New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-11-14

HARAnURR WHO lRE mi B9
- mercantile interest d TIT cikS
under thefnsplsstion'of the thaabsrt
Commerce, has apparently made dis
covefy more c1edditable To ShU c6Aixeetef q
the parties for good detectives than 70
being good business men. For some I'm
accountable reason, the Chamber does no
appear to entertain a cordial feeling towar,
the New Orleans, Mobile and Texas rail
road. Il has been plain to rs from tn
beginning that the merchants whose dat,
it was to welcome che torieinAtors If
scheme for railroad' between this cit,
and Texas received, them eddy, ami
watched their every effort to command
success with suspicion. The, difficulties
in the way Of building the road to Mobile
were pointed ont oracularly and cited as
something insurmountable. But when
the indomitable officers of the company
overcame these, and showed the world a
fine q roadway as can be found in the
United States something Of the reserve
was thrown of, and the more impetuous
OF the late obstxuctives were quite willing
to cite the great work as an evidence Of
sour enterprise" But still it remained
more the fashion to speak Of the Chatta-
nooga road, as it was then called, as o
doubtful, ii not dangerous, invader Of our
swamps than to subscribe for the stock
and Otherwise afford encouragement to
the brave capitalists who were risking so
much for 50 great benefit to, the inter-
ests Of this city and State, with small
prospect Of lucrative return for the outlay.
The appeal for assistance from the
people having met with but little en-
couraeement, resort was then had to the
State for aid. The company succeeded in
obtaining some grantsyy bat they were so
grudgingly given, and cost SO much to
get through the Legislature, that the net
results were exceedingly small Besides,
every act that was put through the Cen
eral Assembly provoked deal of needless
and unfriendly comments,
which have finally produced their logical
results in the New York money market.
The consequence is, that Wall street capt.
Ealists have decided to make no further
efforts to help q community that will not
put its own shoulder to the wheel and give
he load q lift. a.. -f
And now we find that our Chamber of
Commerce takes occasion of rumored
financial embarrassments to give the en-.
erprise back-handed lick by publishing
one-sided report of what is, no doubt,
N expedient on the part of the directors
o keep their heads above water and save
be whole from becoming ingulfed in ruin. |
If this road shall fail at last, after such |
heroic struggle for success, where shall
re place the responsibility? Certainly
lot on the shoulders of President Raynor
nd his earnest coadjutors in the work.
or they have not only put up their own
money, but persuaded their friends to do
D as long as there was ghost of a chance
hat our own people would finally take
old and contribute their assistance. The
ompletion of the road from Mobile to
|onaldsonville, q distance of about two
undred miles, was sufficient pledge of
ood faith on the part of the company,
nd ought to have stimulated the men,
ers Of the Chamber of Commerce to ex-
It themselves to help along the work.
astead Of being the first to throw suspi-
on upon the final result of doubtful en-
rprise, they should have used both their
oney and their influence to strengthen
'e hands of those who were struggling
it'll the great problem. The money OBJ
ined from the State grant of bonds is q
ere bagatelle in the scale. It does not
Mount to one-third of the actual outlay.
be capitalists of New York were depend
upon for another one-third, while the
'ople of Louisiana and Texas should
we charged themselves with supplying 1
e remainder. But instead of doing this,
ey hung back, and too many men of
fuence and position have never ceased Z
throw obstacles in the way So that =
day, if the suspicious entertained by :
Z Chamber of Commerce, and published
the Bulletin and some of the other city
pers, have any foundation to rest upon, y
e total advances made by the State are e
danger of being lost; and what is in =
itely more lamentable and disgraceful,
3 great enterprise will have to be aban- =
ned.
But we are more hopeful than the enc =
es of the road seem to be. We can not
lieve the work will fail. We can not :.
ieve that the long list of dead railroads
he utter failures that strew the histor- :,
roadside of this State is destined to
increased by the addition of the New y
leans, Mobile and Texas railroad. -
TANGLED DIPLOMACY. y
and France have got their
tape in very hard knot, from which
nlnfiOr nv>oo~c - ~ 1:Ns...1x n.