New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-23
Course of Trade-Cincinnafi and New
Orleans VS.. st. Louis.

Our merchants and the Committee of
Fifty one may derive some advantage by
reading the following from the Shreveport
Times:
The great error of Shreveport, it seems to
us, Is in regarding st. Louis as her objective
point. The geographical position of that
city leads it to look 10 the west of us, and
il is now stretching its iron arms through
the Indian Territory into Central and
Western Texas, with the evident object OF
reaching the Pacific coast by route more
direct than via this city. The keen-si GIFTED
capitalists of st. Louis have discovered that
the products of that region and this are
homogeneous, and that Shreveport, as a
great railroad centre, will become. if not
her rival at least the factor Of 10 consider
able portion Of the trade with Texas and
the Gulf region, which she now holds. In
stead of seeking rail connection with S..
Louis, we should bend our eXertioDs 10 the
concentration at this point of local roads
which will make Shreveport the grain and
wheat market of the Indian Territory,
Texas and Arkansas, with the view Of sup
plying the Gulf ports with these com
modiiies. With those regal wheat regions
developed, as they would be were they
penetrated by railroads, Shreveport, and
not St. Louis. would become the grain factor
of New Orleans and the Gulf region.
This is q view Oh our ultlLuate az IiCtltuItl
and commercial relations which st. Louis
hes taken. and it is one we should keep
prominently in view. 1t is one, too, On
which we should base our measures for OBJ
tanning present rail connections eastward.
A road to ST. Louis would take lis no further
toward the Atlantic than we are now, and
would simply serve as tube through which
the larger city would drain the lite OF the
smaller 1t behoOves Shreveport, therefore,
l. al fnp plIle S %
connections, to see that those connections
take her toward the Atlantic; that they are
lines that will prove links in a great route
from the Pacific ports to those of the great
East, and that will draw the imperial com
merce of the former to her wharf Is and de-
pots for distribution, east, north and south.
Happily, while ST. LOUIS is building her
lines TO the west of, and entirely ignoring
us. such roads are in contemplation, and
some of them in process OF construction.
A notice of our New Orleans routes, and
of those local ones terminating here, do not
fall within the purvieW OF this article
which is designed merely to direct the at
tentiun of this community to a series OF
roads opening to us, AS an immaculate au-
vantage, a better Western market than ST.
Louis, and ultimately direct eommuhica-
ton with all the ports of the Atlantic.
careful comparison for some time past OF
the marx ct quotations of ST. Louis an3 Gin
cinnati shows the latter to be the cheapest
market. Indeed, it is well known fact that
many Of the articles we purchase from St;
T,ouis are manufactured in Cincinnati, and
hat we pay the St Louis merchants profit
which wa should ourselves realize. Ere
Iuently there is q difference in favor of Gin
iunati of one-eighth Of cent in the price
f bacon. and other articles of provision are |
,old proportionately low. This is the rea-