New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-12
THE GRAFTON OF MR., DAVIS.

LID ond1lON VI I'M, JAWS.
1t is glory peculiar to this republi,
that it has no land of exile. Men who
have maintained war against the repub
lie may safely be allowed to travel and
to speak wherever the people are willing
to listen. The land which single man
lnay traverse with box of gold is not SC
wonderful as that land within which a man
may travel with an unpopular opinion.
Mr.. Davis has spoken in Missouri, and
uttered nothing calculated to disturb the
equanimity of the nation. We may add,
also, that he has uttered little to add to
the volume of its knowledge. 1t is chiefly
as an exile from the path of progress that
the speech of Mr.. Davis is remarkable,
for one would easily see that he has been
absent from the discussions which have
changed and fixed the material policy of
the sections to which his speech refers.
Mr. Davis is unconsciously Democratic in
some Of his sentiments. He esteems
the pursuit Of agriculture as the ''first,"
and, as he believes, "the highest occupa-
ton of man." 1t is true the modern
Democrat does not respect the hard
handed sons of toll, whose 'hands are
Drowned" even blackened-"b the
sum-" but still the theory of agricultural
superiority is sacred from its antiquity
But, really, Mr.. Davis does not seem to
appreciate the interests of commerce or the
agency of mechanic arts They are post
poned by him in point of responsibility
to agriculture, and yet it can not be ad-
mitted that the merchant or mechanic are
inferior to the farmer in virtue, intel
ligence, patriotism or ability to protect
the public liberties. The want of ade-
quate familiarity with these departments
of industry has committed Mr.. Davis to
some propositions which differ from the
conclusions of those who have devoted
especial attention to them. His first fall
lacy is this: "The people of the Missis-
sippi valley are held together by that
artery"
This is not strictly true in physiology
or commerce
Nor is the further and corollary propo-
sition that ''no modes of intercommunica-
ton can ever successfully compete with
the river" borne out by facts.
Mr.. Davis does not seem familiar with
a modern law of finance which requires
that transportation, travel and mail matters
shall be conducted by the most rapid and
certain means Of movement and intelli-
gence.
1t was the theory at the beginning of
the late civil war that the whole commerce
of the Mississippi valley must be con-
Quoted by way of the Balize. The obstruc-
ton of that river promoted greatly the
close connection and consolidation of rail-
roads, SO that the men and material of
both war and commerce were carried
direct from the banks of the Mississippi
to the ports Of the East. The result of
this compulsory experiment induced the
construction of rail across the Mississippi.
1t went further and crossed the Rocky
mountains. Mr.. Davis should know that
Western trade follows these rapid
and direct lines, so that instead
of passing by way of New Orleans
it pursues its way across the
Rocky mountains and the Alleghanies,
across the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Po-
tomac, the James and the Savannah. Mr..
Davis will find that the imports into the
West no longer come exclusively through
the port Of New Orleans and up the Mis-
sissippi, but through the customhouses of
New York and Baltimore, and across by
rail to Western consumers. He will find
the St. La yrence exporting far greater
values of Western produce than the Mis-
sissippi, while the Erie, New York
Central and Pennsylvania Central rail-
roads each carry from three to five times
the tons of Western produce, with
far greater proportion of Western mer-
chandise aud passengers than does the
Mississippi river. From these facts arises
the error of Mr. Davis. The population of
the Mississippi valley is not homogeneous.
That thelarger part of its population sided
with the federal government instead of with
those who held the river outlet is one
strong proof That these people are in
great part immigrants from foreign
country, and do not assimilate in ideas or
language with the people of the Southern
States, is another; but the fact that the
Northern majority move and trade with
the East. and with Europe through the
Eastern Atlantic ports, is sufficient to set
tie the question of social and commercial
homogenity against the theory of Mr.. d.
Wis. If series of parallel lines be drawn
across the United States they will include
Q succession of zones. Each of these
zones includes trade area and rests
upon an outpost The zone which in
cludes Chicago finds its outlets at Quebec
and New York. st. Louis, Cincinnati and
Louisville seek the markets of the East
for the more valuable part of their trade
and travel. We commend to the perusal
Of MI. Davis the report Of the Senate Com
mittee on Transportation Of 1874. He
my also read TO- advantage the annual
Ezads reports Of New Orleans for
1914 NJ IN - -. "a !