Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-07-23
WRESTLING TO KEEP Up COURAGE

III, 10 amusing to see the grave and
usually correct New York CONNER
cial Bulletin ermitting itself to be
carried away by prejudice In favor
of New York. 10 such an extent that
it is unable see that the Mississippi
can yer become q serious rival to
the Eastern railways in the matter of
grain transpOrtatiDns So
1t cannot, for the life oft discover
any foundation for the alarm which
has been aroused IN the minds of the
eastern railway men, nor does it see
the necessity for making the Erie
sjd4ual or the Canadian water routes
&ftee., True, it has heard q great deal
recently about the grain boom on the
Mississippi, but when it comes to
analyze the matter it finds that from
the opening of navigation to the
10th of April, the exports of grain
are only $4,000 bushels in excess Of
the exports during the corresponding
period in 1880, aud it does not think
that allowing indicative of much of q
grain boom on the river. 1t forgot
to take into, account the fact tina,
thu steason swasa most remarkable
: 0aeya aud THAT navigation did not open
this year until five weeks later thar
usQll1 circumstance that would
perhaps have served to open it's eyes
somewhat to the real Increase aud to
The tremendous impetus that has been
given to the trade during the last
year, II it had waited until to-day,
1T would have had the sorrowful sat-
:sifaction of seeing al increase over
last year in the wheat exports of New
Orfeans of 3,149 GA bushels, nOtWith.
standing the late start.
ln beating about for reasons to ex-
plain the evident tendency of trade
to flow in this great natural channel
and the extraordinary cheapness of
the barge system of transportation,
the Commercial falls into q ocular
vein and says that cit may be thai
b river has been shortened, or that
Its waters have lessened their resis- |
lance to propulsion, OF that some
body. ls running barges for the fun of
the thing, Or that there is some un. |
disc0verable secret in the matter.
Certain it is that the sudden change
from inability to compete to ap.
parentlY successfu1 competition calls
for . more satisfactory explanation
than we are able to give" |
This is 9 most delightful burst of
merriment, but somehow it reminds
us very forciblY of the boy who used
to whistle f%nrfously whenever he was
compelled to pass the c%hurchyard al
night, hoping thereby to maintain his
courage to the sticking, point. The
Commercial. with it's usual sagacity
sees the handwriting on the wall. ami
knows that the Improvement of thu
Mississippi and the permanent deep
outlet to the sea will inevitably re
suit in turning the volume of trade
down the river which is free to tn.
world and can never be controlled in
the interest Of cliques aud rings.
1t sees the great activity in barge
building going on it learns on goou
authority that leading merchants OF
Chicago Toledo aud New York
have arranged to establish agencies il
New Orleans; it knows that the An.
Choir line of steamships is about to
take eight of its largest steamship,
cut of the trade between Eastern
Atlantic aud European ports and run
them regularly between New Orleans
and Liverpool, but for all that i,
seems disposed to make a jest Of the
movement. aud declares that it i,
really absurd to suppose that the
grain can over come down the river
IN barges in preference to going to
New York by rail.
Another point that the Commercial
makes is, that the grain which has re-.
Gently been sent to New Orleans
came because. of the fact that there
happened to be q large number of
cleaners in this port which had come
here laden with railroad iron when
the iron for the numerous railroads
now being built in the south stops
coming, the idea of the Commerciali is
that the grain will stop coming also.
This is also very funny, but is equslly
sound with most of the other srgu-
ments advanced, aud shows to wha,
mere straws even the most intelligent,
n w~ell-informed persons will cling I
when self-interest and prciudices !.
step in to obscure their vision. /
The fact is that there are now Ell !
route to this port many large grain t
carriers In ballast, and some short !
ago there were fourteen such I
on their way here for cargoes .
OF grain. So that the Commercial ia !
astray at all points, and clearly is not :
authority on the grain trade.