New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-02-10


was member Of the common interests Of
the South; now there IS not city Of the
South that is not seeking to divert the
trade of the Mississippi to another out
let; and there is not a Southern State that
does not seek to retain or attract to itself
the labor and capital which may prefer
the soil and climate of Louisiana.
Since this extraordinary perversion Of
trade New Orleans will be compelled to
organize new trade lines and replace g
commerce which she can notregain. How
shall that be effect ted? Clearly by radial
railroads, developing the commerce Of
Texas and the interior of Mexico, as also
by improved commercial connections
with the countries to the south of Louisi-
ana. Let US examine the prospects for
success in this policy.
j. The railroads into and through
Texas. It is scarcely necessary to
repeat that the capitalists of
New Orleans are not disposed to invest in
the construction Of western railroads.
This fact has been abundantly demon
strated by the failure of every effort in
that direction for the past eight years. The
hopes of New Orleans rest on connecting
in Texas with some national road, pro-
jected and gagged for some eastern sea-
port city. To complete such road, Con-
gress must make large appropriation.
The REPUBLICAN has heretofore shown
that New York has already control of
the only way of communication with the
Pacific coast All the roads of the West
and Northwest tend to that city, and are
controlled by her capitalists. If New
York, or the railroad managers of that
city, need any more roads or branches,
they possess the means of building them.
New Orleans can not even build rival
connection with national aid. viii New
York then aid her? viii the Western
States, upon the lines of transportation
leading to New York, assist New Orleans
in aegaining the trade and travel which
these lines have diverted from the Mis-
sissippq It is not probable. When
the capital and currency questions III
volved in granting subsidies and creating
new issues shall be complicated with this
rivalry, we may anticipate inseparable
opposition to any such appropriation.
Mr.. Holman has recently said, in OPP
posing a modification of the Northern
Pacific grant, and aiding the Texas Pacific
road:
This whele subject of subsidy by the
Federal government, in all of its forms, has
uniformly ended in fraud, not only upon
the government, but upon the people, and
has been q most fruitful source of dis
honesty and of national humiliation, and
the sooner the whole system is pat an end
to the better it will be for the government
the public honor, and the people. Its con-
tinuance will be ultimately fatal to the in.
tegrity on which our free institutions rest.
New Orleans need expect nothing from
the Federal government save so far as
the promotion Of rival interests may in
cidentally advance her own. Perhaps in
this point of view the cotton spinners
and sugar refners of the North and West
may reconstruct the levees as means of
making their own raw material more
abundant and cheaper.
2. The development Of the continental
commerce upon the meridian Of the Mis-
sissippi.
We hope that if Mr.. Hayes shall be
inaugurated as President and Congress
pass under control of a liberal commercial
policy, New Orleans may expect some
thing from community of interest with
that Of Cincinnati and other cities of
the West Should the administration
policy pass into the hands of New York,
New Orleans can expect nothing what
ever. All the Western trade with the
continent will be drawn to New York as
ct present, and ell communication with
the American continent on the south
VIII be made through the merchants and
vessels Of that city.
We have regretted to see the whole po-
Htical influence Of New Orleans thrown
into the scale Of New York. We have
been astonished that politicians, who see
no other result in national election than
the award of few Federal offices, should
have so controlled the acts of New Or
leans as to sign q commercial abdication
and surrender to her great successful rival
ana mistress the city of New York.