The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-08
On noaRp STEAMER Ronr. MlrourlL

H.,
Bayou SARA February I, 1880.
To the Editor of thu Democrat:
Az one OF the most plahahnt voyages OF my
lfa IL about to close, cannot refrain from
asking spa q In your valuable columns to OK.
preaa. In common with upwards Of lto ladies
and gentlemen, my profound thanks Tor the
many attentions aud oouriesies extended Va rs
steamer tia Rot Mitchell,
During our trip from Olnclnnat!- Louisville.
rived Ia your city the officers have ever been
mindful of our pleasure and comfort and the
merry 4 ~ and happy evenings on board have
come TO have the curtain lifted to other aud
more festive. scenes ~ the gay metropolis Of
the aopth-the Parts Of America.
just before the curtain fatl upon the closing
scenes Ut tho reoant onpaasHntneaa' | often
heard men say that staamhna'tng unop our
gre t rivera and their tributaries was forever
AZ an onh: the days Of fine stanmboats we're
numhered-that railroads would swallow up
liver travel aad transportation. was then Of
u very different opinion. anh nm of the snme
opinion now: that Ia. that at ambaating In the
West aud South IL UT ia it, Infancy. True. we
have built finer and faster boats sincn the war
than we had before. but the age Of improve.
ment wi | devalop the fact that these mighty
rivers w ours w re- never Intended 70 run Idly
g. waste. but hear upon their proud hosnms
the finest and fass est hoata the world eyer saw.
Who would have thought twentyflve years
sE,. or mt the close IF The war, that we ever
should "a surh boats as be White. Cannon.
Lee. NateheB. aud such boats rs compose tho
Anchor Line of IT. Louis and the Southern
TRANSPORTATION Ltn,2 On the contrary. while
nearly every railroad In the United States was
In debt. and couldn't MIKE enough money Ia
pRy the interest upon what they owed. mer
were building steamboats, by the dozens. unit
we have to-day steamh Ats from tho tlaai
palaces to the little diukies plying our great
rivers aud their tributaries. aud tha increa tnE
demand for river tray and TRANSPORTATION
cries for mote, And til y are being built.
Steamboats, have had more foolish avs to
contend with, more impositpns heaped upon
them. more expenses To meet. and harder
work to bear than railroads and yet they are
worth more to the Great West ana South. to-
day than all the railroads In the country.
Railroads are n free gift. almost. of the pea-
ple to a LOT Of men who ar mere spectators
who use them not SO much ia the Interests Of
the people as they do In the interests OF them.
sclves--the rise aud fall II stocks. rail road
IA exempt from almost everything In the shape
Of taxation. wharfage liceusad officers. United
States commissioners M just liIels OF negroes.
and all that sort OF fun merry business" but
with all this In favor of railroads and against
the interests Of steamboats,. one steamboat Is
worth more to the Mississippi and Onto val
eys In m NTH than twenty railroads In fwelva
months. and Ii IL only q matter nt time that
steamboats, will make railroads ''sau.a," to
even keep up witt them. so far as making
money u concerned AGd d.veloptng the ARri-
cultural resources of the richest country III the
wsfld.
1iy1 steamboats, the came chances and privf-
leGes that are GRANTED to the railroads. By the