The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-09-16
A Chamber Of Commsrce.

The commercial supremacy Of st. Paul
seems to be fixed by geographical condL
tons and we fall into . bad habit Of re-
gardiDg its future greatness as inevitable,
to be spontaneously evolved from natural
causes. But there can be no mistake NOR
dangerous than this supine dependence upon
Nature. Mature ties no knots which the
energy and cunning Of man cannot resolve.
That q great commercial city is. sooner or
later, to crown the head of navigation on
the Mississippi, is an unavoidable deduction
from its geographical relations. That city
is to be second to none in the Valley Of the
Mississippi in Importance. 1t is to be the
apex Of q commercial pyramid. whose base
is in the Rocky Mountains the Emporium
ola system Of tributary valleys which sur.
pass in aggregate extent and capacity the
whole area Of the Old Thirteen States. DC.
cupying this position, St.. Paul has had no
difficulty In maintaining an ascendancy over
all its local rivals for the trade which is
borne to il from the South west by the
Minnesota river, and from the West and
Northwest by its aflinities with the ada
cent valleys which seek an outlet upon the
Mississippi river. Its commanding hydro
graphical relations place it beyond the reach
OF competition by its immediate neighbors !;
and although we are rapidly passing into an
era when Railroads must, to great extent,
take the place Of water.courses as channels
Of transit, yet no citizen of st. Paul need
apprehend any injury to its prospects from
the exertions which some Of the neighboring
towns are making to concentrate the rail-
road system Of Minnesota upon their points.
The coincidence of the head of nayigation
on the Mississippi, with the outlet of.the
tributary valley Of the Minnesota river, ul.
timately locates the depot Of the whole system
OIL Minnesota Railroads which divide their
nominal termini between st. Paul, st. An.
thony and other places.
What st. Paul has to fear is not st. An
thony nor Fort Smelling nor Saltwater,
but Dubuque and Davenport and st. Louis.
1t is contest with giants-and must be
waged with gigantic weapons, on gigantic
plan. Already, those towns are stretching
out their iron hands towards the great
North Western areas, of which st. Paul
holds the natural key. The cities which
are rising upon the Missouri embrace the
plains Of the Saskatchewan and the future
commerce Of the Pacific Railroad, in their
schemes OF future aggrandizement. The
map is against them, but the map is nothing
more to the mailed Crusader of the Nine
teenth Century--the all-conquering Rail-
road-than it was to the paladins Of the
Twelfth. We must meet Our antagonists
with plans as bold, and means as efficient, as
their own. To do this effectively we should
adopt at once Metropolitan Commercial
policy. There is only one way to organize
the public spirit Of st. Paul, and that is by
the instrumentality Of Board Of Trade, or
Chamber Of Commerce. The merchants
and business men Of st. Paul are sufficiently
numerous and prosperous, certainly they are
sufficiently enlightened to give weigh. and
character to an institution Of this sort. A
splendid career Is opening for st. Paul, if
we choose to make the most Of the oppor-
tunities which present themselves on all
sides. We can only make the most of them
by acting with the foresight and purpose
which an institution such as we propose
would embody.
Such an institution would Of course have no
Legislative functions, but it might do vast
deal OF good in preparing the way for Leg.
islation. 1t would belong to il to take the
initiation in movements for the extension
and regulation Of our trade, and in the
improvement Of our communications. By
its suggestions activity might be communi.
Gated to projects now dormant it could
press vague plans to practical results. The
improvement Of navigation in our rivers, the
increase and extension Of facilities Of transit,
the transfer Of the steamboat interest 10 the
81, Paul trade and its vast revenues, from
the cities below to our own city, and the
whole subject Of our commercial relations
and commercial aggrandizement, would
come legitima,ely within the province Of
such body. A Board ofTrade, too, could
do vast deal Of good in the collection Of
facts relative to the trade of st. Paul, its
history and growth. A periodical exhibit
Of this character would go FAR to correct the
absurd stories which the malignity Of our
elemies puts so easily ahoat to our prejudice.
Sueh an Institution womb give An oryani,e,l