The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-04
A CASE OF NEGLECTED. oPPoR-
IINIlIIES

a striking illustration is furnished by
New orleans OF the injurious consequences
TO a community of the failure OF the public
to properly and fearlessly perform public
duties and meet the demands OF growing
age and new business conditions. At a re-
cent public meeting in New Orleans Mayor
Flower said;
''In 1895 New Orleans was the second city In
tbs United States. and there were more and
| l6lger banks here than there are today. To-
day New Orleans stands twenty What
WIS the cause OF this retrogresslon? Two
years ago II seemed as II We were on the high
road to regain our greatness. Then began the
system OF senseless guarantees against this
city, which has crippled our trade and ruined
our business"
Here is the confession. from an authori-
tative source, OF the clty's failure to prop
orly hold its own. Notwithstanding the
phenomenal development of the Mississippi
valley since 1895. New Orleans, with its
matchless advantages for becoming one OF
the greatest cities not only In the United
States but in the world marked by nature
as one of the most promising commercial.
spots on earth, has actually dropped far
behind the procession OF American cities.
And such supremacy as 1t now enjoys
among gulf ports 1t is in danger OF losing
TO Mobile. Galveston, or. IL we play our
cards skillfully. Houston.
This stagnation can not be correctly at
tributed, as Mayor Flower would do. TO
"a system OF senseess guarantees"
against the city. which has crippled Its
trade and ruined its business" For fifty
years the sleepy old community remained
inactive and Indifferent to It's interests and
depended on its natural advantages, 4"
while other cities were bending every
energy to attract new population and new
trade and to provide modern facilities for
handling their growing business.
New Orleans thus becomes warning
example to all other localities, however
favorahly situated, that hesitate to NEE
life. 1t is conspicuous instance OF PEG.
pie sleeping upon their chances aud refus
ing to invest money TO make more.
This bad business policy and mossbacl
spirit have been shown in no direction
more clearly than In the manner In which
health interests. The mayor admits tina
the popular fear OF New Orleans outsid,
of the city, has occasioned quarantine.
against the city that have affected its trad,
seriously, and yet the people and authorl
ties there have never placed their localit,
in condition from sanitary standpoint
TO disarm suspicion! They have tried I,
deceive the public and have reaped the bit,
ter results.
New Orleans is not now the second cit,
in the country simply because It's peopl,
have failed TO measure up to their oppor.
tunities and to their duties TO themselves
The want OF public spirit and broad. lib.
eral action by the business clements of the
city has left the old place stagnant TIL,
fault does not lie with outsiders but with
New Orleans own people. And the lesson
should be a practical and valuable one 10,
other promising communities 1t is not
natural advantages but the intelligent util.
ization OF them that cause cities to grow
and prosper and become great. Our des.
TIMES as communities are within our owr
and not another's keeping.