Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1867-03-16
DO we need a southern Railroad.

DO We need q Southern Railroad.
I,om the Jefferson, (Gren %, IowAl Ora,
Mr., EDlTOR-Do the people OF
Iowa need u railroad to connect them
directly with tho Southern States
DO we need u railroad direct from
| Dcs MOincs TO Galveston, Texas,
and another to ST. Louis ? Would
not those roads DO of far more i'm,
portanco TO tho farmers of Iowa
than those running East and West
A farmer wants q market whore his
products are consumed rs near home
rs possible. Can he get such Il mar.
ket by going South instead OF East2
From Des Moines to New York
by railroad is about 1900 miles
The farmer from Iowa in going to
New York, passes through the great
grain growing sections Of the Union
the farmers of which all take their
products to the same market to com.
pete with his in price, and in conse.
quence Of being nearer can undcrscll
him and make greater profits,
From Des Moines to Galveston,
Texas, direct, is about $50 miles, to
New Orleans about $50. After
leaving Iowa, q rnilroad to Calves.
ton, Texas, would pass through n
different climate, soil and produc.
ton from ours-first would be tho
hemp and tobacco sections, then the
cotton, sugar and rice sections; the
inhabitants of which all want our
products thus aff'ording the farmer
ofIowa n ready market several hun
dred miles nearer home, and saving
thousands of dollurs annually in the
way Of freightage.
The great rivers of tho West
plainly indicate to us that nature
has destined that all our products
should 90 South for a market. The
cotton, sugar, rice, hemp and tobac-
co growing States, the West Indies,
Mexico, Central and South America
must eventually become the market
for our products. Cuba alone con-
sumes annually 100000 barrels OF
flour, 10000. 900 pounds Of lard, 49,
5O0,OO0 pounds of the various kinds
of meats, all imported from abroad.
The rest Of the West Indies in the
same ratio. In June, 1862, $4,000
chickens were shipped from Wcs-
tern State to Cuba by the way of
New York, over |, 200 miles out Of
the way. How much profit did this
1000 miles take off for freight on
the simple article of chickens? From
here to Cuba by way Of New Or
leans or Galveston is about 1,4OO
miles, by New York 2,G00 miles.
If we had u direct railroad from
Des Moincs to the Gulf of Mexico,
we would be at least 1,200 miles
nearer South America, that largely
consumes the products of the United
States. The city Of Rio de Janciro
in 1859 consumed 1884 barrels of
flour imported from the United
States, worth there $4,000, 900, here
at that time S631 900. If the above
amount alone is consumed in one
city, there must be at least $3.50, ,O00,-
900 worth of products consumed in
the other cities, towns and States in
South America,
The New Orleans True Delta of
August 8, 1865, in an able and we'll
written article on the Importance of
a direct trade with Brazil to the
Western States, says "The West
ern States produce excellent flour,
which Brazil demands. The coffee
is now received and the -four for
warded through Northern ports in
stead of New Orleans, the most con-
venicnt port, at an increased cost to
the consumer on both sides, This
is we'll known. Therefore, as it is
the interest of both parties that the
Valley imports and exports should
como and go through this port, We
have little doubt that we shall soon
have the pleasure of welcoming the
returning trade. St. Louis, which,
we believe, largely supplies the
brands of -four in demand in the
Rio market, and takes in return
great quantities Of coffee, is equally
interested with us in the revival Of
the trade between Now Orleans and
Rio dc Janeiro, and we imagine will
gladly cooperate with us in the en-
deavor to establish it at as early q
day as possible"
For the first three months of 1865
the British official returns of the
value of shipments to Bra zil ,
amounted to s7,097, ,S45, and for the
year, near $50, 100000. This trade
was cut off from the United States
in consequence of the war conse-
qucntly Brazil had to depend upon
other countries for products. The
French trade for the same year
amounted to nearly the same. We
have said nothing in regard to the
trade of the other South American
States also Central America and
Mexico, which is equally as large,
and all great consumers Of Western
products.
All that is now wanting, by tho
people of the West to secure the best
markets in the world for their pro-
ducts, is to open upa free trade with
those countries and establish direct
lines of communication to every
part of thc.South and the Gulf Of
Mexico
Let us have our navigable streams
improved so that boats can safely
run on them, and all labor to have
railroad direct from Des Moines to
Galveston, and the farmers of Iowa
will then need no longer complain
for the want of a steady market for
their products. If the statements
above are true, they show the i'm
portance of the early completion of
The Des Moines Valley Railroad to