The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1853-11-04
AND COMMERCIAL. CITIES.

| hc S'V"th VI CotlUncIcIi Citics Has aIHoS
always been rapid, and while increasing ir
size and Importance, there has usually been ;
corresponding increase Of splendor and luxu
ry. The maritime cities of old Phenicia, theil
extended commerce, and their adventurous
fleets, are stories of history. Alexandria and
Carthage are other and not less noticeable
examples. Calcutta, London, and New York
Of to-day, and San Francisco of the hour, are
the modern instances Of the growth of com.
mercial emporiums. One hundred years ago
Calcutta was almost unthought Of The
waste where it now stands was broken by u
single trading. station of the East India Com.
pany, known as Fort William. To-day a
splendid and opuent city oftens of thousands
of inhabitants invites the trader and the trav.
cller to its crowded and busy streets. Lon.
don, of ancient foundation, for half century
has been growing with an accclerating rapidi-
ty, until now fair.sized city is annually ad-
dcd to its borders. New York, half ccntu.
ry ago, was u small town, confined to the
lower part of the island. Now it stretches
miles, while the railroad lines are converting
the villages and counties of the surrounding
States into suburbs. San Francisco has
sprung like the creation of wand out Of
barren sand and bleak hil.sdes, into city of
many thousands, and is doubtless to be the
first or certainly the second commercial city
Of the American coast on the Pacific.
The growth of these commercial cities is
no small item Of interest to the political
economist. Tyre, and her sister cities Of the
Mediterranean, have all passed away. En-
cepting Alexandria, scarce Il stone remains to
tell where they stood. Is there not some
thing to be learned from their history! Is
there not something taught by the rapid rise
and splendid but short career Of these power
full communities!
Commerce is valuable agent in exchang-
ing the industry of nations. But Commerce
is not Production. All commerce, with those
who carry it on, the transporter, the shippers,
the horses, the railroads, the locomotives, and
the ships, is direct tar on the industry of
those who actually labor. The first payments
made from the sales of produce, no matter in
what form it is sent to market, are those of
the agents, consignces, and transporting car
riers. After these a.e paid, the account of
sales is returned to tho producer, minus
"chargcs." The balance thus left is often
small, and we have known that the producer
has actually been brought in debt to his fac
tor on "charges account" The more rapid
and splendid the growth of commercial cities,
the greater is the tax levied on the producers
to pay for this splendor; and while million
of laborcrs live in comparative poverty. barely
themselves, the faetors live in
magniiccncc and luxury.
There is commerce which is legitimate.
BY this we mean that traffic which exchanges
our own products for that which we cannot
produce. Drugs, dye.stuffs, spices, coffee, tea,
ivory, and things which belong to other eli.
mates, arc necessary to our refinement, COM
fort, and economies. But iron, wool, cloth,
calico, linen, sugar, hardware, and thousands
Of other articles and products, we can pro-
duce or fabricate in our own country, to
greater advantage than to purchase Of those
|aborers who produce or make them abroad.
The vast resources of national and indi.
vidual wealth which are possessed by our
people in their industrial power should be
developed in the most diversified forms
thus to promote domestic exchanges, recipro.
,al intercourse, the cultivation of the arts, and
The elevation of labor in our midst.
The vast stores of wealth in the metals,
pres, natural mechanical power, soils, and fuel,
are so many elements of riches and prosperity
given to us for our Improvement. II is folly
for us to buy copper, while we can almost
supply the world. 1t is no wiser to purchase
zinc, while we have the best deposit now
known. 1t is waste and extravaganza to buy
iron, while we possess the best ores and the
most magnificent deposits on the globe. So
Of all other things which lie at our feet, while
we have the labor to produce all We want, |
md suffer when that labor is unemployed.
Hence, while we have sort of national
pride at witnessing the growth of New York
and several Of our large commercial cities, we
lcplorc the fact, as it affords evidence of the
luxury, the dissipation, the laxity of morals,
and the uncertainty of so much spendor and
show. The wisdom Of to-day SHOULD lead
men to look at facts as they are.
The tendency Of the present policy Of Stree
trade" is to build up commercial cities, throw
capital into trade, withdraw it from manufac-
lures, production, and the legitimate develop
ment Of our stores of wealth, and, as in times
long past, foster spirit Of restlessncss, am
bition, and ini4uitous conquests. 1t tends to
build up communities of "merchant princess
ccntralize wealth and capital in the hands Of
a few, snake the rich richer, and the poor
poorer" by alfolding credit to the rich, and
making "a nation ofagriculturists," as the free
traders pretend we ought to be, depend on
foreign markets to sell our bread to the un.
paid laborers of Europe, ground down to the
earth by the commercial system Of England.
The free-trade policy is the deadly enemy Of
true democracy, and we hope the farmer and
the working.man will not be longin finding
it out.
%At recent celebration Of the Young
Friends of Ireland, the following toast was
c;ven: sWoman-she needs no eulogy; she