New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-05
THE COMMERCE OF NEW ORLEANS.

THE tONI EhCE Of NE" OILLcAENSs
EDITOR REPUBLICAN,:
Without any definite idea as to what
would form the subject of my letters, l
promised to write to the REPUBLICAN during
my temporary absence from home. | am,
however, no sooner free from the cares of
political ana professional life, and comfort
ably settled upon the good ship Florida
bound for Havana, than the very flowing of
the waters of our grand and noble Missis-
sippi has set my mind to work upon the
subject of the commerce of New Orleans.
AS far as the eye can penetrate steamers,
ships, barks, schooners, tugs, and indeed all
sorts of vessels, line the edge of the levees
and add to the suggestion made by the
waters of the river the desire to write on
the above named subject.
Thoughts about politics, which have of
late excluded all others, will naturally, amid
my present surroundings, give place to re-
Elections on political economy; and indeed it
is questionable whether most of those in this
city who have been engaged in the study of
politics would not do well to turn their
minds to the solution of the problem: How
can the commercial prosperity of New Or
leans be best advancedl
The waters that now flow pas: me have
travelled thousands of miles.
From the simple stream that trickled
from the melting snow of the Rocky mount
aims, whether flowing by way of the golden
sands of the Platte, the more distant source
of the muddy Missouri, or the still greater
distant head of the Mississippi river itself
we may receive hints and thoughts-may
become the parent of thoughts until we are
led to glorious dreams respecting the future
of Louisiana. These waters run through
the richest valley in the world The Nile
itself was never half SO prolific in the golden
age of the Pharaohs. Grain enough to feed
the world may here be grown; lumber
enough 10 enrich a nation may here be
hewn; iron enough to supply world with
railroads, build all its ships, and supply all
its manufactures may here be mined; coal
enough TO convert all into workable shape
may here be dug, and gold enough to enrich
all nations lies buried in the quartz rocks
washed by the tributaries that form its
source. The cattle upon a thousand hills
will not outnumber those that Craze upon
its banks, and yet what are the people of
New Orleans doing toward reaping the
wealth such river may be made to bring
TO their very doors
Add to the wealth of the upper Mississippi
the cotton, rice, tobacco, sugar, and other
resources of the lower portion, and it be-
comes a wonder that New Orleans is not
to-day the greatest commercial city in the
world.
We have, in our present condition, the
strongest evidence that natural advantages
alone will not make a prosperous city. L
would ask, Mr.. Editor, where is there spot
under heavens great dome possessing
greater natural advantages than this of our
own beloved New Orleans And yet what
are we? Scarcely third rate commercial
city! Large and prosperous towns have
sprung up and been fostered and enriched
out of mere sections which should be but
tributary to us. Chicago, the brightest ex-
ample, has become mighty city by tapping
our main artery of trade, and transporting
at enormous expense to her warehouses and
grain elevators what would have naturally
floated to us on RATS, or in the rudest kind
of vessels, and yet she is but a halfway
station from the river to New York and
other Eastern seaports, and has no reliable
way to the sea, the great highway of ma
tions. 1t is true that the enterprise of her
merchants has, in some instances, built
ships and run them the circuit of the lakes,
and down what were once considered i'm
passable rivers, with view to direct trade
with Europe, while we are whining over
excessive taxation, protesting to be unable
to keep open the mouth of our river, and
calling a small subsidy granted by the
Legislature to encourage the building of d
few steamships to open more direct trade
with Europe a fraud upon the treasury OF
the State
New York during the past year has ex-
ported two million barrels of flour, twenty
million bushels of wheat, five hundred
thousand bushels of corn, seventy thousand
barrels of beef and ninety thousand barrels
of pork altogether valued at about seventy
i've million dollars. Where did she get these
supplies' For the mest part from the Mis-
sissippi valley. And at what cost3 AT
twice what it would have cost to send
them to Europe by way of New Orleans if
our merchants and planters and legis-
lators and Governors had only devoted half
the time to efforts made to procure means of
speedy transportation that they have in
wrangling about dead issues and party
politics.
r. Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and all
the northern and eastern seaports, have
also drawn their proportionate share of the
business which properly belongs to us and
may yet be ours if we would but wake up
and display the same energy of purpose
and the same willingness to invest our
money that they have. But the cry is, ''off
we 60" and | must wait for a better oppor-
tunity to continue. Till then,
Yours, WORRALL.
Twenty four large circuses are announced