The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-11-13

mo ie'uin iie'Bhl pta portsmouth, Va, four
hundred and seventy railroad miles away. But
| so it is proposed to be done, and the considera-
tion Of the subject Of the carrying trade IS thus
| forced upon us, and we must decide whether we
will meet these Innovations, and by concert of
action defeat them, or confne our efforts to
local business. We are very we'll aware that
there arc some who deplorc the ncw order of
things which obtrudc upon MS in the shnpc Of
! telegraph wires, railroads and stcamships-who
main ain that Charleston was better Off when
upper King street was succession of wagon
yards, and when the then infant crop of cup
lands was brought to town in wagons, drawn
by the most patient of mules.
But all that is now changed; and while it
might be very we'll to wagons and trade up
tho King street road, we must either persuade
our ncighbors at Portsmouth TO adopt Il similar
plan, or avail ourselves of the wires, rails and
steamships, and bid for our share of such business
as is now offering.
but there arc also great many more who
object strongly to any "through rate schemes" +"
upon tho ground that it gives the eo-by to
Charleston. Now, the only way to test the wis
dom of this objection is to ask this question :
How much back country does Charleston con-
troll in trade-thnt is, what sections of our own
! State depend absolutely on Charleston as port
Of entry? Is this field wide enough to make
Charleston n great city? Beginning on the
western side of the State, the Savannah River
draws 10 its hundred landings, the produce for
twenty to twenty-five miles inland up to Ander-
| son and Pickcns; at Augusta the Central Road
completes in the interest Of Savannah: on the line
Of the South Carolina Railroad to Hamburg we
have certain business, also on the Columbia
| branch TO Columbia; but the Wilmington an,
Manchester Road offers inducements to Will
mington at kingville, through Sumter, Marion,
| and other rich Districts and the Northcas ern
Road is cut of one hundred miles from this
city by the same line. Above Columbia we get
some little benefit from the line of the Green
vile Road and the Spartanburg and Union Road:
but the Charlotte Road has been for six months
| in the interest of The Portsmouth route, and
J has made the effort, if il has not succeeded, to
carry every bale OF cotton on its line to New
| York ria Portsmouth. In fact, this corporation
has actually bid for the Columbia business but
not successfully If our readers, therefore, will
take map, they will see thatbrs little ground is
left us on which to build up and sustain n port,
offering large shipping facilities; and if we de-
termine to give our attention only to our local
| trade, we shall not want one-fourth as MANY
steamers and sailing packets as we now employ.
The fact is, no seaport can extend itself on its
own limited local trade. With the network of
railways and the fleets Of steamers to other
points, Charleston must retrograde under such
| policy.
| OF course this is not to be thought of. The
S26, 100000 of real estate in this city alone
the millions more invested in railroads, to the
| dividends from which hundreds are now look
ing with eager eyes means of support-the
unemployed thousands who would stand idle on
our wharves and streets-all these tell us we
must go forward and compete for business.
We shall take occasion, at an early day, to
renew the consideration of these matters.