American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-03-20
LETTER FROM NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS, March 1880.
DEAR BOS :"

DEAR "BOS:"
Other and pressing engagements
prevented me from writing you last
week, and as l have now a leisure
moment, I'll stake my pen in hand
to inform you' of some things that
have TRANSFERRED here siuce my last,
some things now in their transition
state, and some things we dream of,
as coming to pass hereafter l may,
like some preachers l know of, for
get the text before get through with
the sermon, or some of my third
iy" may fly out at the window so,
being forewarned, You are forearmed,
and may console yourself with the
homespun beatitude, GbIessed are
they that expect nothing-for they
shall not be disappointed"
Well, the first thing to be noted in
commercial circles is, that business
generally, is falling off, We have
had so much rain and cold weather
in New Orleans for the last two
months, that we are surprised to find
the first fair, sunshiny day, intro
duceS us to the middle of March,
Usually by this time, planters in the
country have corn up and are almost
ready for the working of the CROP"
but from all parts. we learn that the
planting Is very backward. From
October to the first of March is the
harvest time with merchants here !;
for during these months they have
great "run i'll the retail trade" be-
8 des their sales to country mer.
chants. During the spring and sum-
mer their transactions are mostly
with the latter, and the country peo-
pie being occupied with their crops
do not come to the city, but do their
shopping" nearer home. BY the
by, it might be to the mutual advan
tage of the country people and their
merchants if such system was adopt
ed as would ohviate the necessity,
altogether, of these annual visits to
New Orleans. The country mer
chant has it in his power to control
a vast amount of trade that he loses
now. In all conscience the tariff
upon necessaries. is high enough,
when obtained from first hands, but
then the per cCntage charged upon
goods purchased in the country is
awful. If the country merchanl
would be content with smaller pro,
fits he would make larger sales, and
thus make more money. 1t is l'lead
however, that they have to give high
prices for cotton, and must charge
high prices for goods. But the coun-
try merchant neci not buy bale of
cotton. Many of them have paid
more for. cotton one hundred and
fifty miles, aye, and further than this
from New Orleans, than the same
article could be sold for here. and
then they have to pay freight, dray-
age, commissions, &C., beside. am
not alone in the opinion that the
country merchant and the planter
would both be benefited by the
former acting merely as shipper
for the latter, making such advances
to him in money or in supplies at 6
reasonable profit, as would be safe
in view OF the market. let the cot
ton be sold here by experts in the
business. returns made, the planter
receive the full benefit of his labo
and the merchants bill paid out Of
the proceeds. One of the best cotton
factors in the city and once country
merchant Of many years experience
gave me this last Saturday as hi
conviction For the last few days
the market has been dull. But cot
ton will not materially decline afte
this. On the Contrary, there is ever,
reason to believe that the cotton
; grades will advance. The revolution
j, IN Cuba may cause an advance in til
price of sugar and molasses, tbos
who have not bought their supple
| for the year will regret they did no
? provide for this thing, if they coul
have done so.
Since my last. 1t. Gov. Dunn
r menagerie, on Royal street, close
t out for the season, and notwithstand
ing the mania for shows" regard
less of expense, our people were rea
" glad when the H curtain fell
: This miserable collection of a" blac
: spirits and white was certainly til
$ most demorallzing exhibition eve
witnessed by the people of New Or
leans Under the semblance of Il
d gislation, .here was throughout til
i session, constant scheming, day an
+ night, to rob the people of the
6 money and deprive them of the
% liberties. So perfectly drilled wei
IS the various "rings" that only raj
s. ing the finger by one of the leade
\, was sufficient to bring all the clip
p, to their feet in support of any me
sure designed to sustain II onopoll
and feath, the nests" of adve
n. turers, and scalawags. Men we
q bought and sold every day. III
ID coloretf members were for the mo
id part the neutrality-suspicious., ho'
ever for want of sense to be othe
wise.
A friend remarked in ny presen
to day, that the Radicals have ma
ne ifested consummate skill in the
CT financial management. This is tru
n A state of things financially has e
~ listed for five years in this count
;" and still exists. unprecedented
the history of any nation. "HC
of long can the credit of the country e
dure such pressme = has been ask
&c repeatedly. Still, to-day. there
vi not such signs of depreciation
were present at the close of the W:
he The debt has not been diminisht
taxation if not by the general &c
ST. eminent, yet by the Southern Stat
especially has steadily increased, a
now mig humble opinion is that t
ey credit Of the country will be ma
tanned. The people will be tax,
and the taxes will be collected. L
ders, professions, business of eve
tn kind will be placed under tribu
,,p- We thought our Legislature did tn
ne worst in this way, at Il former $