The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-30
Financial and Commercial.

DIES NoE--TuG TRANSPORTATION QUESTION
WALL STREET, Saturday, Dec 25 6 p.
IN. Christmas being observed US u close
holiday throughout Christendom, TO-
day furnishes no reports OF either for
| cign or domestic markets for comment
therefore we may be permitted for u
moment to consider II subject OF vital
Importance to the commercial interest
Of New York City and State. For more
than u year our merchants have been
more OF less agitatcd upon the question
of cheap and equal rates for the trans
portation Of freight to and from the
seaboard cities. The Immediate cause
Of the recent outburst of Indignation
was an alleged inequality in the rates
from Boston and New York to the West,
our own railroads being charged with
discriminating against the trade OF this
city. The UcraM has already shown
that at this particular time this
alleged discrimination was more inn
aginary than real, because the
great bulk OF the business from New
York was still being done under con
tracts made last summer ut lower rates
than those complained Of from Boston.
Upon this point Mr.. VIM. II. Wander
bilt, vt the recent conference with II
committee Of merchants, expressed
himself rs follows: During the sum
lncr the freight rates were r,iinouslv
low, and in September the New York
roads advanced them to fifty cents on
first class. Most Of the business had
since been done at special rates, how
ever, and it was supposed that the anx-
iety Of the merchants on the subject
was due tn tho fact that tho contracts
were about expiring. When the rates
were raised 1t was not intended to in
jure New York merchants, but to get
paying prices for small floating bust
ness. In November all the trunk lines
proposed an increase OF rates to seven
ty-iivc cents, believing that the New
York merchants were protected under
their contracts"
Here is % confession that seems to fur
nish TO the New England and Canada
railroads Y sufficient reason why they
could not adopt the New York schedule
established in November, as Mr.. Van.
dcrhilt says expressly, "to got paying
prices for the small floating business. v
Had thoy done so II would have result
cd In Boston paying seventy-tivc or
eighty cents for what New York was
paying only thirty cents on the bulk Of
It's business - result over which the
average Boston merchant would have
waved exceedingly .wrathful aud .sade
WIZ tp'IIINy vi LIf nun IHk[INjliElIIK
"hot" for its railroad officials.
However. Tho agitation Of the subject
has resulted IN equalixing the rates be.
tWeon the large and small shippers
from Now YORK, 50 that the occasional
shipper OF one or more packages may
now ship upon equal terms with his
opulcnt ueiAhbor. Instead or at ~ cost
'ol lhu per cent greater, AZ was the case
lone week ago. Yet tho great question
OF the future romatns unsolved,
No one who has given to tho subject
at railroad transportation the most
casual attention will contend that the
rates fixed by the November schedule
~ basis OF seventy-iive cents for first
class for about 1000 miles are exorbit-
ant, while many who have studied the
question will doubt it those rates would
return ovon legal interest upon the
actual tnot watcrcd cost III the ronds.
1t must he remembered that the pro-
posed rate OF 4oventy-tivc cents Is only
about one-half OF any winter rate before
that of 1873, and therefore. that the
present rate Of thirty cents is only one
firth Of the antc-panic prices. This fact
suggests thought 1T tho fearful losses
the present system Of warfare has
already ocoasioned the roads engaged,
and also shows the ilupussibility or such
Z condition much longer existing. It
therefore behooveS the mercantile mind
To first discover the causes that have
produced, aud will continue to Introduce
this disturbing feature OF uncertainty
into nll their business calculations, and
having discovered them to manfully
apply tho remedies.
At another time the Uer0ld may make
further suggestions calculated to aid
the merchants in arriving at the truth
The Chicago Tribune, after quoting from
our remarks Of last Monday upon this
subject, comments as follows "The
trouble Is that the New York merchants
are too conservative, and consequently
too slow, Amy less self-sustained com
munity would have been stirred into
white heat by tho determinations Of
the trunk lines In favor of Boston, Phila-
delphia and Baltimore. In cases within
our knowledge. buyers that first went
TO New York have finally bought from
ono III these rival points at higher
prices.
THE difference was more than made
good to them by the difference in rates.
Wealty as New York IL, it has not the
capital to compete with the capital OF
the railroads, but it has power enough
III it's influence and commerce to make
the railroads treat it more fairly. The
Sitdt iloiI uifiSIJ IoI mo TeIOTUi OF rail-
road management, according to Charles
Francis Adams, Jr, is the concentra-
ton Of public attention upon abuses"
Another daily has marie its appear
ance among the New Orleans papers.
1t is called the New Orleans DEMOCRAT,
and is the representative OF the now
thoroughly tried Democracy Of Louisi-
ana. The editor-in-chief is Col. Robert
Tyler, son Of President John Tyler.
Col. Tyler has been resident Of Mont
gomery, Ala, since the war ended, and
is an experienced journalist. He Is
opening upon corruption with we'll
served batteries, and his direct shot are
telling already. We wish the DEMOCRAT
success, and trust that it will purify the
political atmosphere OF Louisiana.-CO
Dperatire Ncps.
We have plan for resuming specie
that is worth half a dozen
bills. Find out how much
money Republican office holders, great
and little, have stolen from the Govern
Inent and recover quarter Of it, put it |
in the treasury and resume Apply the !
surplus to the payment OF the National
1ohf -(X2a Eon