New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-12-29
ct. Louis and the Grain Trade,


Ste Louis and che Grain Trades
From the st. Louis Democrat
| we will, as has been our custom for man
years past, issue on January |, proximo
| statement of the trade and commerce of ST
Louis for 1872. This statement will CON
prise tabular exhibits Of the receipts AM
shipments of produce for each week IN tn
year, compared with other years. Smalle
tables, showing weekly range OF prices
compared with other years; careful re
view Ut the iron, cotton, tobacco and othe
growing and leading interests; tabula
statements concerning our growth as al
importing city; full and valuable review
| of our Southern trade, and much other mat
ter which need not be enumerated here
| but which will be traught with interest Il
our readers, and which will be valuable
reference for business men. The chief fea
tur8 of this particular annual state
ment will be an enormous engraving
showing q birds eye view of the
entire Mississippi basin, a stretch Of
| country extending from the foot of the
AllegheDies to the foot of the Rocky Noun
ta1ns. This large engraving covers almost
two Of our large pages, and fully exhibits
! the grand system of river navigation SO
richly bestowed by the Great Creator upon
this matchless region OF the earth. 1t will
be made evident to the dullest beholder by
| d Single SIduc6 dJ tIS uldguluC6AG water
| paths here displayed, that there can be no
route which the produce of the Mississippi
| valley can take to the markets Of the world
| SO direct, so natural, SO safe and economical
! as down these navigable waters to the gulf,
! thence abroad by ocean tonnage. For sew
eral years the Democrat has persistently and
| effectively 1&bored to impress this import
| ant fact upon the minds Of those who should
| be most interested in knowing it.
AZ the TINA commenced y1yT;+IT1U
this subject, there were no facilities for
transacting bulk grain business. We had
no elevators, no boats for the transpOrta-
ton of bulk grain. Now, from one end of
the great river to the other. elevators rear
their fronts, barges in fleets transport grain
in bulk, and even Southern buyers have
learned 10 put up small local elevators, and
by receiving all their grain ia bulk escape
heavy wastage Of money invested i'll bags.
When we commenced our efforts to make
st. Louis q great grain-handling city, the
entire foreign grain trade of the Mississippi
basin was done via tie lakes, the Erie canal
and New York city New Orleans had no
means of taking q busheG OF bulk grain
from 8 St. dsouis bulk grain barge and
putting 10 into an ocean vessel
unless she made the transfer with water
buckets. More than this, she bad no ocean
vessels trading 30 her ports that were Wilt
ing TO cell up their holds and carry grain in
bulk. unless they could get neatly as much
per 100 pounds as they charged for carry
ing cotton Still farther than this, New
Orleans had no grain to EXPORT Her trade
ia grain was limited to the c0nsumptive de.
mand Of she plantations and d slight coast
tradeo The work Of etteGting a change was
q iahOriOuS and almost an uuthanlful one.
but the pcmOcFus poger lost faith IN the
proposition thai the great water youte was
the most natural, much the cheapest and
besS route tor the products of the Valley
seeking a foreign market to take and this
result has gully satisfied u.s. not that we
believe that We have accomplished anyo
thing ike eliminating victory. but that
a good and earnest beginning has been
made, satisfactory progress can be yeo
ported, and by the expiration Of the present
decade st. Louis will be numbered among
the leading grain exporting cities of the
continent. From this point she will pass
up to the front rank. place she will ever
alter hold. In the future years. as the
Mississippi basin shall become more and
more populous, and her congressional rep
TesentatiYes shall act more III harmony Tor
her benefit than they TOW do, her entire
system of nayigable rivers Will be so much
improved as to permit the free use of barges
AID prOpellers everywhere. Cheap local
railways Will be pushed by every river city
ont into interior points, to bring in the agri.
port. These productions will come to St.
Louis in the light boats Of the upper streams
and by her be massed and moved to the
ocean in her more colossal barges and
steamers. There is no escaping this con
clusl0n. 1t is the inevitable tendency of
things, and, deny it as men may, and com
bat it as men may, it will irresistably move
on to a full demonstration of itself as an
eternal tact We trust our merchants will
unite with us in giving the rare number
which we shall print on the first OF next
month a wide circulation. We shall print a
very large extra edition, and hope every
copy will be wanted. They should be mail
ed to Eastern cities in large numbers, as
they will contain matter which Eastern
men will be glad to know, and which it is
important for st. Louis That Eastern men
shQHld know. Thousands Of them should
be taken by our real estate men and |
circulated among communities in the
East most likely to emigrate West, |
for no document they can send |
out will exercise more valuable influence |
fer st. Louis and the West generally. Emf |
grant societies should send thousands Of |
hem to England ireland, Scotland Ger |
many, France, Switzerland, Norway, and to |
al those countries OF Europe from whence |
the West derives SO large a share of her |
population. Railway and steam |
boat companies can not do better than to |
order them literally, and circulate them |
everywhere. That every one may have as
many as they want, we suggest the pro-
orietv OF sending in orders at once, and thus
1f0Tding us some guide as 10 the size Of our
Extra edition. Advertisers can not do better
han to secure space for this grand issue in !
season, as the press of important matter
will undoubtedly greatly restrict the room
% be devoted to advertisements.