New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-10
GROWTH OF COMMERCIAL CITIES STAG
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The P;cayune is mistaken in saying
that s'the loss Of trade is proportionately
as great in New York as it is in New
Orleans" New York has lost, within a
short time, one-fourth her grain receipts
from the West, out her general imports
and exports, her sales Of merchandise, and
her resort of visitors, continues with
comparatively little variation. Two
years since New York added forty mil
lion dollars to her taxable values, while
New Orleans lost fifteen million dollars
the same year. The debt of New York is
five times that of New Orleans the rate
of city taxation about the same, and the
morality Of her average city administra-
ton pretty much that of our own.
This variation in the business of New
York is due to exactly the same cause that
has operated here. It is the diversion OF
trade from water to rail. We published
some time since the loss of twenty
million bushels Of grain receipts at
| New York. We published also that the
grain was accounted for at Montreal,
Philadelphia and Baltimore. The grain
bad changed its route to market. The
Western farmers had not ceased to grow
grain. This effect is not peculiar to this
or that city in Europe or in America. It
| has affected all cities founded at the
junction Of the river and the sea, because
they must once have distributed the sup
plies of the adjacent country.
The delivery of goods direct by straight
rail to points of interior consumption has
of course diminished the receipts Of the
water distributing cities. There is another
respect in which the rail and wire have
affected the river cities, and especially
New Orleans. The modern system of
transmitting goods on through bills, and
without intermediate consignment has re-
duced the local profits Of the shipping
towns There is no margin between the
market price at home and abroad suf-
fcient to justify either actual or specu-
live investment in these commodities.
The facilities for purchasing goods or
selling produce are such that importing
or exporting cities can not realize larger
than legitimate profit upon goods without
exposing themselves to the competition
of other commercial centres. Hence,
while New York in the expectation of
grain, and New Orleans in that of cotton
are interested to the mere cost Of labor,
storage and transfer on those articles,
the merchants Of these cities are subject
to the competition Of other cities which
may even purchase from the manufac-
tory or import from abroad any article
they deem too costly. The merchants of
New Orleans are especially exposed to this
competition. The interior shopkeeper
buys in the Eastern cities; sample drum
mers invade the territory of New Orleans,
and a competition fatal to even liberal
profits is thereby produced. From this
cause it will be seen that cities which
subsist their population exclusively upon
the factorage of the produce and manu-
features made elsewhere can not longer
rely upon that source to maintain as large
a population as formerly. We have taken
occasion to contrast the ability Of Phila-
delphia, with foreign trade Of less than
one hundred millions of dollars, to sub
sist population of more than eight hun |
dred thousand, while New Orleans, with |
nearly double the foreign trade, subsists |
with difficulty two hundred thousand
people. .....
The partisan theory that the decline
Of this or that city is due to the misgov-
eminent of one party and might be ar
rested by the government of another
party is simply absurd.
If under Republican rule, for instance,
the population, wealth and productions
Of the Union have increased during the
asst decade, why should it be assumed
hat a Republican administration had
caused an arrest Of progress?
The city of Baltimore does business IN
Ter the same Federal government with
New York, the one has lost part of her
,rain trade, the other has more grain
han she can handle with her elevators.
S it respectful to the reason of intelligent
men to say that common cause can i'm
'air the prosperity Of the one city and
that of another?
The solution of this question lies in the
act that aggregatioas of people can only
re supported by labor, or as armies, aims
louses and monasteries are, by the labor
f others.
To apply this fact to New Orleans, it is
lain this city must resort to manufac-
ures or the carrying trade to support and
nlarge her present population, or-she
aust expect her population to reduce itself
y migration elsewhere to number which
er factorage upon the product of other
abor can subsist. That the substitution of
lr. Tiiden, Of New York, with the political
'uritans of Tammany for the Republicans
I'LL effect the relief Of the cities and
eople of the United States, is theory
Thich common respect for the capacity of
hose who advance it will not allow us to |
link those theorists believe themselves,
CAMPAIGN WITH CANNON.
THE extraordinary SUCCESS of intrndnn |