The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1850-10-18
DIRECT TRADE.

by the lion. D. L. PORTER, anu Ilost "a
ccllent paper, is advocating the necessity OF
building up a Direct Trade between the CT
ties of the Southern seaboard and the Eu.
.opean ports, aud says
.The VARIOUS expenses Of foreign importa.
tons are increased by coming to us through
other cities. II is capable of demnnslrn-
ton lhat Charleston merchants can impor,
a, less cost than merchants of the eastern
cities. Every dollar paid for the privilege
of importing through other commercial
mnrl-, is charged upon the purchaser, with
ont being at all a matter Of benefit to The
seller at home.'
The advantages Of Building up a "DIrec'
Trade" will at once be perceived by any on"
who will give the subject the lcu>, cohsid-
GRAFTON. The present system of importing
al foreign fabrics through the Northern
ports is keeping the South and Southwest
in condition of provincial dependence,
paying yearly tribute t" another section,
ard gives the entire control OF the money
rpwer of the country to the North. We
have no statistics at land to which to refer,
bu, we believe the South has. comparative.
~. no commercial marine. ant that nearly
ali the vessels sailing to and from Southern
ports are owned by Northern capitalists, and
that few, if snv, Southern houses import
their goods directly. When we ask mer'
chan, here in the interior why hc docs not
buy his goods in Charleston or Savannah
instead of going to the more distant mar
kc,s of Philadelphia and New York, he re-
rles at once that the Southern houses gen"
orally obtain their goods through the North
ern marls, and that he con at the latter So
lee. his supplies from larger stocks and on
hotter terms, but that under other clrcum.
stances he would prefer buying at the
South We believe if there was Direct
Trade built up be, wccn the cities OF the
Southern seaboard and foreign countries,
,ha, the merchants of the interior, the for
Greater portion Of whom now 60 North,
would seek their supplies among their
nearer ocighbors, with whom tEey are more
intimately identified in feeling, sympathy
and every thing else. We are confident this
IS the disposition in our section. We look
to the South ~ market for our ugrlcutur.
al products, and would prefer to buy our
goods and neccssaries where we sell our
surplus produce. But it is senselcss to talk
about it as n general system as long as
Sou,hern houses obtain their stocks through
Northern ports. Men will seek those points
where they believe they can obtain the best
bargains and have he largest variety to Sc
lcct from; and the impression is universal
among business men Of the distant interior,
whether correctly so or not. that they must
necessarily pny higher prices for their pur'
cbascs at the South than at the North, from
the simple fact that the South has little or
no "D,rect Trade" with foreign countries.
We are glad to see that the editor of the
News Intends dcvoting his energies to the
fur,herance of this desirable object, and we
trust tina, other papers will take up the sub
j,ct and urge its importance. The man who
engages in sucl, work will be doing inf
ni,ely more to "proect Southern rights and
Souhern interests" and build up and streng'
then "Sou,hern equality" than oil the noisy
and discordunt spirits who are ourlhenng
the public car with their mad and senses
less harangues abou, "Disunion and Seccs>
sion"