The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-05-16

Newfoundland banks she has to take the same ong and
pursue the same track the seas to make the quickest
trip TO Liverpool or Havre. II she veers fraction OF
degree too far north she is in msts and storms and float
ing ice and II too far south she is in battling currents Of
air and water TO delay and endanger her passage. The
great turnpike over the Atlantic is about degree and
half in BREADTH with New York at the western and Iv-
erpoo at the eastern end of the way The laws of insur
ance and of time in trade, then, made New York the inn
porting and exporting point of the Atlantic front OF the
American continent, until steam has nerposed to defy
battling airs and currents Aseamship lay straight
across south of the old sailing line IN ATTITUDES
paratvely much safer from Norfolk better than from
New York. But am speaking of the past and in the
past there competition from this alone with
New York No fact better illustrate this than the
rivalry of Philadelphia with New York for commercial
supremacy She had capital than New York higher
commercial character the centre for many years of
the financial means of government and lacked neither
ambition enterprise TO contend for the mastery but
she obliged to yield Her ship would get to the
capes of Delaware whilst the competing New Yorker,
beaten perhaps the way turned in direct to port and
had out her shipping lists, whilst the Philadelphia ship
was slowly beating up swan-neck channel The
two days delay determined the struggle. Philadel-
pha had to Withdraw from the contest became dis
rbuting point for New York importations, and saga
cously turned her capital to manufacturing and ya she
has not gone bendnd hare by NOT struggling against
natural and uncomfortable She has ceased compare
lively to import, but she has gained and not lost thereby and
thus far hare In this have done wisely and well,
and this will try to show.
BY the operation of these have begun and
kept ourselves agricultural people, producers of the
material relying manual labor in planting and
grazing and yet left and mining and anu-
featuring and the mechanic arts to the concentrated popu
lation and capital and skill of other people And there
by have lost nothing, the world has gained great
deal and we have fulfilled mighty destiny in tho moral
and political field greater than the achievements OF trade
and arts in the physics of other States We have
cities, but have meliorated county populace civil
lied in the Solitude gracious in the amenities OF le and
refined and conservative in social habits We have little
thaDa
Der of white population in the United States We have
mechanic arts, but better able nasse to own
their utensils than the people who manufacture them
Our labor in the past has been and at present better en-
ployed than to manufacture them ourselves. We have
no commerce that is we not own carriers-but
supply the very pabuum of commerce. which would
not be largely and well supplied if we were TO turn
traders We wanting in body of aboring white
yeomanry but our operatives slaves inferior mcc,
who are blessed by pariarchal government OF benign
domescule which supervises every want and provides
for it and this affords class Of masters who have leisure
for the cultivation OF morals, manners philosophy ana
politics. which has given the nation its heroes and sges
and its blessings of free government and its wisdom of
administration in the field and in the cabinet.
We have not many people by the census as COM
and manufactures would account for but we have
kept at home than million and half on 1000
square miles and sent than any other old State to
settle the western empire of States at time when ma
tonal development called for the policy of dispersion of
population from the old to the States Immigration
from Europe supplied the demand of the manufacturing
States but the causes enumerated were required to settle
Missouri Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana
Mississippi Alabama, Florida, Georgia. Texas and be-
sides these planting States Virginia has contributed to
fill up Ohio, Indiana Illinois, Michigan, Iowa Wisconsin,
and California Kansas, and Nebraska She has en-
igants and their descendants in these States and Terrific
res equal to the number she has retained at home and
this has given her moral influence equal to, not ex
ceedng, the power of railroads. canals and denser popu
laon If she has not constructed the former and increased
the latter she has empires of free Stacsto acknow
hprn tn herp and to
sympathes and ties Of political affinity She has pro-
ducod Mc population uach has gone forth from her momb,
and they have ucted and multiplied SO as to strength
her stakes in the conedeTacy OF States III She has not
commerce as yet she has THIS and this is mol gang behind
commerce. and she has done her part for commerce. too,
for she has furnished to New York her full proportion Of
material to make up the audit Of great American
mart besides direct trade Of So 1886 of exports, and
S692 1916 of imports per In all aspects then,
she has not gone backwards stood still in the race of
cmpre and this is proved by the moral force she now
wes in tho nation with thirteen federal representatives
only as compared with Ohio Pennsylvania New York
each having nearly double her number in Congress If
she does not WELD stocks exchange she does have the
power of strate State in the cabinet OF government
and in the conservation of society.
And during all this time, from first to last, she has
not as has been supposed neglected her physical i'm
proveInents Her undertakings of grand works were
among the very earliest and she gave birth to the first
conceptions of the greatest enterprises which have since
been executed and realized by applied science IN our
country.
BY turning your eve to ga New Chapter In the Early
Life of Washington in connexon with the Narrative HIS
tory of the Potomac Company, by John Pickel, pub
lishcd by d. Appleton Co., New York, 1856, You will see
that it the Virginia mind which anticipated every
idea of De Witt Clinton that il the forecast OF Wash
ingon which opened up to view the most extensive CON
nexons of North America reaching indeed the con-
tnent in space California and down the tide of time
the very ideas Of improvements of the present day and
hour and under the influence of Washington, the State
and private contributors expended nearly million on the
Potomac river in of the policy OF that de-
ycopment of internal trade which is exciting uniyer
sal wonder, 1t is greater wonder still that any mind
should early have compehended the plan and prot-
cability of policy astounding and though the first
effort failure for want Mt tho time OF trained civil
engineers yet the conception there then u not The
art of manipulation and the spirit OF enterprise ana de-
veopment sent forth from the Virginia oracle at
Mount Vernon That spirit has not ceased TO brood over
territory and destiny After projecting the great
Chesapeake and Ohio canal resulting from the Potomac
company Virginia organized and put into progress the
great James River and Kanawha Company and has exc
cuted 200 miles of its canal at OF nine mons
also the Dismal Swamp canal 23 miles, at cost of ST.
liz 900 and her railroads numerous and extensive
Norfolk has penetrated North Carolina by 80 miles cost
ing and half million, and has another road to
Petersburg Of 80 miles, at probable cost of one and
half million. Petersburg has connected herself with
North Cardinals great southern route, by G3 miles, at
cost of million and with Richmond, by 22 miles at
a cost of 81, $50, 900 and with Lynchburg, by the
South Side road OF 1913 miles, at cost of 81 975 900
Richmond has penetrated the Roanoke valley to Dan
vile, II3 lnilcs at cost Of four millions has reached
the Tennessee line by the Southwestern road 20i miles
nj cost of five half Millions has touched the Po-