New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-10-15
TRUE CAUSES OF OUR DEPRESSION

| ihoh OAuohS VI w h UEPRESSlUN.
1t will be remembered, by our reader
at least, that the REPUBLICAN has Away
contended that the cause of individual
depression in New Orleans was not mis-
| government. In this we were in part,
sense impartial, because the city has beer
and is now under the control of the Dem
ocracy, while the State, with far smaller
debt and expenditures, is under Repub
lican administration. We will not repea,
the evidences in support of that assertion,
They were chiefly drawn from the example
of other communities where the govern.
ment was indisputably bad, but where the
commerce and population were increasing
in spite of this admitted government 1t
was added that certain cities of the West
ard South had been destroyed by war, or
fires, and that these cities were resuming
their prosperity. Among these last, we
mentioned Atlanta, and Charleston, South
Carolina.
We are not surprised to see the press of
New Orleans coming to the same conclu-
sion with ourselves. They intermit their
abuse of "Radicalism" to comment upon
the stagnant state of the industries in this
city.
The New Orleans Times extracts from
the New York Post letter many of the
criticisms" in which "are justified by
facts"
The causes of Generalization and want
prevailing in New Orleans are thus sug-
gested by the Post correspondent:
Prominent among these is the absolute
idleness OF many thousands of the popula-
ton.
This is alleged to be evident from this
statement:
At any time of the day so insignificant
novelty as a street fight would summon
several thousands of persons in five minutes,
who would linger on the spot 70. an hour
after the excitement had subsidized.
All these persons complain of the want of
employment, discuss the "hard times" at
their eleven O'Clock cotfee-house luncheon
with the clever fellows who ''treat" them;
descant upon the latest political occurrence,
and ask influence to help them to some
minor official position. They are the idle
gelteel. They want no employment but
such az will preserve their hands in soft
ness. and they have no ambition beyond
tailor-made clothes and drives on the shell
road. They want little office, a light
clerkship, or lottery agency. They would
rather beg than dig-indeed, they do beg,
and do not dig.
The correspondent inveighs against the
lottery monopoly as cause of this idle.
ness. Conceding that every phase of
gambling is great social evil, it is plain
that faro bank, or a lottery can not &C.
count for the alleged decentralization,
People who are poor and without wages,
resort to chance to supply the wants of
compulsory idleness. But political abuses
and gambling booths do not account for
the mischief. 1.-THE enormous taxtion un.
der which all the people groan, from the
richest to the poorest" does not solve the
inquiry.
The explanation offered by the REpuB.
IIcAN has been this: 1. The rival lines of
transportation have to great extent su-
perseded the Mississippi as an outlet and
the city of New Orleans as an outport for
the West. 2. The diversion of this transit
to other channels has deprived our city of
the profits once made on factorage and the
exchange of merchandise against agricul-
tural values. The Picay,ine then comes
to our assistance in an article addressed
"to the unemployed. Admitting that
there are idle and hungry people in all
cities, it is said:
1t is unkind and unjust to charge these
idle folk universally with an indispOsition
to work. Every man who has taken pains
to study their situation closely must be
aware that the majority of them do nothing
because there is nothing for them to do.
This is reasonable. The laborers, in
the parable, had set in the market place
"all the day idle," because ''no man hath
hired u.s." There is duty incumbent on
the intelligence and interests Of COM
munity TO provide and prescribe work for
the people. 1t is not just to denounce q
people for being idle when there is moth
ing for them to do" If the ability and
money now spent in New Orleans to pro.
mote political discomfort were devoted to
the introduction of substitute industries
for those that have waned, and other
trade and travel feeders for those lines
that have been closed or diverted from
us-if, then, with offered employment
the people Of the city continue idle, they
would be fair subjects of denunciation
ut home and abroad.
The Picoyine, however. dispatches the
pretty much as the late Mr..
Greeley did in his exhortation to all un-
employed inquirers to go West" It
seemsto hsve IN idea that agriculture is
he sole pursuit. and ~ that can not be