Year: 1867

A word of warning to the men of property and the
business men OF Shreveport of an imminent danger to
their own interests may yet be in time That danger
results from an over confidence in the power of natu
raj advantages; in too conservative view of tue
operation OF the laws of trade, and very incorrect
estnate OF the influence OF new channels Of business
Tue city OF Shreveport owes whatever prosperity and
commercial Importance il may possess to the trade
and the almost exclusive trade of our sister State
Texas This trade 1t received at early day. because
OF its natural advantages the head Of navigation
and in part because of the superior boating facilities
furnished i'll this State. The long wagon transporta-
ton was a serious obstacle to own growth as it
was serious drawback to customers. They, act
ing from intelligent view of their interest
sought to shorten this land travel first by means Of
opening nearer ports Of shipment, and afterward by
the construction of railways. The effect of the first
endcavor, not in order of time, but of Importance
is the extraordinary growth Of sister city on the
Cypress and of the second, the parayc attempt to
build what is called the Southern Pacific RaiIroad.
We, commercially and people, did actually moth
ing to foster the growth of Jefferson. Passivey, and
acting upon over-confdcnce in the natural advan-
tages OF this place, it is not unlikely its early mcr-
chants did help Jefferson by dealing with Texas
customers somewhat if they belonged to US. But
let that pass We have done nothing to boast of in
the way of building the Southern Pacific Railroad but
still are not ashamed Of what did When it passed
the State line, its management practically, and for
time, passed into other hands. Nor do we complain



road, and, if ever built at ALL it must be done mainly
by Texas men and Texas money Still and this is the
point we wish to impress upon people, as
pect derive the benefit Of the extension of this road
we should help with our means and influence to push
it on. What money we are able to contribute we
should give freely, and what influence We can exert,
should exercise promptly. It is no answer to be
told we are too poor to contribute any means. We
are too poor 1t is true, to contribute any present
considerable sum of money; but we are not poorer
than our Texas friends, who actively work upon
several roads in that State, of which, if we delay
early action will certainly do us material injury we
the road north from Houston. If the trains of
this road cross the line of the Southern Pacific in ad
of the of the latter it would be safe to say
that Houston would command the trade of all the
counties west Of Harrison. While this road, through
the influence of Galveston and Houston is being car
red forward, our cnterprisng neghbor on the Cy-
press is actively at work, to build branch road, to
connect with the Memphis and Ell Paso road at Moores
Landing, on the Sulphur. Have less capital or
less enterprise? We believe not; but compara-
tive apathy and apparent indifference the result Of
ver-condcnce in the superiority of our river nav
gation. Nor is this inactivity the only result of this
oycrweening confidence. The extraordinary price of
property and the cXorbtant rate of rents, depo
rabIe effects Of this selfsatisfed security Neither
cotton, nor our natural advantages maintain the
former justify the latter The price of property in
Shreveport cannot equal prices n New York or New





holders while they do nothing to increase its con
merclal facilities Nor rents rule present, or
even at proximatc rates in future. The initiation of
the six eight months succeeding the surrender
not establish rule to- govern the ordinary law of sup
ply and demand The price Of property and the rate
of rents will be governed by the amount of the bust
of the place. and the amount Of business in turn
depends not only on the productions OF the country,
and the density Of labor but upon increase and the
extension of both rail and river facilities.


Indeed, so completely is our city dependent upon
Texas enterprise, that regret lot and part
of the State itself besides this confident apathy of
property-holdcrs, are to have invoked against
u.s. all the influences and prejudiccs of State pride, in
promoting exclusively State enterprises then certainly
the Houston central route is of State mpor-
ance than the Southern Pacific, and the Ell Paso
raverses much richer country, it is impossible for
Shreveport to maintain its present relative position to
Houston and Jefferson Its growth will be pari paSsa
with them, if We have the same railway connections,
but it will lag behind without them in spite of its river
n1t3f