New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-11

permanently injured by the interior custom
houses. they having boon established fol
too short time. many OF them, such ~
| Pittsburg. Chicago, Cincinnati. etc., I'M
| porting their heavy goods through Canada
The direct foreign trade of these and othel
enterprisiDg Western cities in hardware
crockery, coffee, wines, etc.. forms now nc
inconsiderable part Of their commerce
This is all their gain, and most part OF it q
complete and serious loss to New Orleans
which can never be regained. Her mer
chants have not yet awakened to the real
ization of the causes that have wrested
from her this most valuable element OF hel
former prominent commercial position, OF
which for SO long q period she had contrO
amounting almost to a monopoly.
| Because the railroads built through the
States that were most exclusively tholi
customers have taken away from them the
commerce with those regions it ic sought to
blame political complications tor the loss.
| The fact il, they must wake up to the logic
OF events, keep pace with the progress OF
events, and not strive by denunciatiOn and
| raising false issues to stay the onward
march of the country. A new seabOard has
been created by the system OF establishing
the inland ports OF entry and new grt at
net work of lines of transportation dis
putes and rivals the power OF the great
father of waters. To meet these changes
| Of which the energetic people of the great
| West take advantage, it even they are not
| creations of their zeal and enterprise, New
| Orleans must change her mode OF doing
business or her prestige is lost forever. As
| a necessary consequence of this revolution
| in commerce, New Orleans tnds, too her
| great cotton trade passing away into other
hands. Men of capital and energy in Bos-
| ton, New York, St. Louis, Cincinnati and
Ofhor 0itino q an"natInr fnr
dence in handling the great staple. King
cotton that had it's court in New Orleans
now finds its dominion extended all over
the Union. Telegraphic cyphers conduct
its mandates from various rival cities to
European marts, and q tiDtlla OF ships move
by electric commands issued after lightning
consultation between Hamburg and New
York, Boston anu Liverpool. Thus New
Orleans sinks practically into q mere COM
mission agency or brokers office. with cor
respondents Obedient alone to mystic but
potent cable message. 1t is useless to ig.
more the fact that the control Of cotton is
no more in New Orleans than in New York.
Resident correspondents tor their principals
buy it, load it on ships or cars owned and
managed by Eastern capital, which receives
all the profit Immediately after it leaves
tidewater. or is steamed away to reach the
spinners' looms in six or seven days.
1t is in vain to charge these changes in
commerce to the reconstruction acts of Con-
gress or to political complications; the trade
that was the bone and sinew Of New Or
leans prosperity is in transition state,
and no amount of argument will arrest the
change. No ostrich policy will prevail; the
emergency must be met logically, as all
emergencies should be. No matter who is
Governor of Louisiana, commerce will obey
its own laws Seeing that, in a measure,
trade is leaving the water courses other
cities that mainly depended on river trade
promptly met the issue. Cincinnati twice
bridged the Ohio, and is now contemplating
third span to connect it with their great
projected Southern railroad and give an
outlet to the steel highways that converge
in her vicinity. st. Louis has just COM
pleted one OF the greatest structures Of the
world, spanning the Mississippi with work
the very contemplation Of which was
thought but the idle dream of visionary.
Louisville invites trade to her doors by
building causeway over the Falls of Ohio,
in fact everything points to the fact that
the water courses OF the great West are in
the future to be but adiuncts OF transporta-
ton. Thus trade is diverted from cities
that alone depend on their commerce float
ed to their whaIves. Under such circum.
stances even q Venice has decay ed. and
under this state of affairs Of course New
Orleans finds a natural depreciation Of real
estate. What has been only briefly set
forth 10 the primary and underlying real
cause of the distress IF her merchants, and
no one knows it better than they do them
selves. In part, probably. IL is true. political
troubles may contribute 70 this condition or
aggravate it, but such influence If but tenn
pOrary and would in time cure itselt; the
citizen merchants OF New Orleans see with
dismay cotton exchanges established III
New York, Boston, Cincinnati, st. Louis
and other cities selling the staple consigned
to them over steam highways, ana ungene-
rouslv charge this as the result of nntr,endiy
legislation, without rejecting that the revo-
lEtionaTy elements existing IN their mics,
have in measure caused the creation Of
these marts, SO they have largely contri.
buted to kill the goose that laid them geld
en- eggs. To complain of municipal. State,
or federal Encouragement in the premises
Is to raise false issue and will not mend
matters. Let politicians manipulate as
they please, commercial men should leave
to plan and execute their own
they should be. left severely !
alone, business men should regulate their !
own affairs according to the times. and as |
by the changed aspect consequent |
On inevitable improvements.
If every railroad communication with the |
were cut off, it all the tele-
graphic wires were severed, and all the in
error custOmhOuses were abolished. then,
n spite OF bad laws or good laws. New Or.
cans would flourish as in the good old
ines. but until all this is done she will
lave to succumb to her blind adherence 10 |
o the ancient regime. or must keep step TO !
he march of improvement in commerce.
[he RepuLlic.