The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-07-16
@ II A r L E S T @ n.
MONDAY MORNING, JULY 1G, 1866.


There is no species of truth 80 unpalatable
as home truth no task 80 thankless as to
open the eyes of your hearer, reader or inter-
looutor to any shortcomings he may be guilty
Of And as most persons prefer to live in
peace,-oultivating personal ease and conve-
nience, home truths are voted bore, and by
universal consent almost are banished from
good society. A public journal, however,
cannot always conform to that most respect
able authority. Duty often compels q wide
divergence from this most convenient stan
dard. Patience and forbearance are evan
gelical virtues, when exercised on the part of
On Individual, either in restraining his pas
sions or waving his rights and privileges.
1t is otherwise with tho representative of a
community. 1t is clearly his duty jealousy
to watch all that pertains to the welfare of
those whom he represents; to have an eye on
everything that concerns their interests; and
as a faithful sentinel to blow his trumpet with
no uncertain blast,-giving forth notes of
warning, protest, remonstrsnce or exhortation,
rs the occasion may call for.
We have been led to indulge in these re-
Elections by o consideration of the status our
city now holds as q commercial emporium,
and by pondering the causes for this present
very undesirable state of things. So far from
making any progress in a commercial point
of view, we are rather retrogrsding. We
need but to look around us to find proof of this
melancholy fact.
Up to q recent period our city had COM
mercial aspirations. To put ourselves within
easy reach of,:the interior we have contribu-
ted largely of our means to the building of
railroads all around u.s. Our lines of steam
ers with the different ports of the North have
ever been fostered, and been source ofpride
to our merchants. Before the war we even
talked of q Transatlantic Steamship Com
pany. Of Wilmington, in North Carolina,
we used to hear in connection with the arti.
cles of lumber and naval stores. Newbern
was known here only from the fact of its
sending us an occasional schooner with corn
Savannah was a respectable city, but it was not
q commercial point of considerable impor-
tance. But these towns were considered mere
Liliputians in the worlds broad field of COM
merce, and it was little thought that in few
short years large portion of our business
would be done at these small ports Yet
this is the Oase,-and it is with pain we re-
cord the fact.
And why is this -? Because we in our short
sighteduess have killed the goose for the
golden egg. Under the plea of necessity,
which we are willing to admit was such for
a short time last year, our railroads institu-
ted, and have until this period kept up, most
oppressive freight tariff, which has driven
thousands of tons of merchandise from our
doors to other lines of transportation. Speak
to a railroad official and he assumes tone of
injured innocence, ard asks how outsiders can
know anything of railroad affairs. Another,
venerable citizen, and director it NAV be.
asks Indignantly if stockholders are not to do
as they please with their own property. Still
another exoaims, eff you want to manage the
railroad, why don't you buy up the stock ?"
In the meantime merchants on the line of
the Charlotte Railroad transact their busi-
ness with Newbern, forwarding their cotton
to New York, and getting their supplies in
return through that port at cheaper rates than
they would have to pay ola Charleston, al
though the latter port is very much the
nearest.
In our Saturdays issue we published an
extract from merchant in Darlington, stat
ing that arrangements have been completed
by which the whole Pee Dee country and
neighboring ons,-embracing the en-
tire line Of the Wilmington and Manchester
and Cheraw and Darlington Railroads are to
send their produce to Wilmington, and be
supplied from that port; end this at cheaper
rates than by the Northeastern Railroad to
and from Charleston.
Is there no remedy for all this /? Are our
business men to shrink into utter insignifi.
canoe, our wharves to rot, and our warehouses
to become abandoned property7" Is tho
grass to grow in the streets of our good old
Palmetto Ciy9 IF this is not to be our flu
ture, something must be done now, and at
once, to change the blighting policy which
has in short twelvemonth brought US to our
present deplorable condition.
Tell US not of the rights of stockholders,
when Won and all of ua-,ho Cto,o ;.,o1c