Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-06-11

o the west. 1t is the route that will COM
pets fairly with the free navigation OF the
Ohio river and the Pennsylvania railroad
for III, trade and travel at Cincinnati. Sir,
l do not claim to be "prophet, nor the
son of prophet" but "coming events are
now ,sting their shadows before us, and
It's the part of wisdom to be forewarned
TO prevent trade and travel from leaving
the public works of Pennsylvania, you
must build up Pittsburg-you must offer
every inducement at that point to prevent
the trade of the west from diverging from
the Ohio river at Cincinnati, at Parkers-
burg or at Wheeling. How, let me ask,
Mr.. Speaker, are you to accomplish this,
if you clog up the avenues leading from
your improvements to Baltimore, and
compel your forwarding houses at Pitts
burg to say to the merchants of Baltimore
We can not carry your merchandise and
freight through Pennsylvania, because
Philadelphia, to avoid the competition of
Baltimore, has closed up the avenues lead
ding to your city. We can offer you no
choice of markets, if you come to Pitts
hurg-you are then in the Philadelphia
net, and to that market you must 60 nolrns
roLcas' Sir, do you think such a policy
viii promote the interests of this old Key
stone state? Would it benefit Philadel-
phia! No, sir, she is great and a noble
city increasing in wealth and population
in 4 progressive ratio that has astonished
her rival sisters. She has nothing to fear
from the rivalry of Baltimore, but could
transact her business through that city as
though it were one of her own suburbs.
The interests of the two cities on this
great question of securing the western trade
and travel are identical. They must unite
heart and hand in offering all the attrac-
tons that both can command to induce the
trade Of the Ohio to pass the city of Gin
cinnati. That is the great point Of diver
gcnce, where the cities of New York and
Boston come in competition with Philadel-
1'.iI and Baltimore. Let the trade once
a: disembarkei at Cincinnati and enter on
the channels Of communication leading to
the lakes and it is irretrievably gone
PennSylvanla must open every avenue to
market-shc must offer every inducement
in her power to keep the trade on the
Ohio river until it reaches Pittsburg. She
must make freight and transportation cheap
she must reduce her tolls-the Pennsyl-
Vania railroad must do the same-aye, sir,
they must do it Immediately or it will be
too late, irrcyocably too late. To think of
taxing and imposing burthens on the trade
within our State limits, with view of in
terdicting free commercial intercourse at
the eastern terminus of our improvements,
is monstrous; for while it will {" mot en-
rich Philadelphia, it will in the end leave
the Commonwealth "poor indeed
The rivalry of the northern cities of
New York and Boston is what should com
mand the immediate attention of both Phil
;.delplia and Baltimore-and they should
make Joint effort to counteract the exer-
tons of those cities in the first place by
Offering such inducements on the upper
Ohio as would carry the trade above the
city Of Cincinnati, and thus keep it away
from the lakes; and in the second place
by constructing perfect line of improve
ments through Pennsylvania to the harbor
of Erie on lake Erie. See to the exertions
which have been made by our northern
ncighbors to secure the trade of the Ohio
and the lakes. Look at the numerous i'm
provemcnts which have been constructed
to carry the trade of the Ohio and the
Mississippi to the lakes, and from the
lakes to New York and Boston for to our
shame be it said, there is no direct outlet
from those great inland seas to Philadel-
phia or Baltimore, although both are nearer
10 the lakes than either of the former
cities | will refer to few of those i'm
provements, Mr.. Speaker, and to the trade
of the lakes to show Senators, who have
not turned their attention to this subject
with what wisdom New York and Boston
have stretched out their iron arms to en-
brace the travel and to grasp the tonnage
Of the wonderful West.
As before remarked, Cincinnati is the
great focus of trade on the Ohio. From
that point the Ohio canal is constructed ex-
tending from Portsmouth on the Ohio river
10 Clcavcland on Lake Erie On this canal
maximum rates of toll are established, dis
eliminating strongly in favor of the Lake
and against its rival, the free nayiea-
ton of the Ohio river. The effect of this
is selfevident-it is discrimination not
only in favor of the Ohio canal, but also in
favor of New York and Boston, and con-
scqucntl.y against Philadelphia and Balti-
more \ railroad has also been construc-
ted from Cincinnati to Cleveland, connec-
ting with line of railroads, now COM
pleted, extend from Cincinnati by Spring
field to Sandusky city. The Wabash and
Erie canal, opens a water communication
between the Wabash river in the State of
Indiana and Lake Erie at Toledo. This,
Mr.. Speaker, is one of the most important
tributaries to the commerce of Lake Erie.
But few years age, and you could not
find the name of Toledo on your map
now, sir, there is one uninterrupted stream
of steam boats employed in carrying the
trade of that port to an eastern market
in the year lS49 there were shipped from
Toledo 2,052 Oh bushels of corn-7I5,-
54j bushels of wheat-142,452 barrels of
fiour-7,3l2, ,SS1 lbs of bacon and pork
). 5.659.24l lbs. of lard The value Of