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

NEW York Trade Journal.l
At the session held by the committee in the
| New York postoi1ice last week, the principal
witness called WIS Gen. Cyrus BuBsey, presi-
dent Of the New Orleans Chamber of Com
mprce, who said he was here to speak for the
| for more than on hour on the subject of trans
portation on The Mississippi river and its
| tributaries.
| He said Congress should confine the chan
mel Of the river to It's natural bed and pro-
tect the rich lands on Its banks from over
low. The time is coming when the world
will look to the United States for largely in
| creased supplies of cotton, and with proper
protection to the lands the production will
largely Increase Immediately after the war
Congress imposed q tax on raw cotton, which
was in my opinion, unconstitutional and un-
just which put into the treasury Of the
United States $70,00O,O00. This tax was paid
at time when the people OF the South were
bankrupt AMI destitute Uf tvofy tttfi,
sary to cultivate the soil, and the expense at
tending the raising Of cotton was SO great
that Northern men who went south to en-
gage In planting were ruined financially and
compelled to leave the country. | do not ask
that the money collected should be paid back,
but do ask that Mt least the interest shall be
judieiously expended In measures Of national
interest which will develop the trade Of the
country and thereby put money in the pock-
cts of the labOring man.
The sugar interest of Louisiana is deserv-
ing the protection Of tho government by the
maintenance of the tax now levied Oh foreign
sugar and also the protection OF sugar plan
tatiOns from overflow by combining the chan
mel of the river to its natural bed, until the
plantations are placed In the same perfection
and supplied with the necessary machinery
as are the plantations in Cuba Or the
], ,4oQ0oo,0oo pounds OF sugar consumed In
the United States every year Louisiana raises
200, 100000 pounds on about 100000 acres of
land while there are in that State II properly
protected from overflow, 100000 acres
adapted to the cultivation of sugar. II we
ply the entre demand. instead Of only one
seventh. as now, we would create @ demand
for provisions. breadstutfs, agricultural i'm
plements, mules and in fact everything pro-
trade would be benefited. We would keep at
home nearly $100,000,000 of gold annually
which we now pay to foreign nations for
sugar.
The depression which exists in this country
Is the result Of the extravaganza produced by
the extraordinary amount of money paid out
to the people by the government.
In 1860, hard times were complained Of
| almost every farm in the West was mort
gagged, but in one year these were paid off
and fortunes were made, which enabled the
people to build magnificent cities. burn them
down and rebuild them again, The land is
filled from one end to the other with magnifi-
cent buildings which caused In their cOnstruc-
IL
of the mechanic ran up to 81 and $5 per day.
Prosperity continued after the war; and In
1873 we had 5000 miles Of railroad construct
ed at q cost of nearly five thousand millions
OF dollars. The construction Of these roads
and there is not one mile OF them not needed
attracted to this country thousands OF
laborers and skilled mechanics, who found
employment in the mines and workshops.
Everybody was rich, and habits Of extrava-
gance were easily formed, which have been
continued bV MANY to their ruin.
The panic OF 1873 stopped the construc-
tion of railroads, closed the workshop, and
left hundred OF thousands of people out of
employment. The agriculturst shared in
the prosperity which reigned everywhere in
the land The vast army Of laborers on our
railroads and in our workshops furnished
market for the surplus product OF the farm at
high prices, which left but little for export to
foreign markets, as prices for breadstuf1s
and provisions were maintained above their
value in foreign markets. In 1870, there were
9O.0O0,000 acres of land in cultivation In this
country. To-day there are 12O,00O00o. The
worked in our mines and factories in the
prosperous times of 1878, and who were the
consumers of the surplus products OF our
farms, have been driven into agricultural pur-
suits, and are to-day in competition as pro-
ducers of breadstul1s and provisions, until
prices have declined until q barrel Of pork
can be bought for less money than at any
time for forty years.
II the farmer is compelled to sell the pro-
duce of his farm at ruinously low prices, he is
not able to employ labor or buy goods. The
result is, every interest In the country suffers.
There Is no end to the resources OF our cOun-
try for agriculture. A letter before me says,
that thirty to forty bushels of choice No.
winter wheat per acre is now growing on land
In Kansas that twenty years ago was believed
to be adesert. At that time buffalo grass
grew sparsely upon It, but now there is ter
ritory Of forty counties, capable OF producing
re b,,cb Of yxJhn for hn
plOw All we want is additional railroad IA
cilities and the Improvement OF our Western
rivers.
Notwithstanding the large numbers who
have left the workshop and railroad building
and gone to farming, there are other thousands
who are clamoring for work, many OF them ON
the verge of starvation.
I do not believe there is any necessity for
any man who has health to suffer in this
favored land of ours. The Almighty made 1t
to order for the home Of a free people, and, in
my opinion, the only thing required by thou
sands Of those now suffering is hope and en-
ergy to get away from the cities where they
are not wanted, and subsistence can easily
The remedy for the depression complained
of is to be found in judicious expenditure by
the government in sums sufficient to improve
the transportation facilities OF the country.
We have an internal commerce amounting to
$4,000, 900 carried on railroads, and about
S1O,OOO,O00,000 on lakes, rivers, canals and
coastwise. There is no way of accurately
estimating the value Of the Mississippi river
and it's tributaries. When we consider the
bulk of the articles transported by water, we
find it exceeds that carried by rail. The lum-
Der, logs, coal, stone and other heavy articles
are transported on our Western rivers in vast
quantities.
Coal has been transported from Pittsburg
to New Orleans at a cost for freight OF one-half
cent per ton per mile, about eight times less
than the lowest rates charged by RAILROADS
for transporting grain from Chicago to New
York. In view Of the great demand for these
heavy products, If it were not for the rivers
there is no knowing what the railroads would
charge for freight: Hence the water. trans
portation question in this country is Of great
Importance, and legislation should be in its
interest. This will best help the laborlng
man, because it will open the markets Of the
world and thus increase the demand for labor;
Additional railroads, wherever they are needed
to create a healthy competition, and improved
water navigation that will reduce the cost of
freight, is demanded to enable this country to
control the trade of the world.
Our trade, large as it is, compares unfavoF-
ably with that OF other nations: In 1876 the