The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-16

trade. We exported to them Ias'E year SS, 900,
900 and imported 81, 100000.
Thus it will be seen that wherever we hav.
mail communication by steamers with an,
port OF South America, China Or Japan, w
are building up q trade which shows that W
can compete in the markets Of the W orld with
our manufactured goods because OF their su
periority. Our cotton fabrics are betteTy while
our agricultural mpEsments and hard ware Is
superior to that Of any other country The
demand for our products In Shose COu ntrtes
will increase.
| Railroads are being constructed through
them, and civilization will rapidly increase
the demand for our goods Nearly all bhe
, trade we enjoy with those countries is through
the support granted by the foreign countries
with which we have steam communication,
Our government is doing nothing, while Eng
land, France and other foreign countries sup
port magnificent steamship lines, which fur
nish mail facilities through which the busi-
ness Is built up; We can never hope to secure
any considerable part OF that trade until we
furnish steamers as good and as fast as those
running to England and France. Our govern
nent should grant liberal meil contracts to
at least two lines from New York and New
Orleans to BRAZIL and other contracts to
! other important countries with which 1t is
| desirable to trade. These mai lines are
necessary to enable the merchant Of that
| country to visit our market and to facilitate
| establish the fast mail line it will be followed
| by q freight line, and @ business will be built
up which will require the departure of ship
every day from some port OF the United
States.
| New Orleans is the natural outlet for the
| heavy products Of the Mississippi valley. st.
| Louis Is to-day shipping flour 60 New York
| at q cost Of SOC. per barrel, TO ship to Rio.
which could go TO New Orleans for 2Oc. and 30c.
Is lost to the producer by It's transportation.
A liberal policy will enable us to build up q
trade worth hundreds Of millions Of dollars,
and every dollar expended by the govern
ment will be paid back ten-fold. Wherever
| this question has been discussed in the South
have the government aid steamship lines to
develop our trade. In July, 1877, there assem-
! bled at Old Point Comfort, Va q convention
composed Of more than 800 delegates, repre-.
| senting all the important towns and cities OF
| the South, which unanimously adopted reso-
| luton asking Congress to establish and aid
| the Brazil lines. I have mentioned | was
| charged by that convention with the duty OF
presenting their memorial to Congress. The
| New Orleans Chamber Of Commerce and
| Cotton Exchange Of New Orleans also mem
| orialized Congress to establish these lines,
and appointed me their representative to pre-
sent their request to Congress. The Chambers
of Commerce of New York, Pttsburg, Gin
cinnati, st. Louis Louisville, and the boards
OF trade of these and many other cities have
adopted similar resolutions. Therefore l
speak in behalf Of @ convention Of all the
Southern States and for my own city, through
WHICH passes more GLltbu %lUU,UDD,btD Vi hAb
| commerce OF the country. Judiclous eXpend-
iture in the Improvement Of the navigation OF
our rivers, or aid granted on q basis which
will not result in loss to the country, for the
construction Of the Southern Pacific or other
railroad wherever required, and liberal COM
pensation for mail service to foreign countries
Is wiSe as 1t lessons the cost OF transporter
ton and furnishes employment to the labor
ing man.
Prior to the construction Of the jettieg at
4Ep 1f hn MicGtCnjYsT,i ri TrnoGo
were subject to SO much detention that it was
almost impossible to ship grain from New Or
leans to Liverpool Twelve pence per bushel
was the current rate, and only limited
amount of tonnage at that. During the past
year with % feet Of water through the jetties,
tonnage has been abundant at Sd. to Cd per
bushel, with q corresponding reduction on all
other freights. The saving Of freight On cot
ton and grain exported from New Orleans dur
ing the past year amounts to more than Two
million dollars This amount has been saved
by the producer, as the price is fixed in the
foreign market. Whateveris saved in trans
portaton increases the value OF our products
on the farm where it is produced. We have
constructed railways throughout the length
and breadth Of the land, at O. cost OF tive
thousand million dollars, to enable the people
to reach the sea-board with their products.
Is it wisdom to stop there when the markets
Of the world are open to u.s. and by an eXpen-
diture insignificant we may add hundreds OF
millions to our exports, which will furnish
employment to vast body Of laborers to
produce and tend to increase the value OF
every species of property in the country
With an increase of trade our railways would
be more prosperous and better able to reduce
the cost of transportation. II there is de-
preston in the country noW-uniess some
thing is done speedily, is it not probable that
our difficulties will increase, and q larger
number stand idle?
AS wise statesmen, it is our duty to look
into the future, and devise means which will
meet the wants Of an increased population
If we cannot consume the products OF our
farms and factories now, how shall we be able
to dispose OF our surplus twenty years hence :?
New markets, therefore, are Indispensable to
our prosperity as nation. Witha gold basis
established and new improvements in ma
chinery, we may successfully enter the race
with our powerful rival for the commerce OF
the world.
We cannot expect private capital to risk
81 100000 in establishing o steamship line,
against trade long established and conduct
ed in lines heavily supported by the English
first-class steamships, with the very best pas
senger accommodations, arriving and depart
ing regularly, carrying the mails; therefore,
the government should grant liberal compen-
sation to such lines for mail service. Such
ompensation cannot be called subsidy.
English ships bring to our shores the coffee
of Brazil, but they will not rettfrn to that
country with a cargo OF our products; Ihey
take the gold we pay for the coffee ana sail 20
Liverpool, and with the money for the coffee
purchase cargo of English produce, and
manufactured goods and sail to Brazil. There
are seven vessels now in a regular line from
Liverpool to Brazil, thence to New Orleans
and from New Orleans direct to Liverpool
They do not leave one dollar in our port, ex-
eept the port eharges The city Of rsgg NsT Or
the commerce passing through that city. 1t
is estimated tin oda that the United a. States tp Pays
passage each year. Legislation that will
enable us to build Gp American k ned and Id
foreign vessels, and which will enable us to
sell largely increased quantities OF goods to
more to the relief of the nation than anything
else.
There should be revision of the treaties
existing between the United States and many
Of the countries have named. The duties
now levied by some Of them are not recipro-
cal. Cuba, to whom we paid Ia five years up
to 1876 $685., 900, 900, while she bought Of US
only SIT ,0O0,O 900, leaving a balance of trade
against us of S279, 100000, imposes duty on
American products as follows: Flour, S. 40
~ iorT