New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-05
RED RIVER STEAMBOATS,
PROPOSITION FOR THEIR REMOVAL

PROPOSITION FOR THEIR REMOVAL
There will be an adjourned public meet
ing held tomorrow evening at the Mer-
chants Exchange, on Royal street. The
object Of this meeting, according to an
nouncement, is to protest against the re-
moval Of the Red river steamers from the
landing at present assigned them to the
neighborhood of the uptown cotton presses.
We do not attempt to judge the motives
that actuatc the oliginators of the plan of
removing the cotton steamers. They NAV
be legitimate motives, or they may be the
promptings OF sinister desire for undue
gain. But the proper point of attention is
the question, whom will the removal of
the steamers benefit, and to what degree,
and whom will the removal injure, and to
what extent; and how far does the removal
comport with the sound political axiom of
the greatest good to the greatest number!
The removal OF the Red river steamers
will be, without dispute, direct advantage
to the proprietors of the uptown cotton
presses, and indirectly, in q faint, weak
way. to the property holders in the neigh
borhoOd of these presses. This is all.
Per contra, the transfer of the Red river
steamer landing will be direct and ruinous
injury to the Third District Cotton Press,
below Poydras street, and direct and severe
injury to business in the lower portion of
the city. There should be reasons Of grave
Importance to Justify a movement which
will add to the abundance of a few by di-
minishing the substance of the many
Should the Red river steamers be re-
moved to the neighborhood of the uptown
cotton presses, great gain to those con-
cerned in these presses will result, cOnse-
quent upon the decreased expense of dray
age TO the presses from the steam boats,
which Will be in the near neighborhood and
in proportion Will the expense of drayage
be increased to the presses in q lower part
of the city, particularly 10 that press To-
Gated in the Third District.
The up-river freight for the Red river
boats is altogether too important to be
lightly estimated. Hence the removal of
the Red river cotton boats from their
present locality to the near neigh borhoOd
of the uptown cotton presses will, besides
the increase Of drayage on cotton, augment
to an intolerable extent, the drayage Oh
miscellaneous freight, which will then have
to he hauled a long distance. All this is
to be inflicted on the lower portion of the
CITY TO give an unfair advantage to an
other part.
The injury which would result to a most
important part of our commerce by the pro-
posed transfer, could be obviated only by
the eventual removal OF all the warehouses
and places of business, which have grown
from the Red River trade, up to the near
vicinity of the boats i'll their new location,
as if the boats We're fixtures and the build
ings portable. The idea is like that OF the
old German story of hoisting the COW to
the top of the high wall to eat the grass
there. instead OF cutting the grass and
throwing if down 70 the COW.
The continued prosperity OF New Orleans,
and her success in competing with rivals III
trade, depends upon tightening the burdens
of commerce in every possible way. Let
everything be done which will reduce ex-
penses; but nothing should be attempted,
which increase the burdens upon any branch
of business. IT. as is asserted, the room at
the present landing of the cotton boats is
not sufficient. that can be remedied by other
and better measures than by the proposed
removal of the landing. These measures, it
is not necessary to suggest or dwell upon.
The city authorities need no prompting to
know that the fixed business arrangements
should not undergo so complete revolution
as would necessarily follow the removal of
the Red river steamboat landings.
1t is not denied that it would be a desira-
BILE thing to see the upper cotton presses
and the upper part of the city flourish ten
fold but not at the expense of other inter
ests. Let it be prosperity not deeply in
furious, if injurious at all, to another party.
One may joytully sympathize with his friend
who found a crock OF gold, but would not
like it to be the crock that he himself had
put away for safe keeping.
1t is not necessary to dwell upon the duty
of those entrusted with the city adnlinistra
ton to deal impartially with every section
of it. And that a great wrong may not be
committed in benetiting the the few at the
expense of the many by the removal of the
Red river steamboat landing, it is 10 be
earnestly hoped that the proposition for
such removal viii be decidedly rejected.