The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-10-03
OUR GALVESTON LETTER.

To the Editor of the Dallas Herald
Our business season is fairly upon
us, and our merchants are realizing
upon the changes that have been
wrought by the railroad connections
with The mississippi valley. The one
noticeable feature is that but few goods
are now bought in New Orleans by
Texas consumers. | was in CONVERSE
ton the other day with one of our
leading wholesale grocers, and L was
not little surprised at his statement
that he had not bought one dollars
worth of goods in New Orleans within
the past six months. And the truth of
this remark set in motion n train OF
thought that has occurred to my mind
frequently, since the Inauguration OF
railroad connections with the great
grain and hay producing country OF
the west, and that train Of thought
was-if the result of such connections
has produced such disastrous conse-
uueHceS W llIi 4NtN 'ii'aii"i "''" WV
same is true of Mobile--what reason
is there that Galveston and all of our
coast cities may not he similarly af-
fectcd hy the same influences. And !
have been at a loss To give myself a
satisfactory answer.
WHY is il that Galveston can con
tinue to supply the interior of our
state with western produce when tlliS
producp passes the very doors OF the
consumers en- route for Galveston !:
WHY cannot Dallas and Calvert and
BRYAN and Austin and all other towns
on the line of railroads in direct COM
muuication with st. Louis and Cincin-
natl. suDply themselves with the same
stock that comes TO Galveston, ana
thus supply consumers With western
nrodilce al icdst as cheap rs Galveston?
is il that the railroads discriminate in
favor of Galveston If so there seems
tn he no reason for it. Galveston is in
no position to give return freights To
as much advantage rs the interiir
towns, because the only freights that
we have in Galveston are those that
have been sent to us from the interior,
and hence must cost US more than the
same freights would cost at the points
of original shipment to Galveston.
Our cotton comes from the interior at
n reduced price from the Galveston
markets. So with our beeves and hides
and wool, and everything else that we
could send to the west as return
freight, and this principle must be the
oneratiug cause in producing the
abandonment Of New Orleans as Il
market for the surplus of the great
west
NVe can not say of ourselves any
more than New Orleans that we are IA
general market, in which the interior
merchant aud planter, aud dealer IN
wool and hides, etc., can ma pur-
chaser for his produce. and in whlcn
he can ia turn purchase whatever ms
wants may suggest. New OrIeahS, III
a much larger sense than haiVesloh,
is a general market, III when Is To oe
found excellent sale for cotton, wool,
hides. leans, etc, and in which will he
found all those things that will supply
the wants of the interior, and, To Il
much larger eNtent than Galveston,
does New Orleans offer to the patrons
of her market all those things that are
calculated to attract purchasers OF her
wares, New Orleans is city in every
seuse-in the magnificence and metro
poljtan charactcrof her hotels and res
iaurants, in her public entertainments
at the theater and opera, aud her con-
tribulions for the entertainment hi the
lovers of the turf and sports OF all
sorts. Her people are as generaus aild
ms warm-hearted as the cline in which
they live, and above all she has been
to fine south and west for many years
the level city Of their affections; the
place in which the people of the coun-
try have made lifelong friends, both
in business and in the social walks of
life, and afterit has been demonstrated
beyond dispute that the tide OF com
merce, in its RELENTLESS flow, viii Ego
ON forever'' against and over such OBJ
staclps as these, how is IL that place
like Galveston can hopefully look To a
future that involves the necessity ol
wjthstanding current that has thus
stranded upon its merciless shores a
CITY that was not 20 become great but
whose greatness had already been
achieved?
But inasmuch as Galveston has been
sipgularly fortunate 10 respect to heI