Dear Sir,
While economic freedom is an admireable goal, it is unarguable that a certain amount of dirigisme is necessary to get a country's economic power into the ranks of the truly great modern nations.
Yours approvingly,
RGB.
Certainly - each of our neighbours, is more economically productive than us! Our agricultural products (see below) are few, and our population low. Hopefully the new opportunities for employment will lure immigrants away from the shores of New York, Galveston and Veracruz!
Locomotives, yay!
Close to the Western coast?
What natural resources do you have and what do you lack?
Currently the territory claimed by Louisiana ceases at the Rocky Mountains. But further 'explorations' are planned.
As for resources, our daily production is as follows:
Tobacco 177.2 tonnes
Cotton 14.5 tonnes
Cereals 14.4 tonnes
Fruit 11.8 tonnes
Coal 11.7 tonnes
Cattle 9.2 tonnes
Glass 3.8 tonnes (from artisans)
Fabric 3.3 tonnes (from factories)
Timber 2.5 tonnes
Sulpher 2.3 tonnes
Clothing 2.0 tonnes (from artisans)
Wool 1.5 tonnes
Wine 1.1 tonnes (from artisans)
Steel 0.5 tonnes (from factories)
Iron 0.6 tonnes
...plus some small outputs of other goods.
We're importing a lot of tea, fish and wool. For the next factories, it looks like glass, cement, wine and clothing would all be good bets.
Dear Sir,
I wanted to relay my extreme pleasure of reading your magnificent paper on Louisiana and its occurrences. A job well done.
I must say that I am worried about continuing "cordial" relations with the United States. I believe for Louisiana to proceed as a Great Power, relations must improve to relieve any concern of a diplomatic misfortune.
Yours respectfully,
Eber
Thank you for your kind words!
Maintaining good relations with our neighbours is a priority. Otherwise, we run the severe risk of being sandwiched between the US and Mexico!
Spain did what!?
Yep. The Spanish AI seems to enjoy beating up on the Middle East.
Dear Sir:
First, I write in approbation of your newest columnists, Messrs. E—— & F——. I found their frank and insightful analysis to be a regular sockdolager & hope to see more material from them both in the years ahead.
Second, while I am as pleased as anyone to see the standard of Louisiane rising to its rightful height among the banners of the earth, is there one among us who yet feels secure in such a place?
Our work to safeguard the security of Texas and Central America both from internal and external threat redounds only to our glory, and yet these allies can hardly be classed among the first rank of the world: indeed, until our corps des ingénieurs is able to open up a permanent channel to Galveston, the former is practically isolated by the treacherous sandbars restricting it to the coasting trade.
Without fortification, we remain at the mercy of any great naval power who might blockade the Mississippi or Port-au-Prince. Without immigration or ports upon the Pacific, we risk immediate capitulation upon the arrival of any great American force upon the Mississippi. Without a naval industry, we remain at the mercy of the New York and Charleston merchants who transship full on 80% our products of our nation to the European market.
The lethargy of our neighbors, the Southern states, gives us, I think, a false sense of security about the juggernaut being constructed in the North. For the fifty years following its independence, American growth, like Louisiana's today, came mostly from its natural increase; but in the last decade, the population has grown from 12 to 17 millions, and close on a million — the entirety of the current population of continental Louisiane — from recent immigration.
Our borders swarm with industrious and hard-working immigrants who are yet kept back by a Bureau of Immigration fearful of their language, their religion, and their allegiance.
Further, no one can say whether war or civil war will come to America, but one or th'other seems ordained by God. Of the 23 states of the American Union, fully 13 are free states. The admission of the territory of Wisconsin into the Union before Florida would allow the north to override any Southern filibuster against the abolition of slavery. The Yankees are even mooting changes to Senate and House rules to abolish the filibuster entirely or to divide the Wisconsin territory into two separate states. Given the growing divide between the power of the northern and southern states, the South's only option will be either to strike out against Spain, us, or our newfound allies.
Bon Dieu preserve us, the only one of those three targets appealing to the north will be Louisiane, not only because of the riches of St.-Domingue, not only because it will grant them control of the outlet of the Ohio, but also because it is the only one which offers the north the opportunity to create more free states as well. The eventuality must be prepared for.
Now, the Oregon trail has been shaped into a track sturdy enough for wagons; the Beauregard-Bidot party has established a trail into California, and the Russians have decamped from Ft. Ross. M. de Mofras has written, "It is evident that California will belong to whatever nation chooses to send there a man-of-war and two hundred men."
The Society for the Rights of Man and Citizen earnestly proposes the following national policy be adopted:
* Expansion and modernization of the fortifications at Nouvelle-Orléans, St.-Louis, and Port-au-Prince;
* Free land-grants across our open lands to encourage the development of rail-roads and settlement along them;
* An end to the domination of our territories by professional speculators and their division into townships, with discounted or gratis land-grants to new settlers;
* Increased funding for education and naturalization of prospective immigrants;
* Liberalization of our administration, under a revised constitution, lest immigrants — or God forbid, the poor and middle-class Louisianans themselves! — find the American government more amenable than our own;
* The acquisition of Haute-Californie north of the Tehachapi mountains from Mexico, either by accommodation w/its central gov't, with its territorial gov't, or w/the gentleman Sutter, who resides there, for the establishment of Pacific ports and trade with the Orient;
* Provision of assistance both with President Lamar's effort to enforce the claims of Texas to the Santa Fe territory and with the efforts of the righteous struggle of the République du Yucatán against the tyranny of the centralist government in Mexico, subject only to concessions of neutrality provided by treaty regarding the issue of Haute-Californie.
Your faithful reader,
Léolin DE LLOYD,
Juge de paix & candidate for the SRMC in the parish of Orléans
Those are all excellent points. I'll do my best to address them.
* Industrialisation and immigration are natural complements, yet our politicians remain divided on these issues. The Bonapartists are wary of the influx of European malcontents who speak little French and are often more liberal in their outlook. The Lafayettists, meanwhile, welcome the immigrant population, but are busy decrying the current regime's policy of State Capitalism. A growing band of Moderate Conservatives may provide a balanced answer, but they remain heavily in the minority.
* Naval expansion is a priority, for reasons that will soon become clear. However, it is very expensive, and the nation's economy can barley support such measures. Similar reasoning applies to expansion of the army and fortification of our harbours.
* The Government is actively
focusing its attention on the territories of Ouragon and the Indian Territories, in order to enforce its claims there. Whether we can take advantage of discontent in Mexico will depend upon our being able to expand our military strength.
Dear Sir
In the light of the ongoing debate about the relationship between ourselves and our neighbours, might it be possible that a future supplement to your esteemed publication could compare our size and strength with that of our neighbours?
I for one find it a little hard to weigh then against each other.
Yours
Mr A. Alfredian
I will endeavour to include a special edition on that very topic shortly.
Apologies for the late update everyone. I'll try to make it up to you with a bonus soon!
