The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-17
OUR ST. LOUIS LETTER.
THE ROUTE OF THE GRAIN TRADE
THROUGH NEW ORLEANS.
Southern Business Men-Necessity of Or
ganiZati0n-The Barataria Canal
Tangled i'm the Wreck of
the Whisky Ring

each progressive step in the work called forth
universal expressions of satisfaction A
channel to the Gulf from New Orleans was
to be the open sesame to a
DIRECT TRADE WITH EUROPE.
! that would annually add millions to the com.
merce of this city. Great results were prom
ised to follow the work of Capt Eads, and this
important enterprise was to begin as soon as
a sufficient depth Of water was obtained to adj
mit eff The uninterrupted passage ef vessels
In view OF all these promises of the CONNER
cial men and the capitalists Of st. Louis, and
the fact that steamers of the Morgan line
are now said to pass regularly through the
jetties without any difficulty, your CORE
spondent concluded to ascertain what steps
have been taken towards utilizing the jetties.
| A movement in this direction is, of course, oI
| great importance to New Orleans. Her posi-
| tion makes her the key to all commerce be-
| tween the West and foreign countries, II that
commerce is directed by way of the Missis-
sippi River.
| The vast territory lying west and northwest
OF st. Louis, stretching for millions of acres, is
teeming with grain, and the producers are
troubled with the problem of finding mar
ket for it that will hold out at remuneratve
prices. The first move, it is natural to sup
pose, would be in the direction of opening q
channel for this grain to reach European
markets, where, if one-half the press reports
are true, there will be an almost unpreee-
dented demand at extraordinary prices. A
visit to the officials of the railroads connect
ing st. Louis with the grain-producing States
and Territories, developed the fact that the
transportation lines
ARE READY TO PERFORM
their part in the great work of directing the
commerce of the Mississippi valley in its le-
gitimate channel. The st. Louis. Kansas
City Il Northern railway brought 100000
bushels of grain to this city last year. and
said the president: "Give us q market for ii
down the river, and we will bring three times
that quantity. We will provide all the facili.
ties necessary for handling and will handle ii
at rates low enough to be satisfactory
Correspondent is needed to supply
this market?
President First, plenty Of river transpor-
tation, and second, vessels at New Orleans to
take the grain from there to foreign ports
That Is all. There is not sufficient river trans
portation plying at present to supply such
demand as exists, and what there is is not OF
the right kind. Barges and towl o It's are the
kind of transportation needed; nothing else
II this sort Of transportation for the river
were supplied, with plenty Of vessels at New
Orleans, the grain Of the West would come
Immediately. This route to foreign markets
is incomparably ahead Of that by way of New
York or Baltimore
Correspondent - Isn't it strange that in
times like the present, when so much capital
is begging for good investments, these ship
ping facilities are not provided?
PRESIDENTIAL on earth that is necessary is
for somebody to take hold of the enterprise
and push it. Everything is ready and wait
ing for q push. But small capital would be
required, If backed by energy and business
Judgment
PLENTY OF TRANSPORTATION ON LAND.
At the general offices of the Missouri Pa
cific Railroad, which, with it's connections,
reaches the grain fields of Missouri, Kansas
and Nebraska the same readiness to supply
shipping facilities at rates to compete with
Northern lines to the seaboard was found, and
the officials expressed the same opinion in re-
gard to what is necessary to put the ball in
motion.
In addition to the roads named, there is the
St. Louis and San Francisco, in operation to
Southern Kansas, via the Indian Territory,
and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas, running
through the States it derives it's name from !;
the st. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern,
extending through Southeast Missouri, Ar
kansas, and embracing half of Texas, with
"a for oh in aoppnatinpc III fbaca aIc
as well as the Missouri river and, to a certain
extent the railroads running North and
East, would contribute to the success of a
transportation line bearing products to for
ei0n markets
Your correspondent next called upon some
of the leading grain merchants, commission
merchants and flour mill operators, and the
truth must be confessed that the information
gathered from these sources is
NOT AT ALL ENCOURAGING.
In regard to the importance ofdirect foreign
trade the advantages to accrue from it, and
the apparent splendid opportunity for inau-
gurating 1t, there was but one oDinion. Every
man, no matter what his business, agreed
that the enterprise should be inaugurated
but every one regarded the work of inaugu-
seemed to be waiting for somebody else to
start. Said the owner and operator of the
largest mills In the city:
'There can be no question about the ne
cessity and Importance of direct trade via
New Orleans, but it must be worked up
quietly. For Heavens sake don't go to blow
ing the thing In the papers now. Wait awhile
Why there isn't grain In this market now to
supply local demand, without trying to work
up demand from other points. had to tone
off an order from New Orleans yesterday for
10000 bushels of wheat Couldn't get it ex-
cept by trading futures. II could buy the
grain for cash at market prices could get
orders from New Orleans by telegraph in an
hour for 100,0 900 bushels
What's the cause of this state Of affairs?
A PUzzLING CoNUNDRUM.
"Ah that's just it. It's more than can tell,
but it's the fact that we can't buy this grain
now for money, and if you go to stirring
things up in the papers it will only make
matters worse Wait awhile till the grain
comes in freely, and then Well push for
foreign market"
''Wait awhiler' That expresses the great
defect in st. Louis commerce. The men who
ought to take immediate hold of this project
and give it life and shape are proceeding on
the Micawber principle OF waiting for some
thing to turn up. Strange as it may appear,
none whom T questioned could account, for