The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-10-08
THE RAIL AND RIVER ROUTES.

N Nh'NaSo ohu ~ LOUIS papciS uIS
engaged in discussing the question Of cheap
transportation Of grain to the seaboard.
The St. Louis papers hold that the time is
not far distant when the surplus grain of
the west will find its way to foreign mar
kets by way of st. Louis and New Orleans,
while the Chicago papers claim that it
will continue to go to Europe by the rail
route by way of New YORK and other east
ern cities. The St. Louis Democrat says
"lf the wheat and corn Of the west can be
brought to the markets of Europe by way
of ST. Louis and New Orleans cheaper than
by any other route they will be brought by
this route. The promoters Of the barge
movement assert that the river route
has natura, advantages which cannot be
matched by any other, and that these ad-
vantages make it possible to carry bushel
OF grain from St. Louis to Liverpool, by
way of the Mississippi, from two to four
cents cheap than the same work can be
done by way OF any of the rail or lake and
rail routes north of St. Louis. This being
taken as true, it follows that sooner or later
the surplus grain of the west will be sent to
Europe by way of St. Louis. The best as
surance that the barge movement will prove
great success is found in the fact that its
limited trial during the past two years has
produced results to satisfying in their
character that number of the wealthiest
and shrewdest capitalists of Wall street
have taken the matter in hand
and organized barge line, which will
soon having carrying capacity Of three
million bushels per month between this
city and New Orleans" To this the Chi.
cago Tribune replies, that at least one half
OF the surplus grain of the west is consumed
by the domestic market lying east Of Chi
cago, and that this part of the surplus will
never, Of course, pass over the river route.
With regard to the portion which goes to
Europe that journal says; "When the
means Of transportation from St. Louis via
New Orleans to Liverpool, and to the va.
rious ports of France and Germany are so
complete and thorough that il will be
cheaper, time and all other things con.
sidered to move breadsutfs by that
route to Europe than by the northern lines,
then, Of course that route will be EN-.
ployed, but so soon as the river route offer:
successful competition in the way Of cost
so soon will the northern lines find the
means Of carrying as low and as cheap a:
by the river 1t does not seem to US tha
the reply Of the Tribune rises to the digni
ty of an argument, The question unde
discussion does not relate to that portion o
the surplus grain that is Consumed in thi;
country, but to that which is transported
abroad. The Tribune contends that how
ever low the rate OF carrying grain by the
river route may be, it will always be lower
by the rail route That is, that before
the railroads will consent to lose Their
grain carrying business they
will transport grain at an actual loss, We
hardly think that their stockholders will
consent to that sort OF business Capital
invested in railroads, or in any other KIND
Of property, is expected to yield return
When it doesn't the investors complain and
seek to dispose of their investment. There
is neither sense nor reason IN continuing tC
90 business at loss Railroads often carry
freight for less than the cost of transporta
ton, but in doing it they have in view
some immediate or prospective advantages
If grain can be transported by the river
route cheaper than by the rail route il may
be accepted as settled that it will 90 by
way of the river. The railroads vii
hardly waste their capital by carrying gralr
for less than the real cost OF transporta