New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-21
REASONS FOR THE REASONABLE.

| winch we exposed yesterday. Inc orator
fell into the mistake Of charging the pres
ent depression of business in Louisiana
and especially in New Orleans, to The
effects of Republican legislation in The
State. We have exposed this error Sc
often, and its unreasonableness is so appa
rent to us, that we had hoped never te
hear it repeated by any intelligent and ap
parently conscientious public man again
but since Mr.. Kennard has chosen to in.
dorse and propagate it anew, We shall take
the liberty of again exposing its untruth.
fulness.
That there has been a considerable
| amount of evil legislation in Louisiana
must be admitted, just as it must be ad.
mitted that there has been wicked legisla-
ton everywhere else, whether the Legis-
lature that enacted it was Democratic, Re-
publican, or reform. sThe war brought
this evil upon the country, and its effects
were felt and denounced in every State
in the Union. The public became so
convulsed by the rebellion that old land
marks were lost, the citizens departed
from their usual vigilance, and in the con-
fusion incidental thereto, corrupt men
were promoted to positions which they
abused. This was one of the bad effects
Of the war, and its consequences must be
charged up as a part of the penalty Of
that great scourge. Louisiana came in
can not show any cleaner skirts than the
Republican party in its financial transac-
tons; while it is SO far distanced by the
Republicans in matters affecting the
rights of the people, and in measures Of
material progress, that it may be said to
have no record in that regard at all.
The evil legislation of which complaint
is made did not create the depression in
business that exists, because such legisla-
ton, being merely local, could not have
injured our trade with Louisville, St.
Louis, Memphis, or Little Rock, these To-
calities being strangers to its effects. The
rate of taxation on real estate in New Or
leans did not drive the cotton planter of
Arkansas to. send his produce and to do
his trading in the West. BY no means.
Neither did it estrange the retail merchant
of Mississippi and Alabama to seek North
ern markets in which to sell and buy.
Nothing of the sort Louisville, St Louis
and Cincinnati offered better terms than
our merchants did, because they paid the
same prices for our products that we did,
and they sold their groceries cheaper than
We could. Here is plain business reason
for business changes, that Mr.. Kennard
has either ignored, or which he has wan
tonly chosen to forget.
Another cause of our commercial and mer-
camille dilapidation is to be traced to the
change that was wrought in the condition of
the State by the results Of the war Mr..
Kennard is a lawyer and will not compre-
bend this argument, perhaps, but business
men will understand and appreciate it as
prime and moving principle in the depres-
sion that exists. The abolition Of slavery
made four hundred thousand negroes in
dependent purchasers. These people had
always been consumers, but they had
never been traders. Their masters bought
for them, and their masters purchase
such limited supplies as these four hundred
thousand people required, in New Orleans.
With their freedom the trade of the late |
slaves was emancipated also, and although |
they consumed more than they did before |
they were liberated, they bought but little
from New Orleans. The reason of this
may be accounted for thus: First, they |
could not 90 away from home to buy, and |
his fostered numberless local stores that
lad never had an existence while slavery
prevailed; and, secondly, they were hec-
ored and abused in New Orleans, and
heir friends were hectored and abused for
being such, which forced them to seek
,ther and more liberal markets. Our own
Injustice in this particular drove away our
customers. Would Mr.. Kennard trade in
market where his skin was made badge
# disgrace when he could find another
mart where his color was not regarded
With disfavor?
But the main reason is to be found in
his, that the multiplication of country
torres created local trade throughout the
tate that did not patronize our market
Where we once sold supplies to the planter
Or hundreds of negroes, the local mer-
hant supplanted us by trading with
ach of these negroes separately. The
ountry was dotted with what were vulgar
Y called 'nigger stores" at which white
eople refused to trade. The owners of
hese ''nigger stores" were looked upon
nth distavor, and they, in self-defense,
united for market where the quality of
heir customers did not make them odious
the city merchants. Hundreds of these
raiders transferred their trade to the West
Ihls is the secret Of our business depres-
ION. We allowed prejudice to interfere
nth business, and We are paying for it in
he loss of the customers against whom {
he prejudice was manifested IF fault is {
, be found with this condition of affairs,
hen, let it be courageously borne by our {
elves as the work of our hearts, and not {
s the product of legislation, that had {
othin9 whatever to do with it. {
IVISIONS IN TIE CAMP OF THE ENEEY. l