Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1868-05-21

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work not only for the present, but
especially for the great future which
is in your hands to mold.
The New Orleans Commercial
Bulletin takes up the subject, and
discusses it at length, in a spirit Of
enlightened liberality. The Bulletin
advocates the project, and does not
believe it would involve any injury
to New Orleans. Il combats---as we
have often done--the narrow notion
that the gain Of one place is neces-
sarily the loss of another. This is
the true idea as wise as it is liberal.
We quote a few passages from the
Bulletin:
We have no fear Of the conse-
quences. If the Bayou Manchae be
the best outlet, the Northwest is en-
titled to use it. If Mobile be the
best market, the Northwest sis emit.
tied to resort to it.; and most assur-
| eddy, if there be better waterway
than the Mississippi, better port,
or better market than New Orleans,
the interior producer has right to
avail himself of it.
But there is really no rivalry be-
tween the ports or outlets of the
South. The true theory OF our COM
MERGE is that our Gulf ports Tie be-
tween the Western interior and the
countries south of us. If we shall
succeed in dislodging that Western
trade and in diverting it from its
present course to Europe or to the
Southern part Of our own continent,
there will be enough to support every
Gulf city OF the South. If we do
not succeed, these cities will dry up
and bake in Southern sun like the
little fishing towns of the Levant.
New Orleans and Mobile are sepa-
rated about one hundred and fifty
miles. They have perhaps an ag-
gregate population of three hundred
thousand. New York and philadel-
phia are ninety. seven miles part
They have an aggregate population
Of nearly two millions. So there is
no absolute inconsistency in the in
terests of our two cities so far apart
as those of the Southern Gulf States.
That, however, our readers may not
be startled by these extraordinary
concessions, we will just remind them
that the Northwest has representa-
ton in Congress for more than sew
enteen millions of people, and that,
whether it met our corporate or edito-
rial approval or not, the Northwest
will be pretty apt to do whatsoever
it may consider to its interest upon
this or any other subject.
1t is not at all improbable that if
the Manchac Pass were opened the
Mobile cargoes would be transferred
from the river to gulf craft at the
lake end of our canals and railroad
the reason being that the expense
of wharfage and transfer might be
less than at our levee. We have
heard some instances in which small
vessels In the Texas and West India
trade have come ground by the lake
and canals to avoid the towage and
lsvee charges onsthe river. But, in
word, New Orleans is becoming
too large to think of monopoly. 1t
will be on the most liberal scale of
commercial development she can
alone hope to prosper. Every cargo
that goes to sea>by any Southern
outlet will bring its representative
| values to be discounted by our banks
and spent among our merchants. If
the Northwest opens the Manchac
Pass, we shall expect New Orleans
to profit in one of two ways-per-
haps in both. She may get the
benefit of this trade, and if it goes
by way of Mobile, it will certainly
compel reduction of our through
charges and wharfage; all of which
will benefit our city by bringing
more commerce. New Orleans, with
more facilities of railroad, express
and steamships, must soon become
the great Southern emporium of
merchandise, aud especially of gro.
ceries Everything, therefore, which
opens up any new territory, or de-
velops any new trade, must promote
her prosperity. We cannot see
therefore, why the Manchac crevasse
should damage New Orleans any
more than the New jersey canal
hurts New York. Each is feeder
to great city.
In connection with the above, we
present the following letter, written
by Mr.. Troost, in answer to a COM
munication from Mr.. Ledyard, chair