The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-10-17
qonalosonbille Gbief.
Three Dollars d Year.
The Decay of New Orleans.
lFrom the Republic.1

ltants Of city, or OF whole cQuntr,
to attribute its decadence to polite;
causes and to charge upon govern
mept all the ills that befall it. But
is we II to keep in mind that an activ,
energetic, virtnous people seldom,
ever, permanently suffer to Il grea
extent in their social or commerce;
relations solely in consequence Of a
objectionable political status. Withou
discussing the details or merits of tn
present political complications an,
dead luck in Louisiana, it can not b
ignored that large portion of tn
evils complained Of il that Stat
would exist if Kellogg had never heel
recognized as its Governor, or if h
were to resign to-day. In the frs
place there is IN element in the pop
ulation OF the city Of New Orlean
that assumes that city to be the State
the same as it is said Paris is France
The present is not the first time tina
the Crescent City has embroiled tn,
wohle State by riots and revolution.
by putting on foot marauding anl
fillibustering expeditions agains
foreign countries with which the
United States was at peace-by sack.
ing the houses Of foreign copsuls
whose domicil by all civil ICED peoples
is entitled to sacred protection and
safeguard. 1t is hardly necessary al
this time to revert to the violent rev.
olutionary acts done in this city that
precipitated the State into rebellion
against the National Government,
without consulting tho wishes Of the
citizens at large, and which, initiating
the bloody role Of the French people
by the erection Of barbados, again
has lately improvised coup d'ett,t,
The fact is, there is u turbulent spirit
Qf unrest existing there, entirely
foreign to American principle and
practice and against the spirit and
genius Of our laws. This country
wants 10 such element either to con-
troll the administration Of affairs in
times ofquiet, OF to assert it's influence
to redress grievances, be they real or
imaginary, and the sooner the fact is
well understood the better it will be
for the people of Louisiana and the
whole South. 1t is this unsettled bel
igerent portion Of the Southern people
that keeps alive much OF the appre-
hension that exists that the Federal
government Or of the people ut large
desire to Cypress any portion of the
country which prevents immigration,
puts Il stop to travel, stays the wheels
OF commerce, closes manufactures
and workshops. These are some of
the effects Of the discomfort that is
tostered in New Orleans, and that has
prevailed there ever since the close of
the war. But there are other circun-
stances which, however, ale only in
part relatively connected with tln.
disturbed state of society, and which
are i'll a measure the ground work of
most of the complaints of the business
portion of the community of New
Orleans. Those circumstances are in
turn sometimes the effect and some-
times the cause Of the evils that exist.
New Orleans has lost u great portion
of her trade her commercial standing
has deterioated partly by natural,
partly by artificial causes. The energy
and enterprise OF other cities that
build railroads through the heart OF
the country that was hitherto entirely
tributary to the enterpot Of the Mis-
sissippi river have created il revolu-
ton III trade formerly the streams
that flowed downward and emptied
into this great river tloated naturally
all the products of the vast area of
country which they drained into the
lap OF the principrl commercial city of
the great Southwest, and it became
4 depot built out Of the
river trade. Railroads built in the last
decade have totally changed the
course of commerce, and practically
the trade of the States Of Arkansas. |
Texas, Mississippi, and parts of Lou
lsiana now flows up the great stream
IF the Mississippi to Memphis, Louis
vile, Evansville, Cincinnati, and
notably to Saint Louis. These cities
have with railroads tapped every
AVAILABLE commercial point, pierced
Every valley that formerly fed the
commerce of New Orleans, and nat
rally diminished her trade. The es-
of internal ports of entry
IL what was hitherto called the inland
titles of the great West has also
argely contributed to this state of
ltfairs goods can now he imported
md pass without breaking bulk to
he numerous Western cities OF the
treat Mississippi and Ohio valleys.
Most, if not all, Of this import trade
'ut a very few years back belonged
o New Orleans. Added to this a not
rival has risen in the
rowing port Of Galveston, which
ity naturally uses every effort to
ontrol the foreign trade of tho State :
t Texas. 1t is impossible to state sta ,,
stically to what extent the com 4.
lerce of y fw Orlerns has been per :
'anently inJnred BY the interior Gus
I'm houses, they having been estab- !,
shed for too short I. time, many OF !,
ZEN, such as ut pittshurg, Chicago, l
&c, importing their :
ravy goods through Canada. The
irect foreign trade of these and :