Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-03-05
New Orleans Port Exactlons and the
Deyil-Fish at Galveston.
The Old Man of the Sea that Bes tribes
the Commerce Of Both Cities.
Squandering Money for Deep Water TO
be Deroured by Cormorauts.
The Mouth OF the Bra2os the Cheap
Outlet for Texas Trade.
Probable Defeat Of the Cattle Bureau
Bill in the Senate.

Special Correspondence OF he Gazette
Washington, March 1.-The port
charges of New Orleans, like those
imposed by the wharf company at Gal
weston, are ruinous TO commerce. This
matter was discussed, not very long
ago, even In the British parliament
III was shown that next after those of
Calcutta, local impositions upon ship
masters were greatest at New Orleans.
The two boat companies of New Or
leans, the stevedores, the bar pilot the
port charges, the coal man, the butch
er and baker, the cotton compress. the
draymen and the dry docks, are terri
BILE, and of all these the tow boat is
most ravenous. Its demands are meas
ured by the tonnage of the ships which
1t brings across the bar or through the
jetties. Ship masters do dread New
orleans. Why expend millions in
opening the river way TO the city which
suffers pirates by land and water to
prey upon every vessel that would
bring wealth to the people and add
value TO the products of the valley of
the Mississippi? II happens in New
Orleans, rs in Galveston, that they
who own The city and shape its local
government, are they who own the
towboats or are interested in
every exaction imposed upon
the city's commerce. Not very long
ago the Galveston News, day after
day, inveighed most bitterly against
processes of eXtortion practiced by the
chartered wharf company of that city.
But the News, after illustrating the
grossness of outrages practiced by this
wharf company, by producing in its
pages great devil-iish, such as Victor
Hugo desert bed in "1'oiers of the Sea, -
and telling that il cost us much to send
a package of goods ten feet in Calves
ton, across this wharf, rs from Balti-
more to that city, was suddenly si-
lenced-how or why, the public were
never advised.
Morgan's New York and Galveston
Steamship company, in order to escape
the clutches of this devil fish at Gal
weston, expended half million dol
lars in deepening the bayou and in
building wharves of its own n few
miles below Houston on u narrow
inlet. Intelligent liberal congress
men from Northern states, advised of
these facts, are 10th To vote for propo.
sitions presented here by representa-
tives OF the Galveston Wharf company,
who assume TO represent the people of
Texas and the city of Galveston.
The question naturally presents 1t.
self, can the people of the United
States give ten millions of money to
perfect the harbor of city which has
a chartered and organized body of
plundereis ready TO grasp every ship
that enters this herbor and demand its
money or its life?
Ii may be possible that Texas, UNI
less this wharf company be dissolved
and its charter surrendered, would
prefer to have the easier task achieved
involved in the removal Of the bar at
the mouth of the Brazos. phat broad, |
deep river, If made accessible, |
and the cost would be comparatively |
trilling, would constitute the safest
possible haven for the navies of the
world. A great railway corporation,
this result Of the greed of
the Galveston Wharf company, bought
the district of country about the
mouth of the Brazos, and here again
the security of the "ree-trade" Is
by giant monopoly, and
weston To its "devil-fsb,n another very
ike IL may Glsten itself upon the pro-
posed harbor which the river eonsti
,utes.
In the presence of these facts IL Is
stated to-day that the railway corpora
ion is preparing proposition by the
acceptance of which the government
nay be induced 10 eXpend u million
md half dollars Mt the mouth of the
3razns instead of ten millions Mt Gal
yeston. The smaller sum, thus used,
will accomplish every desirable and
possible commercial result sought TO
,e attained by the people of Texas.
such is the assertion of engineers and
II those interested in evading the ,
,rasp of the Galveston Wharf com" +,
ANY, and at the same time In giving
he product of Texas access TO the sea.
The proposition 10 open the rivers
mouth embodies the agreement that
10 local exactions of any kind or char
cter shall be imposed upon vessels
nterlng the Brazos. Wharves shall be
without cost to commerce, !
nd no wharfage or other tax on /.
onnage shall be imposed under any ,
or other local law, and yet IL
agreed that every facility for loading :
nd unloading vessels aud for their
afe anchorage shall be provided.
In this coming conflict between Gal
eston and those interested in UNI
axed commerce in Texas, the GAZETTE
only interested, j imagine, to the ex-
ent that IL would have the freest and !
heapest and best harbor possible de-
ised and constructed. Surely the en- ,
rgies aud industries aud productive
ess of the great commonwealth anu I
Is enormous contributions to the gen I
raj wealth of the Union entitle 1t TO {
ny sum, however great, that may be
equired In giving IL perfect access 10
he ocean.
THE CATTLE DISEASE BUREAU.
The cattle diseases bin designed 10
i've the Federal government control
Il the cattle trade, and organic {,
ng n bureau for this pur-
,ose, will meet with distractions In
he senate more potent than those J..
encountered in the house. Seniors,
Joke and Maxey will oppose many
Of the measure as perfected
and passed by the house, and since they
represent commonwealth mort pro-
foundly interested In this all-grhsplng
scheme of legislation, their opinions
and wishes will be accorded, j mag
inc. degree Of respect and considera-
~ ..,t.tsl ,.,aa uof onpeadpI Ia ronrP- |