New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-04-25
The COMMERCIAL CtOUD,

We always feel certain depression IN
calling the mercantile mind of New Or
leans 20 anything which may not mature
within sixty days. Like those who hooted
at him who prophesied the deluge, the
commercial prophet is a bore So it is,
but we can not be thereby prevented from
reminding our citizens that combined
and tremendous effort is being made in
the West to avoid going 20 sea by way Of
New Orleans. The first parties to the
combination consist Of the corn growers,
nov assembling in convention ana in
structing their representatives TO make a
fight for cheap transportation. This is to
be done by reducing all railroad corpora
tons under the law, or by building ma
tional railroads across the Mississippi 60
the Atlantic. By one Of these modes
nearly free highway will be made be-
tween the Mississippi valley and the East
ern ports.
The other party 90 this combination i.
the American interest, which from Chi
cago to Portland, has united to make a
free water way through the Canadas and
by way of the st. Lawrence 20 the sea.
We will compel continued attention to
this last proposal. Ex-Governor Israel
Washbura, Of Minnesota, is canvassing
the Northwest in the interests of the st.
Lawrence. He recently addressed the
Board of Trade of Minneapolis upon the
subject Of the Canadian Pacific railway
He said.
The vast territory lying bet wecr Inc
Gulf of Mexico and the British po sessions
naturally divided into several sections,
each with its own great Genital emporium.
supported Ivy Its Important bus lesser DIarts
| of trade All thu sections ale tributary to
| the great commercial capita New ogk,
| which must always he without rival The
most important of these sections was The
Northern, including all that country nOrth
| of that Grained by Chicago and St. Louis.
| The question then comes, is there feasible
route for passengers and freight TO the At
lantic ports and markets of the East. The
distance to Montreal will be thousand
miles, and there in the summer your pro-
ducts will naturally go, so far as they seek
shipments TO foreign countries. BY this
route there is d saving OF two days rail
carriage, and the distance to the sea is 1850
miles By the same route in winter, or saw
ing of twelve miles. Now here is a country
in this vast northern region, extending from
the forty fourth to the forty ninth parallel
of north latitude, and hey ond this is a large
and fertile portion of Canadas including
Manitoba and the Winnepeg region, and
the yalleys Of the AssinIbOine and Saso
k8tche wan, valleys reaching westward tie
the Rocky Mountains. This immense re-
gion of valuable fertile country stretches
between parallels Al and 90 eff latitude
and meridians 90o and il0o Of longitude; in
other words, embracing a region three hun
dred aud fifty miles wide by a thousand
miles long, vast GOuntrys admirably
adapted to agriculture, and capable of pro-
duclng more wheat than any other territory
of like extent on the globe, and certain to
contain hereafter thrifty, enterprising and
enormous population
Upon this reasoning Governor Washo
burne bases the belief that Minneapolis
will, within twenty years. he as large a.
Chicago Is now. This will be because
Minneapolis will te a manufacturing city.
The theory is reasonable on the pIin-
ciples Of modern commerce. Liverpool is
a-trade centre. From her radial lines go
out crossing the Atlantic and based upon