The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-11-27
CoLFAx GRANT PARISH La SATURDAY, NOVEMBER ~ 1885,

were antiquated customs, local
abuses and extortionate charges In
our cotton trade, all SO linked and
bound together as to present an
almost impregnable front, and un-
der the Influences of which our
commercial supremacy was rapidly
declining. A powerful and persist
ent offer of the cotton press asso-
citation to intensity these abuses by
welding the labor organizations
against the capital invested in the
independent presses, made break
in the line into which the united
press of the city, with the single
exception of the Picayune, charged
with vigor and determination. The
handlers of this trade promptly
Joined in the movement, and we
are now in the presence of reform
atory movements that actually do
promise to restore to this city its
prestige and supremacy as the best
cotton market on the continent;
and that she cannot be without
growing proportionately as great
commercial center generally. Su-
premacy in the one line will give
her supremacy in the other.
This important revolution has
not by any means been accom-
plished. Indeed, SO far little more
has been done than to lay bare and
expose the abuses and charges
which have threatened us with
commercial paralysis. But that
exposure is such that our mer-
chants and laborers must be idiots
if reforms full and ample do not
follow.
AS an example of the excessive
charges to which the handling of
cotton has been subjected we refer
to the statement of Mr.. Landauer
in the States of yesterday, that the
items of storing, weighing, re-
weighing, draying, ETC., should be
reduced to the amount of n cents
per bale. Interviews with cotton
men show how New Orleans COM
pares with other cotton ports in
the matter of COMPRISING; thus to
compress 1000 bales of cotton, un-
der our system of labor charges,
costs 500, while at Savannah, Lit
tie Rock, Memphis, and other
points, the same work is done for
$40. And again, the Times Demo-
crat, in an excellent editorial this
morning, shows that, while at Bal
timore the charges on a vessel
loading with 5000 bales of cotton
are but 1856, those on a similar
vessel loading at New Orleans are
81, 455, or $3.50 more than at Bal
timore. How can any city hope to
build up or maintain it's trade UNI
der such conditions?
Nor do the drawbacks to our
trade stop here. A few days ago
the States pointed out and de-
nounced the criminal discrimina-
tions of several of the railroads
running into New Orleans against
the city; and again, yesterday, a
large cotton factor showed in our
columns, as an illustration of this
system of adverse determinations,
that the freight on a bale of cot
ton shipped from Aberdeen, Mis-
sissippi, to Fall River, Massachu-
setts, is about 50 40, while the
freight on similar bale from the
same point to New Orleans is 81 SO
compressed, or 50 uncompressed
The discrimination against New
Orleans is exhibited In the fact!
that it-takes six hours to bring the
bale to New Orleans, and eight
days to transport it to Fall River.
Time and again the question has
been asked: NWhat is the matter
with the trade of New Orleans?"
It has been impossible to answer
the question. The city has every
natural advantage to become 9
great commercial point, but it has
been evident that it was on the
verge of decline if it was not actu-
ally declining. The facts and fig
ures given above answer the con-
unmdrum.