The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-08-07
Contest for North Carolina Trade.

This trade we have already SHOWN III d ST.
res of articles, is worth conten1ing for We
have called attention to the vast resources of
the counties in North Carolina, which may be
made tributary to "our common harbor, and
we have advocated both the Tarboro' and Viii
lianlston railroad as vel az the steam COM
munication between Tarboro', Washington,
and this point. We are pleased to be able to
say that this latter will be established in
short time, as we are informed 10y Que OF our
most intelligent merchants.
But, we are not to imagine that the estab-
lishnent Of lines of communcat on constitutes
all the work to be done by our merchants.
We are not to rest content with these. We
must 90 to the prolific region itself, make
ourselves known, miDgle with the farmers,
ascertain their wants. aud inform them OF our
ability to furnish their supplies at rates as
cheap or cheaper than they can be obtained
elsewhere aud Of as good gu 'lltJ1. This Is
tie course OF energy and earnestness that we
must adopt, if we are really in earnest in our
desires to deal with the North Carolina farm
ers on the Sounds, and along the courses Of
the Pasauotank the Perquimans, the Chowan,
the Roanoke the Pamhco, the Tar, the
Neuse, the Trent, and the New rVer-and
those off from the water courses who are
reached by railroad communications. We
must bear IN mind that we have rivals for
this trade-rivals not only fully alive to its
importance, but who will make and are max
ing efforts to retain that portion of it which
they possess, as well as to enlarge its present
bulk There is every Incentive, therefore, to
increased exertion on our part
Petersburg and Wilmington are pointed to
by the North Caroinian, published at Viii
son, in its alusion to an article upon this
subject in the Petersburg Express. That ar
ticle stated that Norfolk was displaying a
remarkable degree Of energy in the effort to
detach from Petersburg the valuable products
of North Carolina, which formerly, i'll large
measure, found their way to that market"
We think however, the Express gave us
credit for more energy than we have mani
tested more for the purpose, we suspect, OF
stirring up its own people to that energy the
importance of which we have been pressing
upon our own merchants for it is only by
the exertiou Of this energy that we shall sue
coed. We must manifest II as they do IN
Petersburg. We must go to the North Caro-
lima County Courts "button-hol the people
without boring them, and attract them to us
by our address, our fish and oysters, our in
MIGRATING breeze from the sea- our conti-
guilty to their soil, our admirable position for
trading with them, and our variety OF sup
plies suited to their wants.
We already have their sympathy. They
wish to make us their point of trade. we
have accommodating wholesale dealers and
commission houses Large boot and shoe es-
Establishments, hardware and tin depots, agri-
cultural implement stores, dry goods aud
drug establishments, where our North Carroll
ma friends can always supply themselves with
the luxuries and necessaries of lls. Let us
then go out into the interior and bring these
substantial men to the seaboard--not wait for
them to come to us by the canals aud railroads
which have made us comparatively near; but
let us go go out to them, and by representa-
ton of the superior advantages we can pre-
sent before them, compel them, as it We're,
ITO come in" This is what our Merchants
must resolve to do,
The Wilson North Carolnian, in calling at
tention to the article in the Express, alsopays
Norfolk compliment which is not as de-
served as we wish to see it. That paper says:
'"There is no doubt of the fact that the Mer-
chants of Norfolk are at last making strenu-
Gus efforts to secure a large portion of the
North Carolina trade, and there is no question
but these efforts will ultimately meet their re-
ward, and we are pleased to know that such
is the case. Norfolk possesses advantages
which, if combined with the proper business
energy, must make it one of the first ports OF
the United States.