New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1878-09-28


mas c0mp6lied our merchants 70 relecf the
more on the importance Of organizing .
commerce with Spanish America, both by
railroad into Mexico and steam. service
to all the island and continental ports to
the south Of Us. We are compelled, but
in no party sense, to regret that the in
exorable hostility Of the Democratic Com
gress TO the principle of goYernment aid
to any mixture of State or private enter
prise, has for nine sessions past defeated
the railroads and steam postal service Of
which New Orleans stands 80 much in
need. The REPuBL1cAN will make it d
mission to appeal to those Of its own
party, whose principles make national aid
national duty to come to the aid Of those
works. Perhaps the succeeds of such Demo
cratic members as have the immediate
interests of their constituents at heart
with those Republicans who deem it
duty to extend the advantages of the ma
tional government to all alike may enable
US to secure by joint effort, something like
an equalization Of the Federal appropria-
tions among the various interests Of the
Union.
We make this explanatory preface to
certain extracts from letter written by
Fl. r, Helper, Of North Carolina. to the
Hon. Il. w. Thompson, Secretary Of the
United States Navy, published FIRST in the.
Sotah Pacific Times. Mr. Helper has just
crossed the continent from the Eastern
coast to Lima. in Peru, from which place
this letter is dated. The first point made
by Mr.. Helper is that he has found no
articles of American manufacture in the
whole interior which he has passed.
European fabrics supply the entire de-
mand throughout Brazil, the Argentine
Republic and Peru. The next is that Con-
eress should at once organize a steam ser
vice adequate to place our people in direct
and regular intercourse with these coun-
tries; and the third, and to us most i'm
portant, that the principal point Of this
international connection should be our
own city of New Orleans Our extracts
from the letter will be directed to these
considerations.
We may remark that his utilization of
the American navy as an agent Of the
commerce it is created to protect is
subject worthy the mature thought of
every statesman and merchant If Com
gress will authorize the construction of
steamers of sufficient strength TO bear
battery, and convertible without much
delay into vessels of war, such ships
might be detailed for postal service under
the command of naval officers. During
peace such ships would render us reliable
service, and, in case Of need, could be
readily turned in as transports or war
vessels. We believe the British govern
ment has introduced shis feature into the
East Indian and Australian service, and
that officers Of the British navy may be
assigned to this semi-commercial service
LIMA, Peru, February 90 1873.
Hon. Richard ". Thompson, Secretary of the
Navy, Washington;
SR-Thcugh far away from home and
NGl Dub lAtAAd UC1QnA hnC AnAAuAt VI u long
Journey by sea and land still before me.
SO much pleased am with both the letter
and spirit of your annual report to the
President in December last, which, how
ever, I have only now been able to obtain
and read, that beg the privilege of speci-
flying at least two or three of the passages
which have impressed me az being filled
with suggestions of the very greatest inn
portanee to our future national welfare.
Especially do ] refer to those passages
wherein you hint, and we'll and wisely
hint, at the necessity for better adjust
ment Of relationship and interaotion be-
| tween our navy Of force and our navy of
| freight; between our men-of-war and our
feet of Unarmed vessels engaged in the
meYeha MT service. In this regard, as It
seems TO me our one great need at this
time is more clippers and crafts for COM
meree, and fewer frigAtes for Sighting;
more useful industry and trade and traffic,
and less wasteful Incidence and extrava-
gance and ostentation.
Only q few days have elapsed since my
| arrival here from Brazil and the Argentine
Republic, on the east side of South
America, having, for the second time
/ (irst in 187l-72, and now, again 1677-7S),
come overland, across the continent, most
/ Of the way on mulebacl, with servant and
sumpter mules, carrying my bed and bag
gage, and often water and provisions, with
me- During these two trips over the
Pampas and over the Andes, over the
1 LIanos and over the Cordilleras, by diff
ferent routes, the first through the upper
provinces of the Argentine Republic
through Bolivia, and the second in almost
a straight line westwardly from Buenos
AyTes, near the River Plate and the At
lantic Ocean, to Valparaiso on the Pacific
coast. / have baen everywhere kindly
received and welcomed, not because was
Il. Helper, but because was an Ameri4
can citizen, plain and simple child of the
great republic. Yet it always grieved me
exceedingly. and was particularly offan-
sive to my sense Of the fitness of things,
| 20 ind almost everything In the way Of
/ foreign merchandise throughout the length
and breadth Of my routes Of travel Of
European manufacture.
At different ports along the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts. in many cities Of the
/ plains, in various towns on the mountain
/ slopes, on the apex Of Potosi, and on the
tops Of other Andean peaks higher thar
Mount Hood, have gone into stores and
warehouses and looked around in vain,
utterly in vain, for one single article Of
American manufacture.
sAonopoly By European Manufactures.
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