The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-31
RAILROADS.
t.ntitudInai and Longitudinal Lines-The
True s,Dtirss Ut IRA de.

The ~, Louis, Iron Mountain hnu isPu.hg9tln
but evidently erroneous theories. As the attis
re bhH been extensively read hhd nlsousseu.
san hns snasnsE to tu asa R'' 2va ro"s
the cousns Of your widely circulated journal, e.,
our comareial s9mmqity yb 'ae rs 1n M"
from the very beginning. from false pre,nia,e,s.
or. TO state II tn6re correctly. how pc nni'usi
upon apparently falr premises talse """
He saws that the failure Of many of our pr res
eut mi lroad Is TO be found largely IN t9e ,a
strnrtiop 10 laws governing tho direction ot
trade. There may By, hs thinks. other minor
causes Of financial failure such hs nlsiphnafa
main cause will al ways he tho building Of lines
~" ddemandsd by Tho direction Of commences.
| tibIs thai, this axiomaio truth and we 90 not
soppose that there will be any hsstnliop IN any
quarter to givs - i t a d, Whsr ,a na n
| what direction commerce Ia tending h,a luqg'
ment-o otherwise SO, elenr aud pf"e'ioai-be.
tita dorttins IL, thnt commerce tends to the
erent centres Of CONSUMPTION I'VE suppoEe 10
means The big, etie4 AMI from thosS centres 70
ri two kipds-for collection and Ipr efgofta-
ton Tho Inter afs New Y9rA. Ptllsa,ueiph ,
boston and galtmots while y g1,lao ani tt
fnlo, aabordinate GENRES are Miwankes, Kan.
sis CITY. lne ianapplis and Louisville. Enet ~
hese centres hs aaa'fd hr '" III e epo1n"s
Of ihs country tributary to II TO lis warehouses.
ana any hilrond from the centre 9t nh9 sy9tenn
| failure conflict hs hiuks, II sure 70 follow
VII W r.alt TO inS ,n ny"s
| to another can be made profitable
| A MISTAKEN THEORY.
| This Ia n Hpeeioua and fhnnful view 81 the
situation and. wthhl very garroW r 2nn a n9
aow hoy t ns9EHs d SsT b 1"s so N"
fa", md hardly link tbat they vii Ssro
",s1 a p"' G INV tbnI about them But they
nsinctiyely feel thnt Dol. Arthnr's hsory Is oil
wrong an hat The present r1,romd hys,9m 81
oue and not aaapted to tho wants "t ehiish'eh-
cd commerce.. :,
What + log ssmGGt" q 4 y hs
| climate for tbs prodnoe, or commodities OF
another Que. Countries which raise. exactly The
same kind Of ,erops ean have no trade WIZ, sash
does Ohio II illinois were 70 send corn and
20 Ohio she could got only I2r }s an1 p9 hs
transaction. But If Chicago sends her pork
and grain TO brazil she gets buck coffee. whisc,
aends those nrticiss 10 Havana she eos back
sugar and tpbaege. and both Of those oomm221i-
tics ,are in Illinois neeessaries Of life.
fleet of towboata and barge= loaded
with hay. rotn. wheat. mess pork aud
potntoeH. and lands them on Tho wbarvss Of
return cargo of molssaes, sugar. rice. oranges
and oottonsli articles that cannot be raised N
Illinois. The farmers Of tho great and fertile
States Of the West cannot obtain any Of the
things that they cnnaot raise. but must have.
from States lying on the shmo parallel Of lati.
|Bonthsrn. climates for them. Lot US take the
case Of Illinois hs hn example. Ms We nave be-
fore referred 10 that State. 1t lies In tho
| EAME LATITUDE
with Missouri. Kansas. Indiana Ohio, Penn,
sylvanin mud The NJ fiddle states genornliy., Al
Of these Sthtss produce pork. beef. corn when,
potntoes, app 81. butter. choose, wool. whisky.
lard coal. IRON. petroleum. ete. Not ope of those
Staees produces m hrtirle that tho other S'htcs
DO NOT ALSO have ~ The grenfeat abundance.
ttt H ~ lett peg e Hal tnnttnr n,nnn
eountt,ies anywhere lying on tho sams s parallel
through Central Tesns, Lnnishnn mississippi.
Alabama and deorgia. These stntee produces
would DO folly 70 transport, them from ono of
tbo,e communities to another. ae they would
find eyerywhsre m overstocked market. But
al Of these Gulf stntes need the pork, lard.
-four. coal and petroleum Of the Middle States,
md gladly exehnhge their own semi.tropieal
This brings me to the point wanted to arrive
NJ. Commerce tends from countries Of one Init
tude 9th 80 Of II different one-from temperate
vice versa. railroad that ie built from north
TO south conforms more to this grent principle
nnaecrlying the primary laws Of trade than ono
II river running through different lntitudea and
climates Is far more Of Il useful and boneicent
10 west Our own Mississippi - tho perfection
Of nnyiaI things. It unites IN the closest bands
the chilly f"1es Of wssG"
grain fields of Kansaa Nebraska. Indiana and
Tennessee with the sun bathed plantations Of
Louisinna md Missiseippf. There Ii no other
river that can be compared to it. 1t stand alone,
unapproachhble in its excellence There are
o'her rivers-mngnif cent ones some Of them
that run from north to south. but they hre
either entirely within the torrid zone. like the
Nile. Niger and tho greht East Indian rivers. or
entirely In the arctic regions. like the rivers of
The Mississippi Is destined. by tho immuta.
Bile laws Of nature to be the great medium Of
trade md interchange Of products be- ween all
tho States lying within Its capacipus valley, and
b. yond that wi h tho countries Of Central and
South America. This
MANIFEST DESTINY"
OF our river may be temporarily delayed by
transient circumstances. but cannot be permh-
nently prevented You might AS we'll try to
proven water from running down hill
Looking ut commerce generally from this Gle
waited and enlightened standpoint, we can rend-
United States. ms IT now stands, Is erroneous
and artificial. and must result In stil further
ever since issl-the beginning Of our unfortu-
nate internecine war-shown tendency 70 run
east and west, the very direction that ought TO
south. ~ required by the plain dictates Of com.
mon sense, True, the complete Interruption to
is 0 be blamed principally for this unnatural
. state OF affairs. It's lack Of permanent vitality
! has already become painfully apparent by the
rude shocks which the great trunk lines Of the
North received last summer, and the precarious
cond ton OF all the lattudinal roads, which
really are all lettering ON the brink Of bank
I1uptcy.
railroad conforming to the rational and
simple laws Of commerce. as / have Indicated
? them above. may be temporarily embarrassed
but cannot become permanent failure. In the
very nature Of things 1t Is necessity, as well az
O convenience to those living along its line.
One Of the few railroads hat New Orleans can
boast OF fills these conditions and requirements
! completely. This is the
7 NEW ORLEANS, ST LOUIS AND CHICAGO RAILROAD.
: A glance at the map will show the en- nent
fitness Of this road It's general direction is al
most exactly north and south. 1t travers es the
States of Illinois, Kentucky. Tennessee. Missis,
sippi and Louisiana-all countries Of different
resources and products. This railroad in
tersects the Mississippi and Ohio river at their
junction at Cairo-where. in the course OF time
L a ornat erciaI uefrnnolie il TO arise