The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-19
Our Industry and Commerce.


several days past, in course OF argument
before Justice READ, of the Supreme Court
bas attracted great deal of attention, here
and elsewhere. The community at large
however, has very little interest in the mere
legal merits OF the suit, except so far as they
bear upon the commercial welfare of Phila-
dolphla and the State.
In most controversies between railroad
companies whose roads begin and end within
the territory Of Pennsylvania, we are never
disposed to take Sides In our opinion, all
such highways are, necessarily, more or less
tributary to the convenience of the people,
and promotive of their prosperity. The roads,
as they are multiplied, may come into rivalry
with each other, and by dividing the business
Of transportation, may suffer accordingly a
diminution of their respective revenues; but
the general public, nevertheless, is provided
with increased means of travel and trade
while the rates Of transit from point to point
are more or less reduced by the competition
that arises between the various lines.
This remark, however, is confined to such
railways as may be strictly entitled State
roads, and such, also, as are so connected
with our own system Of internal improve
ments as to contribute necessarily, in a very
decided manner and large degree, to the
prosperity of this Commonwealth and its
acknowledged commercial capital. And we
make this distinction for the reason that GER
tain efforts have been made in the past, and
are now making, to construct railways through
Pennsylvania whose inevitable effect, if COM
pleted ,swould be, and whose premeditated
design is, to use right Of way over Pennsyl-
yania soil, to the prejudice of her commercial
and industrial interests. Against all projects
of that character we are earnestly and reso-
lutely set, and we shall oppose them, on
principle Of State pride and State policy, to
the bitter end.
How far, if at all, any one of the railways
involved in the litigation now going on in our
Supreme Court is obnoxious to the suspicion
or charge of being a foreign enterprise in
tended or fitted to injure our local interests
upon pretense OF beneflting them, we are not
just now disposed to inquire. The Court is
considering various legal questions affecting
the various litigants on other grounds, and we
are not willing to alarm local jealousies that
might possibly affect the decision of the legal
points that are in dispute.
But in so far as the subject of connecting
this city by lines of steamers with both do
mestic and foreign ports is concerned, we
have learned from the statements that have
been made in the course of the arguments
before Judge READ, that both of the opposing
parties to the suit are engaged to encourage
and largely aid this community in its efforts to
revive and extend its almost entirely ex-
tinguished maritime commerce. In this re-
speet, therefore, the scales seem to hang
evenly between the relators and the respond
ents, and hence, however the suit may result,
Philadelphia is likely to receive important
assistance from several very powerful railway
corporations In resurrecting her once great.
but, for years past, broken down maritime
trade.
This, at least, is gratifying fact. Some
thing has long beep needed to wake up our
energies and save us from commercial perdi-
ton. The idea that because Philadelphia is a
great centre of manufactures, she can afford
to close her port and depend for communica-
ton with foreign markets on New York and
other American ports, is pregnant with disas-
ter to our mechanical as well as our CONNER
cial interests. We should command within
ourselves, at once and equally, the facilities ol
producing what the world wants, and of ship
ping it directly to the consumers.
1t is only by harmonizing its various ener-
gies and resources and bringing them into
mutually beneficial cooperation, that any
community can become entirely great and
prosperous. An opposite policy, that fosters
but one or two powers, or cultiVates but one
ortwo sources of wealth, results always ir
half-growth and lop-sidedness.
Hence it is to be earnestly desired that our
commerce should move forward, hand-in
hand, with our manufacturing industry, since
neither can be fully developed and main
tanned without the other while the railway
that converge here must remain compare
lively valueless to Philadelphia, as long a
they are not combined at this point with cor
responding facilities of shipment by sea, t.
both domestic and foreign markets.