New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-01-14
3em' Orltans Republican.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL Of THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL Of NEW ORLEANS
ST. Louis and Her Southern Trade.


of your paper. headed ''Shall St. Louis lose
her Southern trade =
1t is not the first time such One-sided artI
cles have appeared in your commercial col
umns and been passed by unanswered. This
one, we think, demands a reply, as the
spirit of the article seems to be that the
'!commOn carriers" must keep their prices
Of freight down in order that ST. Louis mer-
chants may receive Southern orders. The
question whether the carrying trade Is re-
munerative or not never does enter into the
spirit Of these essays:
The extraordinary low stage Of the river
from Cairo down has caused. or will cause
if it continues, all the large boats to go to
the bank. TO this add the influence of fuel
coal at two dollars per box OF scant two
bushels, and scarce even at that. and you
have the legitimate excuse for high priced
freights.
Chicago pays the same price from Cairo
down that st. Louis does whether the
means OF conveyance be Steamboat or barge,
SO in that respect she has no advantage
whatever OF us.
will be no fuel at all below Vicksburg, where
there is little or no wood on the banks: in
which case the owners of tonnage, with IA
view of saving themselves from bankrupt
commissioners, would quit entirely. As boat
and barge owners are patriotic and gener-
ous, in this event they are willing to loan
their means of conveyance to such patriotic
merchants and commercial editors who may
desire to carry freight for the purpose of
keeping up Southern and other ORDERS"
but they had better prepare themselves
with National Bank" to pay their losses
In the carrying department.
We really feel under obligations to the
writer of your article for his advice to the
merchants to ''vist upon whomsoever con-
tribute to bring about such state of things
proper marks of their displeasule." We
are inclined to think the merchant marine
of the Mississippi contribute as much to the
welfare and business of st. Louis as do the
merchants" and a kind word il their be
half in your columns would be like an
"oasiS in the desert Unless their bust
ness rcmuneratiye they must quit, and
We see no use of your advising combina-
tons against them to force them to carry
freights at prices less than it costs them, as
the result would be to drive all capital out
of the trade, and then you would be with
out means to carry your Southern orders
when they do come
Respectfully, d. K. POWELL.
REPLY.
First, we deny the implication contained
IN the above letter, that the Democrat is UNI
friendly to the steamboat interest. True,
we have been free to point out its defects
and to suggest proper remedies. and many
leading and fair minded steamboatmen
have been just enough to admit unreservedly
that our positions were correct and our
structures well timed. Others of them have
not. but have always maintained an atti-
tude of hostility toward every reform suS-
gested by the Democrat. and among the
most uncOmprOmising and steadfast of these
latter gentlemen may be numbered the
.Sf ,boy E1,n
Democrat, however. is not unfriendly to the
steamboat interest. No paper in the Mis-
sissippi Valley has labored with more
zeal and persistency TO Tighten the steam
boat interest of all its burdens, and to
secure to it every possible facility. than
has the Democrat. But we do not choose TO
regard all steamboat managers as infallible
and beyond criticism, and therefore III the
future, as in the past. shall frankly point
out what, in our opinion. appears unwisely
done by them, whenever their acts affect
the commerce of this city. We have often
said, and still maintain, that there is rate |
which can be hit upon low enough to pro-
tect st. Louis shipping interests. and high
enough to cover all contingencies of the |
rivers rise and fall throughout the year.
and make fair amount of money for the |
steamboats,. This rate should be adopted !
and steadily adhered to, for it is a .fuctu-
ating aud uncertain rate of freight, more |
than any other single influence, which de- |
morallzes trade, and inclines outside buyers |
to seek other markets. That Captain Pow |
ell should plead the unexpected DEAFNESS of !
coal as reason for advancing the rate of |
freight to New Orleans, is certainly |
lord rush into his dining groom any |
morning, and notify the guests that |
their bills would be increased because |
butter had advanced five cents on the |
pound A properly graded steamboat
tariff should provide against all these little
contingencies of certain annual occurrence
and afford, as we before suggested. a steady |
further added, concerning this coal ques
tion that taking into2cOnsideration the fact |
that there is an abundance Of coal on the |
Ouachita river, stream which is navigable |
eight months in the year, and is never sub
ject to interruptions from ice or frost, it is |
marvellous that steamboats, need depend so |
entirely on the coal deposits of the upper |
Ohio for their supplies.
The Ouachita coal has many advantages |
over that which is obtained from Pittsburg.
1t burns in a steamboat furnace with clear |
bright flame, while it emits neither smoke |
nor sparks, and leaves in the CRATE
neither clinkers nor cinders. Such advan-
tages must be readily appreciated by all
persons who have practical knowledge of
Tie waste Ol cUeCtlNc lOTCe consequent Oh
the dense smoke, the clinkers and the |
cinders incident to the consumption of Pitts
burg coal.
Captain Powell's assumption. that steam
boats or other common carriers are not in
terested in maintaining the trade of the
cities they undertake to serve, is simply |
ridiculous 1t is only by maintaining Nd
fostering a free exchange of commodities
that common carriers can do any business
whatever, and in the exact ratio of our loss
of the Southern order trade will be the de-
preston in the steamboat business of st.
Louis, especially that branch of it which
subsists upon the trade this city does with
the South, and any policy which steamboat
men may pursue to cripple or turn aside
that trade is sure to react upon them, and
thus if in no other way will be visited upon
them the miscellaneous consequences OF their
hltimed greed or reprehensible want of
foresight. We simply state the situation,
but do not induce it. This Captain Powell
ought to be sharp enough to perceive.
Grant and Catacazi.
We copy the following special dispatch
from the St Louis ReDnbEc0n: