New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-20
Is POLITICS OR COMMERCE OF xosT On
pORTANOE TO A CITY,

Va AOtS 0Au AlS St1uoeI, As" ~S'0>SN -
self to the reformation OF political abuses
and to the development Of the business
ability of the city. The Picayae led of
in asserting the paramount obligation Of
a community first to take all the Offices
in the State and city, and that CONNER
ciai prosperity would be thereby aided.
1t is true this heightened postponement
of all sordid reforms and repairs was
somewhat improved by an elaborate ar
gument in the same paper in favor OF
Immediately stopping the chug holes in a
wooden pavement that ladies and gentle
men may roll in their chariots
with more comfort. But the posi-
ton of the Picdyune is to ridicule all
the efforts of the Times to enlarge the ex-
tent or facilities of commerce. At the risk
of damaging the circulation of the Times
by approving its views on this subject. the
REPUBLICAN must commend the doctrine
that the commerce Of city is of more
consequence than the precise complexion
Of its people or its politics. Certainly the
administration of city should be econ
omical and honest. Assuredly when
city makes an expenditure of four or five
million dollars annually the friends of its
administration should expostulate with
them, and demand some explanation or
reduction. We even concede that when
one Administrator has been Beecherized
for disinterested interference in behalf
of the city treasury, and another
"sharp and active colored Administrator
Of Public Works is doing all the work
God knows what it Isl with his own en-
ployes, of which he has thousand or
more, whom he is massing to vote
the Radical ticket in November, -
that ''this charge and complaint
''needs looking into" But with all this
vigilan ce city requiyes some
thing more. 1t requires trade, domestic
aud foreign. It needs more population,
and to obtain this population city needs
to offer the inducements Of profitable oc-
c1pation and good treatment TO the stran-
ger within its gates. There are cities de-
voted exclusively to politics. 1t is called
in some places religion. We may cite
Jerusalem, Constantinople, Rome and
New Orleans as places greatly endowed by
nature, but enjoying much less commerce
than their natural positions entitle them
to. In Constantinopls the politics are
Turk and inidel, in Rome they are
orthodox and hereto. In New Or
leans they have been native and
alien, Union and Confederate white and
black. The policy of tie dominant op;n-
ion in each of these cities is the same
obedience to the dominant
doctrines, or Acknowledgement and expul-
sion. Passing over the political strife now
raging in Rome, which must have greatly
obstructed the ecclesiastical business of
that city, we see that Constantinople has
recently been after the Jews, and has
the slaughter and plumber
Of those unhappy people, for the crime of
q different faith. Jerusalem we may re-
gard as the banner city of Intolerance.
She has crumbled under the catapults
and siege trains of ancient and modern
war, and is now delivered over to the
Turks, who have separated the several re-
Iigions into several districts, where they
dwell in degree of non-iutercourse which
would delight the heart Of a White
Lacquer.
The principal trade Of this ancient city,
whose population about equals that of
con sists in pilgrims, who come
to visit various supposititious scenes Of
great interest to the various religions
which have at some period held posses
sion. There is one specimen Of intoler-
lnce told, we believe, by Cnateaubriand,
which may be of interest to the promoters
Of shotgun suffrage. The Mussulman
grants having at one time a surplus of
Christian inddels on hand the genuine
Lsraelites petitioned to be allowed to cut
he threats of few thousand Of these de-
generate descendants Of Jacob. They
we're INDUCED in this little essay Of recrea-
ion Or vengeance.
1t is plain from all history that city
which confines itself to politics must 60
Town. The very Discussions of its people
prevent that commercial cooperation in
iispen sable to success. Commercial
'ivals have also their differences, religious
md political, but it does not prevent |
hem from uniting to plumber the politi-
al city of all its trade. The Times might |
lave mentioned in its article Oh Baltimore
hat the commerce of the Baltimore and |
ohio railroad equals in tonnage and ex-
eeds in value the whole trade of the |
river. But in Jerusalem and |
Sew Orleans men Of various nationalities
nd opinions separate and segregate
themselves. They guard their capital
With great care, and are very unwilling to |
make any investment that will prevent
heir moving Immediately when warned
~ vigilance committee to leave the
place within the next twenty-four hours
Those journals which indicate the COM
nercial development of New Orleans, and
INSIST that all social relations should be
Idjusted with regard to the approaching
lection, are, perhaps, in unconscious
ignorance Of the true interests Of the
:ity. The political programme laid down
or drilling and armiug the white neonla