New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-08

cotton are from 5000 to $500 day,
by which it will be seen what are the costs
to shippers and boat owners of the snags
and 7llainous bends which not unfrequently
keep boats aground for days.
At Minden we were detained a couple of
days IN consequence of the inopportune ar
rival Of an opposition boat-a conjunction,
it need scarcely be said, which suggested a
heavy cutting down of freights on the part
OF shippers, and on the part of Captain
Thorn a very natural remonstrance against
having to make an unremunerative trip-a
policy which, in the end, for temporary
advantage increases the difficulties and cost
of getting cotton carried to market.
The popularity Of Captain Thorn carried
the day. his boat being finally given more
than she could carry, while her rival
moved off empty handed. The advantage
was, however, dearly purchased by two
days of additional expense, and by the fact
that the waters in the lake and bayou had
commenced, meanwhile. falling. But at
night. by the light of the tiaring torches,
the colored deckhands commen ced tumb-
bling in tie bales. and their heavy thud as
they were rolled over the deck and showed
upon top of each other gave an animation
to the small hours and silent watches that
some Of the sleeoers would gladly have had
omitted.
4 very queer landscape, too. was that
you now caugh: u glance Of in looking up
through the cabin windows, say at the sup.
per table. and seeing lofty forest and
swamp trees almost directly owe rhead--a
parlor scene inside of cypress swamp.
Illuminated by the pale moon and silent
stars. as we'll as the more gar ish light
afforded by petroleum.
The night Of our departure from the lake.
too. was made still moro dramatic by the
combined musical talents of visitors and
guests. officers and attendants, and it may
be casually mentioned that Ned Thorn did
not close the Head Light, at which every
body repaired for refreshments. on account
of any twelve o'clock law. A good story
was told by the latter Of some visitors who
came on board when the stern wheel was
resting near the bank. and who upon in.
| curing how he was to get on board. was
made to climb up over the paddles and
| enter head foremost, on his hands. by the
| little back cabin window. He was said to
| be the best pleased man ever seen on the
boat when he finally dragged his legs and
| boots in and shouted Justify for the old
woman and the gals to come on in. by the
| same route.
did not see this as did Of good many
equally good practical jokes; such as that,
for inst lance, Of waking up my old friend,
Colonel Wyley. to take drink. when his
boots and other indispensables had been
. previously removed. To have seen him in
one of Moody's spotless tunics interro.
eating suspiciously the deck hands on top
| of big pile of cotton. was very affect
| ing sight indeed. 1t was nothing however.
| to the situation when he was forced to step
| to the front and be the recipient Of a cane
| river a short time before.
But coming down to the practical situa.
| ton. it ought to be stated that very large
| area Of country is rendered of little value.
| comparatively, in spite Of its proximity to
the city, in consequence of the difficulty Of
bringing anything out after you have made
it. Unless the State does something to
make agriculture more valuable by lessen.
ing the cost of carrying produce to market,
| the tendency will be to abandon the
| cultivation OF the farms already un'
/ der improvement and to move on
to Texas. The only sensible way OF
doing this is not by appropria.
| tons from the State, which is little able to
do anything of the sort, but by charter to
some private company. if such can be found,
or to the parishes which Immediately sur
round the bayous. One thing is certain
that the cost Of getting $4,000 bales of cot
| ton 90 the city and Its equivalent in store
| goods could be lessened one fourth if such
| improvements were made. The subject, al
I any rate. merits the attention Of your Cot
ton Exchange and Chamber of Comm cree
occupied not little time in talking with
! passengers and others about the cond ition
OF the coun try, as had done the previous
| month by observation in travels. All &C
counts agree that its condition cou Id not be
much worse at the present moment. AS &c
! whether there is in the near future any i'm
provement. there are two opinions: First
stage when lands and houses are held in
| such cheap estimation that there is bound
to be rise. because property now has
scarcely any value al all. 1t seems incred
ible to this class that such enormous dis
proportion should exist between lands here
and at the North.
The second class argue from the unset
tied condition OF the country. tho lack OF
! good understanding between the landowner
and tiller and the unprofi tab leness of rails.
ing cotton at the present time. that there
| is no immediate hope for the agricultural
interest; certainly none until the farmer
learns to make his own provisions and get
his crop to market cheaper than is now
done. 1t need scarcely be stated that the
| price paid to the farmer and laborer for
making pound OF cotton was not equal 10
it's cost to them.
The great difficulties in farming prosper
! eusly in this State are distrust and agita
ton, the absence of cash to pay hands
promptly, which makes them render only
half labor, and to an undeniable frittering
and fooling away Of time with both white
and black. The most prosperous sign is the
| conviction that white men must depend
more and more upon their own labor; but
on the other hand one sees but little that j.
encouraging in the new genera ton coming
| on either white or black. The youths of the