The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-24
SATURDAY. MARCH "a, 1866.
,no S,oomsbin Lines TO the sonth.

when the most magnificent ships llled out Oh
our harbor and sailed back again from fur
thest Ind, laden with the spoils of the East.
But how have we fallen from that high estate
We doubt if there is a single ship trading
dii ectly between this place and Canton, Nan
kin, or Yedo. And yet it may be asked why
Boston and New York should, in the course
Of time, have taken from us the trade which
we once monopolizedP There is but one
answer to that question, and 1t might as vel
be given now, without hesitation or rese We
The first merchants of Philadelphia were
great men in their vocation. . They were
princes in their generation, like the mer
chants of ancient Tyre They were men
enlarged views, liberal enterprise, adventu
r0us disposition, and farseeing sagacity
Their ideas OF commerce were not limited
byl any "pent-up Utica" but looked freely
abroad to the extremities of the earth and
embraced the whole world. They are remem-
bered yet as giants in their day, and not with
out regret by those who witness the decline
of mercantile spirit here, and compare what
is with what was
1t is perh APPS too late to recover our lost
ground entirely. The cities which have stolen
long march on us in the race for me tro-
politan influence, power, and wealth, are not
likely to permit the sceptre to pass away from
them. But it is yet possible to MAKE Phila-
delpha most important aud prosperous port
both as respects fJreign and domestic COM
merce. The movement to establish four
separate lines Of steamships to connect this
city with as many leading porSs of the South
is a step in the right direction. There is true
wisdom in beginning at home aud trying to
concentrate at this point the trade and travel
Of the Southern States. When that is accom-
plished in some considerable degree it, will be
time enough to think of starting steamships
from this port 20 Liverpool, Southampton,
and Havre. There is natural and logical
order in commercial enterprise, as in almost
every other business of lfe and it seems TO
Us that the command OF a large part of our
own coastwise trade and travel is q necessary
precedent to any attempt to control a paying
portion OF the trade aud travel between any
American port and those of Europe. With
the two resources combined, lines OF steam
ships win pay large profits and be perma-
neutly prosp 'rous
Those of our merchants, therefore, who
have been so industriously engaged in raising
the necessary money to establish four sepa-
rate lines of propellers, to run be-
tween Philadelphia and Wilmington, Charles
ton, Savannah, and New Orleans, have
been exciting their energies in the
light direction, and they have succeeded
in getting six hundred and thirty thousand
dollars subscribed in behalf of the project
They want three hundred and seventy thou
sand dollars mole to make up million, which
is the total sum required to consummate the
enterprise on the scale that is deemed neces-
sary to realize the full benefits Of the trade
which our position will, with proper means
to secure it, unquestionably command Our
merchants and manufacturers should net
delay to supply the deficit They have the
best possible guarantee that they win receive
handsome interest on the capital
invested, while the advantages they
will reap from the increased demand in the
Southern States for their merchandise and
products, by means Of the proposed steam
ships, win greatly exceed the dividends on
tier shares in the stock OF the company.
We can count on the fingers Of one of our
hands the manufacturers who have interest
enough in opening direct trade with the South
to put the present project through at once
and who have wealth enough to do it with
out feeling inconvenience from the tempo
rary loan they would make to carry out an
undertaking that must, if consummated, most
certainly and largely benefit and aggrandize
them. But public spirit should have some
part in this business. Selfish cupidity alone
ought to raise the needed funds ia less than
twenty-lour hours; and we are surprised that
individual merchants and manufacturers, who
are immediately and chiefly concerned in
opening direct intercourse and commerce with
the Southern States, do not come forward
unsolicited with their capital, and build all
the vessels that ere needed for the purpose.
But, outside of those who are moved to take
part in such enterprises only by motives of
private inter st, there are thousands of rich
citizens here, who are out of mercantile and
manufacturing pursuits, and all sorts of busi-
ness, who have yet a local pride that ought to
impel them to risk some portion of their i'm
mense fortunes to build up the prosperity of
the city OF their residence and adoption, or
Of their birth. Nor are rich men interested
in the commercial prosperity Of Philadelphia
only as citizens. They are, for the most
part, more or less directly interested In its