The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-07-31
RED RIVER FRElCnT,.
Editor Democrat:

lJOurAallSt w punish WudGeTCA is VI
vitalinterest to the business commu
nifty Impressed with this belief, !
beg space in your columns, a. well
as the indulgence of your readers, to
make a few remarks upon question
affecting not only the commercial
interests of this Parish and thewhole
Red River country, but the interests
also Of the planters and farmers aad
all the other citizens thereof. This
question is designated by the cap
tion of this article, and 1 propose to
show, as briefly as can, how this
people are imposed upon by the con-
celn known as the "Pool Linc,p by
its high freight tariff, and how it is
working to perpetuate monopoly
and to enrich itself at the expense of
the merchant and planter and the
farmer and mechanic of this fertile
Red River valley.
1t has been shown before by o!her
correspondents in your paper, at
what little expense steamers canrun
in this trade, in comparison with.say
ten years ago--in price of fuel, wa
gcs, provisions, repairing or docking,
and even in the price of building and
furnishing the boats--in fact, great
reduction in everything except, per-
haps, the single item Of insurance;
and as the boats themselves cost
from rs to so per cent. le's now than
then, of course there is consequent
reduction in insurance, as there is
less capital to insure. As the price
of all commodities are much lower
tile dollar itself being enhanced in
valuc--our great staple, cotton, is
from so 10 rs per cent. lower than
but few years ago, and there has
been a proportionate reduction of
freight in all other streams through
out the country, yet this Red River
steamboat monopoly continues to
keep up the tariff up and down.
One dollar and fifty cents, the mini
mum rate on cotton--and some of ii
may be worth only $500 per bale,
'but, sir, we have accommodates
you in taking it," is the rough re.
joinder which, no doubt, you would
get for complaint.
| And why is this thusly? may
ask. Who is to blame more than the
merchants of Red River who, by
their lethargy, permit this monopoly
to be fastened upon this important
branch of our trader Do you ex-
pect to find any of the milk of hu-
man kindness in a monopolist's
hearth If any at all, the milk must
be mighty sour.
| I am constrained to make these
STRUCTURES upon our river transporta-
ton, from the fact that the pool
liners have again been soliciting con-
tracts for another year, Offering q
small bonus or rebate of 10 per cent.
on all upstream freights--a very
great sugar plum! And if no oppo.
sition come in, they begrudge even
that. They want it all. I fear they
(the pool line) will be like the dog
in the fable. They will drop the
bone for the shadow, which looked
large, and lose all.
Our merchants throughout the
Red River Valley should go to work
at once to organize Exchanges for
their own protection, so that they
can rather name the rates they would
pay instead of having onerous rates
imposed upon them by the steamboat
owners and monopolists. If some
such organization on the part Of the
merchants is not effected, in a little
while they may look out for intimi
dation from these river lords. First
"will not take your letters next
"cannot take your freight; too mucl
load on, or have all engaged / car
carry" etc. Merchants and planter.
of this section, wake up, and have a,
eye to your duty. You know yer,
well that $3.50 as the minimum O
high water tariff on cotton is an un
just tax on our most important in
dustry. Already complaints hav'
been made again and again on til
various charges made by the cottol
Factor on bale Of cotton-the bro
kerage, draying, storing and weigh
ing, ETC., and the several little pei
quisites, which go to swell up th
charges on cotton, which added t
the freight at $3.50 per bale and dou
BILE that in extreme low water, vii
amount to about Is per cent Of til
value of the bale of cotton. Gentle
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