New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-06-04
ST. Louis AS A corToN MARKET.

The cotton of the Mississippi valley IL
comparatively without market. The
withdrawal of the Bremen line of German
steamers from New Orleans has. deprived
that city Of carrying capacity IN AM ann ia,
exports of one million OF bales. IL can no'
be transferred to the Hamburg line or OF
taken away by the Liverpool steamers
since these vessels have to encounter the
same obstacles that caused the withdrawal
| of the Bremen line from the Southern trade;
the difficulty, not to say impOssiblllty, OF
these heavily laden ocean-bOund ships "a
cross the bar at the mouth of the Missls
sippi New Orleans, therefore, can only
export to certain extent, and Is unable to
crowd the carrying capacity Of the vessels
that still come 20 her port.
There is another difficulty stated:
And at this juncture these disadvantages
have been augmented by others equally
every disposition to obiige the planter, is
unable now to make him the advances he
HAS been accustomed to receive. Obstruct'
ed navigation has had its effect upon his
business perhaps more directly than upon
the planter. He gets from foreign ship
ments slow returns. The delays OF nayiga-
ton uusettle the English market.
Who told the St. LouiscRpublican that
the New Orleans "factor is unable now to
make the planter the advances he has
been accustomed to receiver" This is a
| gratuitous and intended SANDER on orr
business men. There is another interest
Swallowed in the paragraphs quoted. 1t
is that the cotton trade of st. Louis is
promoted by the obstruction or closure
of the river outlet We begin now to
perceive some of the consolation which
may result from the blocking up of the
passes by wing dams and concrete streets.
The refuent cotton trade backed up will
recoil upon St. Louis, for the question is
put, "But how is all this to benefit St.
Louis ?"-th;s inability of our factors
and this difficulty, not to say impossible
ity, Of these heavily laden cotton ships to
cross the bar at the mouth of the Missis-
sippi.' "The question" says the Repub-
lean, sis of easy solution. If our wheat
can find cheap and rapid transit by way
Of Norfolk to the East and Europe, why
may not the cotton of the South pursue
the same direction? The interest of
Southern roads in view of augmented
freight will lessen the cost of transporta-
ton. This part of the problem is solved
already"
Here is the sisterly view st. Louis takes
of our alleged financial inability and the
physical distractions in our outlet She
has got New Orleans down. We are tenn
porarily crippled, and our affectonate
guardian says:
Under these circumstances it certainly
devOlyes upon st. Louis to make "hay while
the sun shines" Until the great water
route is opened to the sea, cotton naturally
tends to the reaaiest inland market. 1t
only remains to offer such Inducements and
seize upon such opportunities as come in our
way to make St. Louis the great cotton
market of the future.
We have proved that the destiny of st.
Louis, under her grasping and dictatorial
policy, is to make herself shipping port
and railroad station on the head of trans
portation on the Northern route. What
with the bridge obstruction on the upper
river, and the wingdams in the lower
river, Chicago will be the commercial
capital of the Northwestern and European
grain and provision trade, as well as for
the importation and distribution of i'm
ported merchandise, st. Louis will be
very important point to establish the
shipping agencies Of Chicago. This des-
tiny st. Louis has designated for herself.
New Orleans will do good deal for her
by importing Spanish American goods.
St. Louis, as the distributing agency for
the groceries of New Orleans, and for the
performance of similar services for Chica-
go, will have a very fair, though secondary
or tertiary position.
AS for the cotton trade, a less knowl- |
edge of geography than We attribute to
the st. Louis Republican would convince
that journal of the impossibility Of max.
ing st. Louis cotton centre. If the fu- |
ture export of southwestern cotton shall |
be by rail to the Atlantic ports what would |
be the use of sending bale of cotton to |
st. Louis for sale? Take any point of |
cotton production in Texas, Arkansas or
Northern Louisiana. We will assume |
Little Rock as point to which all such |
cotton must come, on its way to an East
ern, Atlantic port. From Little Rock to |
Norfolk, the port preferred by st. Louis,
the distance is, without detour, thirteen
degrees. From the same
point by way OF ST. Louis to the port of |
Norfolk is fifteen degrees. 1t is obvious,
then, that cotton can not take the long
rail against the short rail. If st. Louis
advances money on this cotton she would
ship it from Little Rock to Norfolk d. |
rect. She could not afford to let har cot
ton factors see the cotton they advanced
on.
The fact is St. Louis has come into the
possession of a commerce whose magni- |
tude dazzles her. 1t has been brought to |
her like the Eads bridge, that is to carry
it away, in great part by the capital and
enterprise of the East. She lacks the |
perfect capacity to comprehend this adven-
titious commerce. She boasts of $4,000
bales of cotton The st. Louis Republican
does not know what that cotton cost her |
factors. There is always a class of Gus
toners, whose credit being bad in our |
market carry their patronage to another.
There is always a class sf ambitious and |
merchants who in attempt |
ing to undermine the regular trade, will |