New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-12

Way ILLS fesult. we speak OF existing
facts, and would remind him that the
Mississippi river now affords better con-
nection with the West than does any river
or canal from Quebec to Savannah. Mr..
Davis must rub up his statistics and look
into the later trade theories which have
changed the course of river-borne COM
merce in Europe as well as in America.
1t would surprise Mr.. Davis to observe
that the Western produce which once
floated down the river to New Orleans, and
was thence sent up the river to the Red,
the Yazoo, and to even the banks of the
Mississippi itself, is no dispatched direct
by rail to the plantations. He will have
noted on his trip down the river the West
ern produce that comes by rail to Column
bus crosses the river and is distributed even
as far East as Alabama by rail. Even the
observations about the ice blockade of the
lakes do not act worth cent No sooner
are the lakes and canals closed than the
rail begins to haul corn. 1t never ceases to
carry all the merchandise. These people
have not for some years past seemed to
regard the ice blockade at all. The rail
has connected the. whole upper West with
the Mississippi at Cairo, but our receipt
of bulk grain for expectation has declined
from year to year until it is not now worth
present attention. All that he tells us
about the failure of the old passenger
steamboats, in the long river trade has been
expressed. The barges take the freights
and the railroad the passengers, merchan-
disc and mails. The experiment of
steamboat run on treights and without pas
senger accommodations has been tested
by the Thompson Dean and other boats.
Trade has changed, travel has changed,
not only on the Mississippi, but upon
almost all rivers. Steamers have been
projected to run between st. Louis and
Memphis and Europe. Iron barges have
been discussed thoroughly, both in the
press and associations of New Orleans, st.
Louis and Memphis. There is nothing
new in the suggestions of Mr.. Davis.
From the reasons given and those to be
added, we think Mr.. Davis is mistaken in
saying there will be any other unity of
commercial policy among the people of
the Mississippi valley than will result
from principles of commercial interest
common to the whole Union. If we be
correct in our statement he is mistaken in
the assumption
1t is in the future an inevitable fact that
the people of the Mississippi valley must
have policy because they have material
interest peculiarly their own. and material
interests will always govern the policies of
States.
The fact is that since the date when
Mr.. Davis bestowed the cursory attention
upon commerce compatible with the
cares of agriculture and politics, the
system of transportation has changed
The exports of Western produce from
New Orleans have come down to almost
nothing, while the foreign imports have
declined in much greater proportion.
Mr.. Davis will hear this attributed
to Radical misrule." His philosophical
mind will remit it to the new law of com.
merce which we have stated Mr.. Davis
seems to have instinctively kept his eye
on the Democratic wheelings. Though
he says, 81 have shaken hands forever
with politics." he can not help saying
that Congress had no power to fix day
for specie resumption. He adds that he
can not ''see how we can have too much
currency at present." and answers for his
that no man will "put his hands
in his pocket" and say he has too much
currency. These heresies are trivialties
to be classed with the com plants to the
sons of the soil, to the Grangers and to
the ladies of the country.
We have no space to review the tinan-
cial ideas of Mr.. Davis. From these we
infer that the people of the United States
need more currency per capita than the
population of Europe.
Mr.. Davis has made his speech. He
seems to have learned very little since his
retirement from public life, and has GER
tainly taught nothing which will add to
the particular prosperity of the country.
He has gone North and has been treated
with courtesy, and heard with attention.
Nou lat General Rnflar Nv G,oo.oI CL.-:
dan, or General Longstreet, or Forrest, or
Mosby, or Mr.. Morton, or Mr.. Conkling
try it on here, and when either of these Re-
publicans can be heard with the same
propriety as has marked the reception of
Mr.. Davis we may anticipate the sectional
which passes all understanding.
COMPETITIVE DEFAMATION,