The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-14
ST. LOUIS NEWS.
THE FALL TRADE-BUsINEss ON THE
RIvEs-NEW B0ATS-REsTRIC.
TONS ON COMMERCE.

The Contest Tor the Senat0rshfp-A Host
of Candidates I'm the Fleld-Their
Chances-Gov. Phelps stIH Aspiring to
be senator.
special Correspondence OF the N. o. Democrat. ]
ST. LOUIS October IL. 1877.
THE FALL TRADE OF ST. LOUIS
has opened more promisingly than ever before,
not excepting the flush times previous to and at
the beginning of the late war. The wholesale
trade was never so large, and merchants report
collections as much better than In past years.
The business men interpret this as perma-
nent and healthy revival of trade, and every
body looks happy In contemplation of the re-
turn of good times.
THE RIVER
is low here, and the steamers are doing first
rate freight business.
The John A. Scudder will leave here Satur-
day even ing for New Orleans. to enter the trade
between Memphis and your city. She takes the
place Of the Carondelet. recently destroyed by
fire, and will be in command of Capt. Frank
Hicks, who says he intends to faithfully carry
oat all the contracts he entered into with South
ern planters and shippers. The Scudder is a
first rate boat of 1900 tons burhen. and is in OK
cellent condition. She has Just been repaired
and the Scudder will no doubt get her share of
the cotton trade.
CAPT. THoRwEGAN's NEW IRON STEAMER,
now being constructed here. will be completed
about the first of November. and will leave i'm
mediately for New Orleans. to run between
there and Memphis during the season. This
steamer is built from an iron hull. and will be
constructed more as a freight boat than any
thing else. She will have capacity of 1900 tons.
She will be one Of the best and safest boats for
L. L..1
has abandoned all his schemes for developing
q paying passenger traffic on the river by
means of palatial steamers At least
he has postponed any further experiments in
tlat line until times are easier and he RECEIVERS
the losses entailed upon him by the burning Of
the Republic Capt. Thorwegan is a man Of
untiring energy and great deal of enterprise
and originality. He has done as much as any
other man to revive the river commerce, and
will. it is hoped, command a patronage during
the present season that will enable him to carry
out some OF his plans.
The John NJ Chambers will arrive here to-
morrow from the upper river, and at once
enter the trade between this city and st. ALBERT.
The increased wholesale trade this fall is being
taken advantage of by steamboat owners to es-
tablish
SHORT LINES OF TRADE
between st. Louis and various points along the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers, where large
quantities of goods are shipped. For instance.
between st. Louis and Alton, several steamers
find profitable business in conveying freight
and passengers. too. Also between st. Louis
and Grafton and st. ALBERT. and numerous
other places Nearly all the freight going to
points along the Illinois and other smaller
rivers is carried by steamers, and the business
done in this way Is very large. In fact. it looks
as If this plan will be generally adopted. By
establishing line for itself between the pur-
chasing or distributing point and some live
town. taking care not to have the distance too
great. a good steamer can make such time as
enables 1t to compete with railroads in that re-
spect, and, of course. at lower rates.
The Municipal Assembly of st. Louis is still
engaged in devising and enacting
LAWS TO opPREss' COMMERCE.
The merchants and m snufacturers of the city
have at last been aroused to the necessity of ac-
ton on their part. and they have acted deci-
sively.. They were stirred up by an ordinance
imposing
CITY LICENSE ON MERCHANTS AND MANUFAc-
TURERS,
amounting to 81 90 ON every 500 worth of stock
on hand the assessment TO be made when the
largest stock was carried. Formerly, under
the old regime. a license ak of 81 Is on every
500 worth of stock was required. and the bust
The all hs e tax
to 81 80 passed both houses of the Municipal
Assembly before the business men awoke to
out of them. A meeting was called and a dele
cation of merchants waited on the Mayor and
pointed out to him the oppressive features Of
ness man himself. readily saw the Injustice of
the tax and vetoed the bill; The same ordi-
nance imposed license OF about 500 year
visiting St Louis in prosecution Of his bust
ness; This feature was strongly condemned by
that no restrictions should be placed on trade.
THE ACTION OF THE MERCHANTS
and Of the mayor has taught the Assembly that
they cannot 60 too far. and they will undoubt-
dlysustain the veto and enact a new ordin 4nce
imposing tax license on sales instead OF on
stocks. This new ordinance will reuui re an ar
bitrary tax of $50 and s25 from every business
ttirm. this TO be paid In advance; houses doing
large business to pay $50 per year, and the
smaller ones s25. Then q license tax of fifty
cents on every thousand dollars of sales will be
required, and in this way a large revenue will
be raised without the. tax being burdensome.
Under the old plan of requiring the tax to be
paid on STOCKS a large proportion OF business
Every unscrnpul ous merchant or manufac urer
could. by falsifying his stock. evade the tx.
class who made honest returns; Under the plan
now proposed no firm can avoid the arbitrary
tax, because this must be paid before any bust
ness can be done. Tnen they cannot misrepre-
sent their sales without keeping double set Of
books. and this would hardly pay for the fraud.
Although the election for
UNITED SENATOR SENATOR
is more than year distant. the asplrants. for
that position are beginning to arrange their
plans and fix their wires TO pull at the right
time: The gentlemen most promi nently named
for the place are Hon. Thomas Allen, president
of the St. Louis. Iron Mountain and Southern
Railroad; Hon. Erastus Wells, ex-member Of
Hon. Samuel T. Glover, all of st. Louis; ex-
Gov. Charles Hardin. Of Audrain, county; ex-
Coy; Silas Woodson, OF st. Joseph; Gov. John
regard it a sacred duty to run every time there
is an election for Senator.
1t is also stated that Hon. Stilson Hutchins
for several years editor of the st. Louis Times,
will survey the field. and if any chance of sue
cess offers. go in to win.
OF those named Glover may as we'll be con-
sidered out of the race, unless affairs shall take
such turn as to put the best man first. There
will certainly be no fight made for him before
the people in electing representatives to the
Legislature. He will have, perhaps several
,a