The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-17
DECLARATION OF WAR ON THE
WEST AND SOUTH.

Il
/ -.
A few days ago the New York Bulletin an.
nouneed the financial and commercial policy
of the East. In brief and plain terms, that
policy requires the unconditional surrender
of the South and West to "the financial centre
of the country" "If, says the Bulletin, WEST
ern and Southern merchants want to sell
through the Eastern markets, they must &C.
cept the usages of those markets. Do as they
will, those sections must conform to whatever
conditions affecting the larger transactions oi
business the banks of the seaboard cities
choose to enforce In attempting to give
compulsory circulation to a deprecated coin
age, the West and the South array themselves
against the banking interests of this section
and against the standards and convenience Of
the foreign markets where their products find
an outlet; and very little reflection should
suffice to convince them that the two stronger
| must compel the one weaker to submit"
This Is neither the language of reason OF
expostulation. It is the arrogant and pre-
sumptuous language of command. The
agricultural, commercial and property inter
ests of the South and West we are plainly
told must yield to the demands Of the Eastern
banks and the standards of foreign markets
or they will be compelled to yield. Pre-
sumption is not wisdom and arrogance is not
power, and before the bondholders, gold rings
and bankers of the East get through with
their scheme of forcing the West and South to
submit to their dictation and bankrupt them
selves at the word OF command from New
York, they will discover this fact.
The people OF the West and South are solidly
in favor of the demonstration of silver of the
repeal of the resumption act and Of an expan-
sive currency, and they are not In the least
alarmed at the defiant attitude OF the Eastern
bankers and bondhoders, who threaten to
break with them II they insist upon these
measures
It Is about time that the West and South,
whose interests are reciprocal. were breaking
the bonds which for 50 many years have held
them In commercial and political vassalage
to the East. Referring to the very article of
the New York Bulletin, which we have quoted,
the Courier journal few days ago said:
this programme the Southern ports will have
cause to be grateful. Let them erect, their bar
risrs OF petty tyranny and the Southern narts
natural great highway Of the. continent the
Mississippi river will easily and cheaplY do the
work Of all the trunk, lines OF the East, and
ocean tonnage, as well as foreign capital. will
soon find where the freight is.
These are words Of truth and wisdom. and
every man In New Orleans should read them.
They are, perhaps the best commentary that
could be made upon the recent course Of the
Merchants Exchange of this city in indorsing
the gold resolutions OF the Clearing House
tab -
laborer and property holder Of New
Orleans and of Louisiana, is in an alliance
with the West against the crushing policy of
the East. The West understands the import
anee of this alliance, and meets the defiance
If the East with defiance
When the East shall have carried out its
threats the commercial relations of the West !
and the Southern ports will necessarily be-
come closer, and this city must become, Of all
thesouthern ports, the chief beneficiary. AS the
Courier Journal has said "the Mississippi river
will easily and cheaply do the work Of all the |
trunk lines Of the East, and ocean tonnage, as |
we'll as foreign capital, will soon find where
.he freight is And we are not bound to the |
West by the Mississippi alone. That great |
.aiIroad line, the Illinois Central, stretching |
n one continuous line from Chicago to New
Orleans, reaching, through its connections.
Utmost every town and village in the
Northwest. is powerful adjunct OF our
rast and magnificent river system
This great line promises to become an i'm
,ortant agent in effecting the commercial
alliance between the West and South. All it's
asst interests lie in facilitating, completing
md perpetuating that alliance; in increasing
he trade between New Orleans and the West.
)nly few days ago the general freight agent
II the road Mr.. Tucker, stated to Hon. s. H.
Buck, OF this city, that it was his purpose to
nut down through freights from Chicago to
lew Orleans as low as shipments could be
made from the former city by rail to the cities
# the East.
The situation thus hastily presented very
learly shows that the interest of New Or
cans Is with the West and in the Western
movement against the arrogant East From
he great West we may expect trade, and
wealth and power; from the cities of the
Eastern seaboard we can expect only rivalry,
II rather only policy that will keep us and
ii other Southern cities in commercial vas
alage. The best interests Of the country
demand that the money power, the
tyranny of New York and
he East, shall be broken down. But
hat can never be done while the whole
financial policy of the government plays d.
ectly into the hands of the mighty power Of
he banks and monopolies which have concen-
rated all the money power of the country
here. There is to be a war of ideas and inter-
SITS between the East on the one hand and the
south and West on the other, and the South
md West want money to make the war with.
Why then should the merchants Of New Or
cans oppose the financial policy of the West
THE BILL CHANDLER JOB.