Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-03-27
The Advantages or Knoxville as q
Central Point.

The advantages of Knoxville, as 8 central point
are most striking. Whether viewed as the center
of rich agricultural region or a region abound
ing in all the great minerals except gold and there
fore adapted to manufacturing or as being at the
intersection of two lines of railroads one connect
ing the Atlantic coast with the Northern lakes, and
the other connecting New York with New Orleans
or viewed geographically, as the precise center of
East Tennessee. or charging the circle as the cen
ter of large region, in which it is the largest town.
whose circumference sweeps around from Lexington
to Louisville Nashville Atlanta, Charlotte and
Lynchburg, her position is a most commanding one.
There are no large competing towns nearer to it
than from two to three hundred miles. Atlanta is
the nearest and it is distant two hundred and ten
miles, while Lynchburg is distant three hundred
and thirty Probably there is no other region East
OF the Missouri river, of such mineral and agricul-
tural resources without one or more large central
towns, serving as markets and IS depots of supply
and distribution The growth of such towns is not
the result of chance, hazard or altogether Of enter
prise but the inevitable result of the laws of trade
Every region, that raises more than it consumes
must have a central market or large to,cH, where
the farmer can sell or exchange his produce, and
from which to draw his supplies.
In this whole region, to which 1 have referred,
we have had no such town, and consequently no
home market. With the development of the new
era In agriculture and manufactures which lies Just
before as such town win spring up some where in
the central part OF this region. Knoxville, being
the center of the railroad system within this region,
and now the largest place. will become such town.
That it will reach, in few years. the proportions of
forty fifty thousand inhabitants need surprise no
The necessities of this vast region full Of or
ganic wealth, demand large central market and
one will spring up. Without our railroads thi9 re-
suit might be far of, but with them It is right at
hand
Take Atlanta as an illustration. 1t is situated in
the center Of region, neither so great in extent
ours nor SO rich in agricultural or mineral resources
Augusta, Macon and Columbus, to say nothing of
Montgomery and Savannah, are near by to compete
with her, But situated in the very gate of thetrade
which flows Southwark, she has become by the laws
of trade market, as we'll as a distributing point
for great part of Georgia, and for parts of Tennes
and Alabama The result is that it is fast be-
coming the most important town in Georgia.
Take Memphis also as an illustration. 1t is the
center of another large region without any COM
peting town near it. Her growth ct this time is
scarcely second to that of Chicago. Why is this
Because she is the market for wide and rich region
Of country. The leading business there as in all
large commercial towns is to buy sell and distribute
all that is raised in the country tributary to it, and
nearly all that is required in it by way of supplies
The cotton raised within the circle of her trade is
first sent there to cotton factor who distributes it,
by sending part of it to New Orleans, part to St.
Louis and Cincinnati and part to Now York. In
return the cotton planter purchases from the mer-
chants of Memphis his groceries and other supplies
Thus it serves convenient market and distribu-
ting point for all that country
Nashville answers the same purpose for Middle
Tennessee Louisville for parts of Kentucky and
Indiana, Cincinnati for wider region, and New
York for still wider region.
Now, Knoxville lies in the very gate of the trade
which will flow Southwark from upper East Ten
nessee, Virginia and Kentucky, and Westward from
North Carolina by way of the French Broad rail |
road, as well as Northward by the East Tennessee
and Georgia Railroad. l do not take into the &C
count the trade which will foo By this place. some
of which will lodge here from beyond the circle of
which am speaking, from Cincinnati and Louis
ville and beyond them to Charleston and Savannah,
and backward along said line, and along the great
line from New York to New Orleans. Knoxville
is the first important town this interior domestic
trade will strike, and here it will be sod ard dis
trbuted. And here the producer or farmer will find
his nearest and therefore cheapest market in which
to purchase his supplies, and for the his
best market for the sale of his surplus If by magic
a city of fifty thousand people could be made to
spring up here in night it would increase the
value of farm products from ten to twenty-five per
cent all over East Tennessee in less than ten days
and the value of lands in quarter ratio large
towm is, therefore, Of the wants Of this whole
country Every who sells, and every man who
buys, would be benefited by it.
MORE ANON