The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-22
TAXATION AND COMMERCIAL PROS
PERITY.
Editor New Orleans Bulletin:

muDlty should announce SUCH sIuSuAdi iuCuS
as are embraced in the communication of NAL
thus. is certainly to be deplored, but that he
should. while SO earnestly enforcing his own
convictions, deliberately condemn all his oppo-
nents, and charge them with ignorance, rs
matter of surprise in these days Of free and
enlightened discussion.
That any intelligent member Of this COM
munity should ascribe its financial rum O. to
excessive taxation, is additionally dlshearten-
ing in the extreme, and it is certainly fair to
infer that Nautilus, although he may indeed
have "devoted few hours occasionally, to
the study of political science, has made
rather poor application OF his acquisitions IN
that direction.
His proposition that we are financially
ruined in consequence of excessive taxation
can hardly be sustained, nor am willing to
admit that we are financially ruined. So far
as the city of New Orleans is concerned,
think it will be found upon close examina-
ton, that she has as many banks and as much
banking capital as her business necessities
require, and as much proportionately. as any
other city, but at the same time 1t must be
admitted that the management OF our banks
is such that legitimate business is not en-
couraeed think there are many merchants
who will bear me out in this. But he Is IN
nv opinion mistaken again, when he asserts
that excessive taxation will cause financial
ruin, and that no community can prosper
under tax Of two per cent. :,
What constitutes excessive taxation would
nerhaps be difficult to state, although there is
a limit. of course, beyond which it would be-
come confiscation, but We are very tar from
that point as yet.
1t is notorious that our State government
has been shamefully administered, and that
the public money has been squandered, but
not to such an extent as to lmpover1sh the
State or city, and "Malthus must know If
he is careful reader of history that there is
not an instance on record OF State being i'm
poverished by the decline Of its political
power.
The tendency of humanity is to progress,
and there never was government, however
despotic and tyrannical and there never will be
one which can check this natural progress.
In Louisiana we are undergoing novel ex-
! perience. great community, wealthy and
powerful, was Frustrated by the war and IS
undergoing the process of restoration. It lisa
slow and tedious process, indeed, but each
year is making steady gain.
Those who are survivors OF former prosperl-
ty are impatient of the result, and wrongly at
J tribute 70 political causes the slow regenera-
ton of the State-when in fact her great in
! terests, notwithstanding foundations and other
/: disasters are growing as rapidly as could be
expected. The sugar crop this year will be
five times as great as it was six years ago. The
rice crop will be greater in about the same
,, proportion-and our exports and imports are
Increasing wonderfully.
The cotton business at this port Will be
greater this winter than ever before IN the his
tory Of the city.
The only interest now tagging is our whole
sale jobhing trade, and from what cause !?
Surely not from excessive taxation, but simply
because Western cities, by means OF railroads
and other improvements, have diverted our
trade.
Notably St. Louis has taken from US the
greater portion of our trade in Texas, Moth
Louisiana and Arkansas.
Now, the remedy is plain. We must make
similar improvements to regain and lncreae
our trade Our market can supply sugar and
: coffee and imported goods cheaper than any
: interior market, if we have equal advantages
of cheap transportation, and for the same
reason we can again make New Orleans a
great distributing point.
! But when we propose to build railroad to
Texas in the interests of our languishing trade,
we are met by innumerable obstacles. and
when we ask municipal aid from the city OF
,, New Orleans we are told that the burden OF
! taxation is already too heavy, and Nautilus "
proceeds to discourse learnedly on political
I economy, and tells us that railroads are rather
the effect than the cause Of prosperity. In
other words, that community must wait to
become rich before treating itself to the lux
ury of railroad Now, this proposition will
!, not hold good in any country; although, be-
. lieve it is true that in England and on the Con-
tinent railroads were the result Of the neces-
sites of civilization.
But in the United States, the country of
magnificent distances-where the theory OF
Z natural progres IS is SO wonderfully illustrated
by the rapid growth of States and communi-
, ties-we need railroads to open up the coun-
1 try. find new fields for commerce, and, by
. opening up quick communications, encourage
immigration as means of sustaining an IN
creased trade, and building up the State.
: AS an illustration of what railroad enter
prise will do for community, will cite the
illinois Central railroad Twenty-Five years
ago when Illinois was IN her infancy, and the
little town Of Chicago had not become known to
l the outer world, Stephen A. Douglas projected
7 the Illinois Central Railroad as the surest
, means of building up the State. The COM
! rany was created by congressional enactments
! :. and obtained {. grant of lands along its route,
! as means of enlistipg capital. The road
Il was pushed to completion, and the company
J, sold out the lands at low rates and on long
= time to actual settlers.
u The result was an immigration to the State
unpanlleled in the history of any country,
:, rapid, while the city of Chicago rose to metro
q politan proportions, and is to-day the greatest
grain market in the world.
: Illinois now has a population of more than
5000, OOO and Chicago, according to the last
report of the Board of Trade, has popula.
u u ton of 400, 900.
It will be readily conceded that the rail
e road was the great instrument in this rapid
e growth, and it is to-day monument to the
far-seeing perception of the " Little Giant"
q Another illustration can be found in the
Cincinnati Southern Railroad, now under pro-
= cess Of construction, AMI which is being built
y upon the same plan that 1t is proposed to
> pursue in the case of the proposed Texas
. railr md.
The Cincinnati Southern Road is to extend
$ through Kentucky and Tennessee and directly
to Pensacola.
9 1t was projected several years ago, but was
E checked by the Kentucky Legislature, under
Sc 11a int