The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-10-28
Cotton Barges for the Mississippi.


Tt is encouraging to see that
the business men Of New Orleans
are beginning to realize that
"natnral advantage" alone do
not sustain a great city. The
pride of every Louisianian, New
Orleans may go forward in en-
terprises to increase her COM
mcrce, her wealth and her popu-
lation, reasonably assured that
the whole State will aid her in
the work. New Orleans has
none but friends and supporters
among the real citizens Of Louisi-
ana. AS one Of these, we notice
with pleasure the movement now
on foot i'm New Orleans to i'll
augurate cheap freight lines on
the Mississippi, for the Transport
tation OF cotton, sugar, NC, to be
composed OF tew-boats and iron
or wooden barges. We do not
doubt the feasibility Of such an
enterprise, nor that it will great
ly enhance the trade and COM
mercial magnitude of New Or
leans. This plan of transport
ing freight is undoubtedly less
expensive than passenger packets
employing large crews, paying
heavy insurance and requiring
such heavy OUTLAWS for fine
cabins, furniture, fuel, &c. And
beside this, it will prove more re-
liable, more accommodating, and
far less expensive in cost and re-
pairs. The experiment., we be-
iieve. is, therefore, certain to
prove successful.
But New Orleans needs some
thing beside barge lines. First
and most prominent among her
needs, is a thorough reform of
her commercial system. AS it
now is, this system looks almost
entirely to the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
of the merchant. Ingenuity and
Incidence have exhausted their
resources upon it, in the shape of
extras, contingencies, commits
sions, inspections and other like
cumbersome taxes upon com
merce. The old plan Of commits
sion business and cotton factor
age is practically exploded, SO
far as the producer is concerned.
He no longer deals with a New
Orleans house, but with his
home merchant. who deals with
New Orleans in bulk. Still, the
old plan of business is kept up
by the factor. His expenses and
risks are reduced, but not so his
charges. His account current
contains exactly the same col
umns of figures, items and totals,
as it did twenty years ago-in
fact, the items are more n,lmer-
GUS than they were then.
Again: The per cent charged
by New Orleans business men,
for profits, is too much. If they
will reduce the price of their goods
and Of their accommodations,
and send their agents out to
acuuaint the world with the fact
that they are doing a strictly
live business on the smallest
profits-relying mainly upon
their energy and activity in hand
ling money rapidly-we venture
to assert that the cities of st.
Louis, Cincinnati and New York
will soon find q rival for South
ern trade whose advantages they
cannot outstrip. The curse of
New Orleans, after its self-com-
placency, is it's Incidence and
want Of business foresight. It's
capitalists are intensely cNclu-
siyc and dead-slow in the race
for supremacy. Its merchants
arc veritable Observation-Disclosures
waiting for business to come to
their doors. Perhaps. not more
than three or four New Orleans
drummerS have visited this re-
gion this season; while st. Louis,
and even New York drummcrs
have been among us without