New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-11
The Attakapas Trade.

We copy the following sensible article
from the Planters Banner:
From articles which we published last
week, copied from leading st. Louis jour-
mails, it appears that the merchants of that
CITY intend TO '.go for" the trade of Attaka-
pas next fall, as they have lately been go
ing for the Red river trade.
Though the idea of dropping New Or
leans, and patronizing a city OF the Great
West, seems popular with the planters, we
can not say that we favor this policy; pro-
vided New Orleans capitalists will consent
to loosen their purse strings, and help build
I'D this section of the State, and make it
prosperous.
The planters, formerly, could obtain all
the money they wanted from New Orleans
merchants, and the amount yearly borrowed
was immense. The planters had to pay a
pretty high rate of interest; but have West
ern capitalists, who have loaned money to
planters since the war, been any more mer-
ciful9 Do not money lenders usually get as
high rate of interest as possible, in the
North and West. as well as at the South.
The truth is that New Orleans merchants
loaned money to planters after the war just
as long as they thought it was safe to do so,
and then they refused to advance on crops,
only in few cases where they thought it
was not prudent to loan money.
We are aware that planters have numer-
GUS complaints against the New Orleans
merchants which we have not time to no.
tice at present. But if they expect st.
Louis merchants to loan them money with
out ample security, and at low rates OF in
terest, we think they make mistake.
The fact is, if the sugar planters of this
country thrive, the New Orleans merchants
and st. Louis merchants will loan them
money; if they do not make money it will
be difficult for them to borrow from the
merchants of either city.
AS to the many advantages which the
planters contemplated in changing their
trade to st. Louis, it appears to us that the
merchants of New Orleans should inquire
into this matter, and grocers and merchants
of all sorts should aim to do business for
the planters as cheap as possible.
Let New Orleans follow the example of
Chicago, do business cheap for all who send
produce to that market, and it will draw
trade and secure it against any competition
from St. Louis or any where else. Consider
well the loud and almost universal COM
plants of the planters against New Orleans
merchants, and if those complaints are just,
apply afremedy and save the trade.
But New Orleans can not do better thing
to build I'D the State, and make it rich and
prosperous, than to send out its capital into
this country buy up the waste and cheap
lands, convert them into 1afms, anu sell
them on a ten years credit, with yearly
payments, to honest and industrious fani-
lies. Ten thousand such farms could be
sold in two years. Such farmers would
raise their families to habits OF industry,
and the next generation would be independ-
ent men, who would want no loans from
New Orleans merchants, and would only
use them to sell their crops and to make
purchases for them.
Let US build up our own State, our own
people, our own towns and cities. Let CAPT
tai foster industry, and industry, in return,
will enrich our cities and the people. And
let New Orleans capital bestow few favors
upon honest farmers and mechanics, who
labor with their own hands and who teach
their children to labor; give them credit
and a chance to pay for homes of their own
by their own toll and sweat, and our State,
and New Orleans, will be more prosperous
and better governed than ever before. Or
SO it appears to us, viewed from stand
point in the country.