Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-07-19
Associated Raort.

least, is favorably significant for the fu-
ture Of New Orleans, has been adopted
in that city in the form Of commercial
and industrial organization, The meet
ing was Of the first citizens Of the city,
and very largely attended. The object
is to reap the advantages Of associated
capital and effort TO the largest extent.
1t is just here that New Orleans not only,
but Memphis and all the Southern cities
have been most at fault, In the whole
Southern country there has always been
too little public spirit, too little enter
prise, aud that has almost invariably
been but individually exerted Hence
it is, as the main reason, the South has
advanced slowly, or not at all, and we
have been dependent on the States north
for articles Of prime necessity. Why
should not this be remedied, if possible,
and to all the extent possible, and why
not hero as we'll as in New Orleans.
Gen. John 8. Williams delivered at this
meeting very able speech explanatory
of its purposes. We quote as follows
from the New Orleans Crescent:
Het set out with proposition that the
Anglo. Saxon race owes its greatness to
its aptitude for association in enter
prises Of every description. The dis
tinotion between the people of the North
and the people Of the South has been
and is that the Northerner operated
through association, while the Southerner
relied upon his individuality. lndividu-
ally the Southern man is the equal,
perhaps the superior, Of any man on
earth, but his individuality cannot com
pete with the system Of association
through which everything is done in the
North. A thousand men, with thousand
dollars each, CO. operating through asGo
citation, will WELD more power and
influence than FIVE, men acting separately
with million each. Thus has sterile
New England built itself up and made
itself the ruling power Of the nation.
There, to build ship, a railroad, or a
factory, small or large, capitalists unite
their means, in limited liability associa-
tions, and have drawn wealth from every
part Of the land while the Southerner,
with his fertile plantation and hundred
negroes, isolating himself, failing 10
avail himself of this great system of
combination, now that his slaves are
free, finds his section without manufac-
lures, with limited railroad facilities and
with decreasing commerce, and finds all
that is left to him, his land, incalculsbly
deprecated in value.
Owing to many causes the commerce
Of this port, once the golden gate through
which all the productions of the great
valley Of the Mississippi passed out, and
all that was consumed by its population
entered, has been diverted through artif-
cial channels to New York and other
Eastern cities. Before the war eighty
five thousand hogsheads Of tobacco were
received in q year. This year not ten
will be received. 1t goes from Kentucky
and Missouri by rail TO Atlantic ports,
Formerly the supplies for all the gulf
islands passed through New Orleans
from the West. Now they are shipped
from New. York, Boston, Philadelphia
or Baltimore. Even the Texas coast is
supplied with Western produce in that
way. Why2 Because it is cheaper to
send -four and pork by rail to an Atlantic
port and there ship it to the West Indies,
Mexico or Texas, than it is to send 1T
through New Orleans o.
What is the remedy for this2 Before
the war the planters were wealthy Their
factors in New Orleans advanced liber-
ally and charged high. The afilpent
planter did not examine his accounts
closely. If the commissions and charges
were high, his income was large and he
was disposed to be liberal. Now he is
impoverished and economically circum-
spect He is looking every way to save
dollar. The mercantile community
here must adapt themselves to the CON
dition of affairs produced by the war.
They must not look for the great profits
they gathered before the war. They
must be content with moderate incomes,
work harder and work all the year round.
They must have cheaper transportation,
lower rates of insurance, lower commits
sions and lower charges Of every kind.
Trade goes where the taxes on it are
lowest. and unless we bring down the
oIo. oIo. =, os " I ioT or lover than 5tbe exnenses
on producefrom the West to the Atlantic,
and from the ports there to distant points,
we ne VIZ ,Lo' ,Lo 49,, md imnort trade Of
~ us k.,oU 7. onU n,;II;ons of nrodncers and
tne snllteVH" ae'H; - hi roS;on sIl of whose
consumes Ll-,nuno 'wor,d ,m W b,ye 5oen Commanded
SoI Mam Iio - 0rT."ns bad ,be neonle ~ his
~ No" va oF ,La Sonth genarsIly been as
cl.J euu " w Vni,oa :, o5ort;rS, ,I,a svs.