New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-27
RAT1RoAD NETTING TONIGHT.

| which found their inevitable Market u
New Orleans, said:
With such resources nothing short Of
come c0avulsion of nature, or the more
dreadful calamity of war, can prevent New
Orleans from becoming, If not the trst
next In importance to the first city in the
United States, perhaps in the world.
There has been no CONFUSION OF nature.
The calamity Of war has come and passed.
That it has not effected the commercial
capacities of the city has been proved by
two facts:
1. The value of the principal staple Of
cotton grown in this vicinity has been
greater since the war than before.
2. The cities of Charleston, Atlanta,
Richmond and Savannah are improving
in their business and population.
Several Of those cities, as Atlanta, Rich
mond and Charleston, suffered injuries
by fire and bombardment, from which
our city has been exempt. Tie city OF
Chicago has suffered from the total de-
struction by fire of more than double the
present assessed value of New Orleans.
From this ''convulsion of nature" Chicago
recovered in two years, with added values
and an increased population.
The prophetic historian has, however,
omitted cause which, according to the
assertions Of many, will account for the
decline of our prosperity. It is political
corruption and municipal extravaganza.
We accord full weight to these causes, and
have always advocated their removal; but
here again this conclusion is excluded.
Charleston has been denounced as being
under the most fagitious administration
in the South, while the rate of taxation,
the municipal deb. and the political ad-
ministration of New York city will COM
pare in enormity with that of any other.
The one of these cities has been gov
erned by Republicans, the other by Dem
ocrats. Both these cities have gained in
wealth and population, therefore, we infer
that misrule by one party is as bad as by
another, and that as these badly governed
cities have each improved in material
prosperity, the misrule of city, while it
may impede the progress, does not Of it.
self account for the decline Of city.
Instead, then, of convulsion of nature,
q war or undue taxation having caused
the decline Of the city, We attribute it to
another cause. It is the peaceful, silent
and universal opera tons of scientific dis
covery. There was time when the in
ternal commerce Of every country was
conducted by way of navigabie streams,
and its foreign commerce by sail vessels.
The historian from whom We have quoted |
omitted to anticipate this agency. 1t is
probable that those who knew no weapons
out the sword and spear never anticipated |
he effect upon warfare to be produced by |
irearms. The rail and wire are to the
liver and road wagon precisely what gun
powder was to the sword, the arrow and
he spear. The commerce of transporta.
ion is entirely determined by rapidity Of
ransit and certainty of delivery. The
economy of freights is not re-
'arded in the ompetition of routes.
shipments on through bills are now the
'ase Of financial negotiations It is
low an affair with the banker, not with
he common carrier. For these reasons
re find twenty-four twenty ifths of the
rade between the Eastern Atlantic ports
nd the Western States carried on across
be cheaper transportation of the Missis-
lppi and Ohio. The proportion OF travel
etween these interests is even greater.
esterday's telegraph told Of train Sec
ion detained by falling through bridge
ear Cincinnati. It was an Eastern
ound train loaded with "shelled corn"
he train had crossed the Ohio river, and
ould cross the Allegheny mountains on
8 way to an Atlantic market in less than
* days. At the date when Norman
rote, Cincinnati could not have sent
1elled corn to Baltimore except by river
} New Orleans and by schooner around :
le coast This is the cheapest route to-
ny, and yet the Ohio is brideed at
incinaa@i, as is the Mississippi at
/. Louis. A large trade and travel is
mt across the whole continent over
Ie Rocky mountains. The same law
hich subordinates transportation to fnan- i
al negotiation psrvades Europe as we'll
the United States. It has superseded ]
e natural water ways by artificial facili- I
IS of commercial intercourse. The Suez {
nal has superseded the discovery of 7
asco de Cana. Neither the Cape of s
ood Hope nor the Cape of Florida will S
doubled hereafter for commercial pur-
'ses. Those politicians who have direct Z
the commercial policy of New Orleans '
her do not know this commercial revo- I
ton wrought by the progress Of science, +
they conceal their knowledge from their Il
nstituents.
If, then, New Orleans has lost trade of 8
hich she once held the monopoly, she t
ust replace it by employing the same '
encies which have occasioned the loss. il
rant that the commerce between the in t
nor Western States and Europe will be U
ways conducted by direct steam lines on c
nd and water, New Orleans must be t.
ways the great deep water port of the F
1lf of Mexico. She must always con- t
lct the commerce with Texas and