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'Cbe Conservative * 11
THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL.
( Times-Democrat , New Orleans. )
The editor of The Times-Democrat
was kind enough to fnvor mo with n
request for some words on the "Com
mercial and Railway Interests of New
Orleans , " and it is with great misgiv
ings that I venture to present the fol
lowing statement , which has been
hastily thrown together , in the midst of
many interruptions :
To become commercially great is the
necessary and laudable aim of every sea
port. The increase of its commerce af
fords a greater field for the employment
of its people , imparts a healthful growth
to all the industries upon which its suc
cess depends , and adds to the comfort ,
prosperity and usefulness of its citizens.
The competitive forces in all com
mercial fields are incessantly active. In
such a contest , to stand still is to fall
back. The ceaseless vigilance and ac
tivity of every member of the commun
ity is necessary to even maintain such
commercial prestige as it already pos
sesses. With every natural advantage
iii its favor , only the most aggressive
and persistent efforts will enable it to
make inroads into new fields or wrest
trade from channels long established.
It has often been said that , consider
ing its geographical situation and the
natural and artificial advantages which
it possesses , the commercial possibilities
of New Orleans are pre-eminent. Re
cents events give this saying greater
emphasis.
Situated as she is , facing Central and
South America and the greater and les
ser Antilles , with their population of
60,000,000 , an import trade of $602,000-
000 , and $682,000,000 of exports , and
having at her back the vast and fertile
valleys of the Mississippi and its tri
butaries , with nu area of over one million
and a quarter square miles rich in agri
culture , mines and forestry , teeming
with factories of incessant activity , and
capable of supplying all the products
which the Southern continent consumes ,
it would seem as if New Orleans were
destined to attain the highest commer
cial greatness.
The valley of the Mississippi , extend
ing from the great lakes to the Gulf of
Mexico , and from the Alleghauies to the
Rockies , today supplies the food of the
larger part of the civilized world. Apart
from its dominant position in the con
trol of the food products , it stands un
rivaled iu its ability to take a leading
part in the manufactures.
Chicago , the chief distributor , is so lo
cated as to be able to force both the foot ]
products and the manufacturers of the
valley either East or South. Toward
the South , following the lines of the
least resistance , is the natural outlet
At the mouth of the river lies New
Orleans , which may , and should , become
the nil important funnel for the distribu-
tion of the surplus products of the great
ntorior basin.
This valley , divided by broad and
leep rivers , the natural highways of
commerce , all intersected , East and
West , North and South , by gigantic
systems of railway , possesses all the ele
ments necessary to make it the manu
facturing center of this country , in fact
the world.
Among the essential elements render
ing this achievement possible are unlim
ited areas of fertile soil , and an abun
dance of raw material iron , ore , coal ,
timber , cotton and wool , cheap food and ,
above all , industrious inhabitants enjoy
ing the cheapest and best of inland trans
portation facilities. As a port , New
Orleans , with its safe anchorage , cheap
fuel , ample dock facilities , mild climate
and reasonably low-priced labor , should
control a constant , growing share of
these products.
With upwards of 16,000 miles of navi
gable waterways , reaching through
these valleys , with her own five inde
pendent and competing systems of rail
way and their connections , ramifying
into every part of this vast domain , and
at all times ready to bring to her doors ,
for transshipment , all or any of its pro
ducts , New Orleans does not lack trans
portation facilities.
On the contrary , New Orleans is
markedly better off than any other port of
the United States , in that each of
the five great railway systems radiat
ing therefrom is independent of the
others and stretches for a greater dis
tance into the interior , under one man
agement , than do the railroads running
from the other ports.
1. The Southern Pacific , operating
6,766 miles , reaches from New Orleans ,
tlirough Lousiana , Texas , New Mexico ,
Arizona and California to Portland , Ore. ' ,
as well as through Nevada and Utah to
Ogden , with branches reaching into the
Indian Territory , and the republic ol
Mexico.
2. The Texas & Pacific railway oper
ates , in its own name , in Louisiana and
Texas , 1,506 miles , and is closely affili
ated with the so-called Gould system of
railroads , which comprises in all 0,066
miles , reaching through Arkansas , In
dian Territory , Missouri , Kansas , Colorado
rado and Nebraska to Denver , Kansas
City and St. Louis.
8. The Now Orleans & Northeas
tern railway or , as it is more generally
known , the Queen and Crescent , oper
ates 1,155 miles , in Louisiana , Mississip
pi , Alabama , Tennessee and Kentucky
and reaches to Cincinnati , O.
4. The Louisville & Nashville rail
road operates , in its own name , 8,157
miles , and controls , through an owner
ship of stock , the Nashville , Chattanooga
& St. Louis railway , which operates
1,158 miles , making , together , 4,815
The lines of these two companies lie in
Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama , Flor
ida , Tennessee , Georgia , Kentucky , In
v
diann and Illinois. They reach to St.
liouis on the West , Cincinnati on the
Northeast , as well as to oil the impor-
; ant crossings of the Ohio river , except
Cairo.
5. The Illinois Central railroad and
; he Yazoo and Mississippi Valley rail
road , which , for this purpose , may be
considered as one , operate in Louisiana ,
Mississippi , Tennessee , Kentucky , Illi
nois , Indiana , Wisconsin , Iowa , Minnesota
seta and South Dakota , 4,615 miles of
railway. Their main line from OHcago
: o New Orleans , crossing , as it does , the
whole country from the great lakes to
the navigable waters of the Gulf of
Mexico , enjoys special facilities for col
lecting and distributing traffic. The
principal cities reached by these two
railways are Sioux City on the Missouri
river , Dubuque on the Mississippi , Mad
ison , the capital of Wisconsin ; Chicago ,
111. ; St. Louis/Mo. ; Louisville , Ky. , and
the other lower Ohio river crossings ,
Memphis , Tenn. ; Vicksburg and , in
short , all the larger towns on the east
bank of the Mississippi river.
During the past year the United States
shipped to foreign countries goods to the
value of $1 , 231,329,950. Of this amount
Now Orleans' share was $112,674,051ora
little over 9 per cent , of which $66-
055,000 was due to cotton shipments.
Her share of the exported breadstiiffs
and provisions , which mainly come from
the Mississippi valley , was $28,859,000 ,
or 5.5 per cent , out of a total of $518-
928,000. Considering her proximity to
and her exceptional facilities for reach
ing this source'of traffic , she should con
trol a vastly greater share of it.
The imports of merchandise to the
United States for the past year wore
$616,005,159 , of which Now Orleans'
share was $9,964,457 , or 1.6 per cent.
My object in calling attention to these
figures is to show what the possibilities
of the commerce of New Orleans have
been in the past , and how far they have
been availed of.
What may not be done with proper
and intelligent efforts in the way of in
creasing our trade with the rich tropical
countries to the south of us ? Many of
these countries not only buy largely the
manufactured articles which wo pro
duce , but breadstuffs and provisions as
well. Each of them produces articles
which wo desire and consume. Consid
ering the future , trade with them may be
said to bo in its infancy. Yet such as it
is , wo seem to be woefully neglectful of
our duty , inasmuch as we command but
so little of it. While as a people we
have been busily engaged in developing
our own natural resources , England ,
Germany and Francoseeing the value of
this commerce , have each steadily forged
ahead in their strife for the control of
that trade.
The 86,000,000 of people living in the
ten South American republics buy goods
from other countries to the value of
$876,000,000 annually , of which wo sell