New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-07-31
RED RIVER AND TEXAS TRADE.
Chicago Puts in a Bid.

| III auulJlOn 10 tne strong efforts made
both by St. Louis and Cincinnati, the one
pushing forward railroad, the other reor-
ganizing line of steamers, to obtain the
Red river and Texas trade, Chicago now
appears as another party, and, alluding to
the enterprising city of St. Louis (which
has already weaned all North Louisiana
cotton from u.s. as an old fogy, coolly sets
about providing for the receipt of Texas
| trade by itself We must reflect this is the
burned city of last year-a town in ashes,
which looks southwark twelve hundred
miles for an increase of her commerce!
! Still, we of New Orleans are dumb and mo-
| tiOnless. This, commercially speaking, is
our plantation, this State of Texas and
| North Louisiana, a farm the proof and
| profits of whose raising has always been
| emptied at our doors; whose cattle
| and cotton have landed at our land
ings, been handled by us and dropped
their earnings bOuntifully within our purse
for twenty-five years. Yet we are still
cOmatOse, insensible to the giant strides
made by this triangle Of cities of the West.
Railroads bridge the chasm that separates
their country from ours; steamboats, ply in
the shallow waters Of the bayous and
lagOOns, of which it had been said man
might pirOgue up and down for years and
then not know all their ins and outs. We
viii write on this subject until our do-noth-
ing business men cry out, "StOp that knock
ing" We will not see thissold burg 90
down beneath the waves of advancing pro
gress without sounding the alarm bell, nor
can we see our good fortune taken up and
transferred bodily to st. LOUIS. Cincinnati
and Chicago without protest. Shall we lie
forever on our backs Are our houses al
ready tenantless, are the storms merciIess
that we are silent! Shall we repeat the history
of Kingston, Jamaica, and lapse into ruin
Do our welltO-dO merchants think we can't
so down that the routine of counting
money from high insurance, high freights,
high rents, high wharfage, high prices will
90 ON forever! There is an end to it. for
mankind will buy where they can get
cheapest. recent article in the Chicago
Tribune contains several points which re-
fleet the views of that people for some time
past, and it is the sitting down of argu-
ments which have prevailed for some time
in the Burned City. Hear Chicago speak
for herself:
To the far-of Southwest lies the great
State Of Texas, now rapidly filling up with
a thrifty, industrious class Of immigrants,
who are utilizing her vast and large variety
of resources. Hitherto her people have
made New Orleans their commercial empo-
rum. But, in these DAYS of railroad SIT
,+oo
her people, particularly her new settlers,
are looking with eager eyes to the North
ward, watching the rapid construction of
the railroad that is approaching her borders
from that direction. Here opens a new field
for Chicago to extend her trade. st. Louis
claims the field as her natural domain, but
the Old tOgy spirit characteristic of that
city will never suit the enterprising ideas
of the settlers of Texas. The road is
not being pushed forward by St.
Louis. All she is doing is sitting still, !
waiting for the trade to come to her,
while the road is being built by in
terests centering in the young city of Seda-
liza. These interests are extending the Mis- !
souri,. Kansas and Texas road nOrthward |
to form an unbrOken connection with Chi !
cagO, so as to be independent of St. Louis !
This event will be accomplished before |
winter. The immense cattle trade with |
Texas alone IS a prize rich enough to com
uldlu t!G dII6ulIO4 OA OulCaBO. Already |
acknowledged to be the best cattle market. |
but little effort is needed to secure it. The |
difference in distance in favor of ST. Louis |
is of no avail against the superior advan- |
tages of trading with Chicago. That is |
clearly proven by the fact that Kansas
City, LeavenwOrth, AtchisOn, st. Joseph |
and all other towns om the Missouri river |
give Chicago the preference, notwithstand- |
ing the difference in distance in favor of st. |
Louis
st. Louis claims this as her natural do |
main" Cool on the part Of St. Louis, but |
it is fact; and while on this point, we recoI-
lect when the proposition Of st. Louis to |
take away the Red river trade was sneered |
at; when theproposition of Memphis to take |
away the White uver and Arkansas trades |
was sneered at, and insurance companies |
put their fingers On the rates and defantly |
asked, "how's this tor highr Yet now,
when three years have elapsed, the Arkan-
sas and Red river trades have actually |
gone. St. Louis will get the major part of |
the Texas trade in another year, Chicago |
the minor part and two years ago we
handled the whole business. Look out for
the engine when the bell rings Our mer-
chants by inaction are losing a quarter out
Of every profitable dollar