The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-02-11
FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC CON-
MERGE

Competition 10 said to be "the life Of bust
ness" Be this as'it may, one thing IL certain,
the masses are benefited by the overthrow Of all
monopolies The general interests are promoted,
and all Industrial pursuits enhanced In value
and developed In volume and capacity by the In
crease OF new facilities and new thoroughfsrcs
and routes for commerce and trade.
The New York people have been In the habit
Of Boosting, and we have all believed thom, that
that city must at no distant day, become the
commercial metropolis Of the world, as II now 10
Of this country. We have no wish, II we could,
to deny that this city of the Empire State has
superior advantages of position, Is . long way
ahead of all other cities on this continent, and
must remain as It now is for many years the
great money centre Of the New World. or
course, all attempts to divert commerce from
this great centre by opening new channels and
new routes to trade with the seaboard, and
thence with foreign lands, must be Of slow
growth The projects for opening other lines to
commerce and outlets to the great West and
Northwest, which have been inaugursted and
partially carried out, begin to demonstrate that
there is growing disposition in the country to
hnd other thorougfares, which, II they do not
cripple the trade Of the commercial metropolis
will, at least, show to her that competence for
the commerce OF the Old World 10 To be sought
for by the people OF other localities.
The high charges at the port Of New York has
led producers, forwarding merchants. and Others
to cast about them, and to devise ways and
means for opening new routes to the tide waters
of the Atlantic seaboard. As washingtonians,
we should have an interest In what 10 being done
by the way of connecting the city of Baltimore
with Europe and the great West. The Monu-
mental City Is stretching out her arms In both
directions BY her railroads she 10 srasping
the West and Northwest, and by her line Of
ocean steamers she is forming an important
,.ylfh naItl md
Ohio railroad and the Cincinnati and Marietta
railroad are or soon will be consolidated, and a
bridge will shortly span the Ohio river. This
bids fair to be a very expeditions and cheap
freight route from the West to the head OF navi-
CATION on the seabosrd, and must lead to an ex
tensiye direct trade with Europe. Already we
are Informed that suite a considerable direct ex-
port and import trade exists between Cincinnati
and Europe via Baltimore. Not only will there
spring up a large trade by the means of thi,
route between Europe and the West, but BY
other roads already constructed, and to be con
structed, large trade must be established be-
tween the West, the South, and the Southwest
These railroads and this Baltimore line of ocean
steamers must prove to be no mean competition
on the south OF the great Metropolis auA cen
mcrcial centre. ""A
New York has another competitor In the Nortl
of no mean power and influence In the Gran
through transportation to Europe via Portland
Maine; and 1t Is known that all commodities an
frieghts sent by this line are at much less cos
than by way OF New York. A single firm OF com
mission merchants in Cincinnati have sent thi
winter over three thousand bales of cotto
through to Liverpool at two centsa pound, gu
currency This gives us to understand what thi
route may do In the transportation OF heav.
frcights.
Portland will soon construct a railroad froi
that city to Ogdensburg. This will connect this
delightful seaport town with the commerce {
the great lakes. Thus a shorter, cheaper, an
far more direct route for the transportation {
heavy freight will be open than that which mo-
exists via the Grand Trunk.
We hail these new enterprises, not becaus
they are destined to cripple New York or to d.
prlve her OF that proud eminence which she h'
attained ~ the commercial emporium OF III
country, but because these new openings wi
Increase business, develop the industrial int
ests of the country and give broader scope
our home and foreign commerce