capital
lists are aocking to the South, seeking in
vestment for their capital, and they will
leave no stone unturned to make that
in the highest degree, remunera
These men will not lie idly about
for business to come to them, but
hey will pfy into everything aud any
hing that gives the slightest promise of
return for outlay. They are not com
to give New Orleans the benefits
f their labor, nor will they, ifbetter 10
estments can be found elsewhere. In j
ess New Orleans stirs herself, the many
Indications around and about her, all v
oint to the departure of tue glory of t
er commercial interests. This fact has '
cen patent to her since the close of the
ar. Let her be warned in time. Upon Z
lis point Ito Southwestern says: Il
Should the Federal Government, as a Il
Of prevention Of coast overfoWs, G.
loose to assist the Red River in finding
S outletthrough the Atchafalaya where
is gradually deepening a channel of its e
Wn force where should we find a market ci
r cotton Oar sole relief must lie in a q
outlet. !
Now, if the people of New Orleans are G.
sposed to look this threat in the face- Sc
r threat it is-they will find a helping te
md where least they might have hoped d
look for it. 1t seems they have for .,
)tton the fact that there is a rail road "a
ming through this parish from the river a
Llvonla, a distance of about twenty-six til
lies, and the road is graded from thence Sc
the Atchafalaya river, some twelve or th
urteen miles more. On the other side OF
the Atchafalaya, the grading is con- W.
lued nearly to Alexandria. This road tv
originally chartered as the Baton
ouge, Crosse Tete and OpeIousas Rail
ad, and it was proposed to extend it to Oh
exandria and, change the name, after w,
the Atchafalaya river, all of Wis
lich would have been done but for the fol
II. The present financial condition of fof
road will not permit of its final com
'tlon without assistance. Now here Is at
excellent opportunity To comnIata q br'