New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-11-24
shall We Remain Dorm,n.2
We copy the following from the sbrey

We copy the following from the Sbrevo-
port Telegram
Has it fully occurred to the pronart,,
holders OF Shreveport that an effort, and .
strenuous one, must be made to recover tha
ground lost through past indifferences tn
what was going on around US! The nros
ent condition of our trade is not 40 mncL
due to the low stage of water in Red river
as to the fact that other avenues of trans,
portation have been opened up LEADING
away from our city. 1t is useless to close
our eyes to the fact that it will be wears he.
fore we can recover from the blow dealt l48
even with our best energies thrown into
the scale. In former years, no matter the
stage Of water in the river, planters were
forced to bring their produce here, because
they had no other means of reaching a
market unless they hauled some hundreds
of miles. Now it is different number
of counties in Texas which formerly traded
in this city have railways passing through
them, which is diverging daily a trade that
should naturally seek the Red river
We can not expect to overcome our mis-
haps under a series of years. IL is not
enough to trust to the extension of the main
trunk of the Texas and Pacific road.
neither will it do to rely upon the projected
connection with New Orleans Something
must be done to help ourselves Unless
the property-hOlders of the city come to
the rescue, they will feel for years the eff
feet OF their past inactivity. What we lose
this year can not possibly be gained the
next, but by a unity of action and a liber,
al manifestation of progressive spirit Of
enterprise, we may hope to seize the lost
ground within a few years to come.
The hustle and uncertainty of the political
campaign is over, and the time may now b9
very well devoted to the maturing of plans
by which we may improve the material
welfare of our city. No one will question
but that we stand distressingly in need of
immediate action in this respect. We an
ticipate an influx of population and capital
at this point with the resumption of naviga-
ton, and trust that the active and energetic
minds that may come among US, brought
hther by the reports which have reached
them abroad, will not find us lying idly
upon our oars. This could not possibly have
but detrimental effect. We have local
railroad enterprises to put on foot, of vast
Importance as feeders to railroad centre,
and it would be well to urge them forward
with all due diligence. Property holders
must assist our mercantile interests, tGa
whom too much has been left to be done.
BY working together, however, the bright
future now looming upon Shreveport can
certainly be secured. Continued inactivity
may lose US altogether our prospective posse
tor,
from the New Orleans REPUBLICAN upon
the duty of the people of that city. which
may very well be applied to Shreveport.
The two cities have both been accustomed
to rely too much upon natural advantages.
Says the REPUBLICAN:
politics have had nothing to do with our
commercial mistortunes. 1t has been p
lack Of energy, enterprise and go-aheadi-
tiveness (if we may use the expression) of
our merchants. They think more of politics
than they do of the vast industries which
furnish the sole avenues to commercial
greatness. The development of the coun-
try which lies around US and far to the
westward; is greatly dependent en- the rail
roads which penetrate Texas and bear
onward toward the Pacific. With
their completion will come new neces-
sites, and the possession probably of the
northern tier of the Mexican States and the
country between the Rio Grande and the
Sierra Madras New populations aud new
capacities will turn these truitless plains
into farms teeming with agriculture and
the development of mechanic arts. These
countries and the numberless and vast at
tiuents that water them are tributary TO
New Orleans. Stronger laws than those of
mans ordination have made them sos
| physical necessity.
| These, then, are the requirements of the
| future. To neglect these evident possibili-
ties is criminal Indifference to the best in
terests Of the city and State. Commerce is'
| the golden medium Of our wealth and pros
| perity. It will prove, if rightly appreciated
the cornucopia from which will flow pros
| perity unrivaled in modern enterprise and
| plenty.