The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-09-23

MR, EDITOR: Less than two years
since. every bale Of cotton the mer-
chant or factor shipped from this city
to New York cost him 80 and to
Charleston IS. First class goods cost
about 81 per 100 100! Ep,ssanas TO res
ton, and So. per 100 to New York.
Other goods cost in like proportion.
Under these severe charges, and the
depressed condition of the people,
the country suffered.
The Charlotte Road, at this time,
came to our relief and reduced the
cotton rate from Columbia to New
York to $5 per bale, and first class
merchandise to 81. SO pes100 pounds,
and other freights correspondingly
low ola the Portsmouth route. This
route has kept on reducing, until
freights are now taken over it at 81
per 100 for first class, 80 cents second
GLASS, 80 cents third class, and 70
cents fourth class. While cotton is
taken at 81 per bale from here to New
York; besides, the marine insurance,
on the Charlotte route, from Ports.
mouth to New York, is only half of
what it is from Charleston to New
York. All vessels doubling Cape
Hatteros, on the coast of North Caro-
lima, from New York South, have to
pay about double the rate of insur-
ance that they have to pay to Ports
mouth. Have our merchants con-
sidered the difference in this insur-
ance? Often single box or trunk of
.broadoloths, silks and other dry
goods, weighing only 100 pounds, is
worth from So to $5. The freight on
thispackage, worth $500, would be 81,
either ola Charleston or Portsmouth,
while the average insurance by Ports
mouth would be $3.50, and by
Charleston SIS, making the whole cost
of freight and insurance, uiG Ports
mouth, $3.50, and by Charleston Sc,
or $3.50 more pid Charleston than
ola Portsmouth making the Charles
ton route nearly double that ola
Portsmouth. This route presents,
therefore, greatly the advantage to
our merchants and planters over any
other, and are we not under obliga-
tions to sustain it? Was it not
through the agency of the Charlotte
Road that our freights have been
thus reduced to reasonable rates?
Did not its competition stimulate and
greatly expedite the deliveries of our
freights? Has not the Portsmouth
route, by SO reducing freights, saved
to the merchants and planters of Co.
lumDia, and those tributary to the
Greenville Road, over 800, 600 in the
last twelve months? And are we un-
der no obligations for this? Shall
we desert those who relieved US when
we could scarcely raise the funds to
pay our freight charges on cotton and
merchandise? Formerly, Columbia
and the Greenville and Charlotte
Roads were way-side stations to the
South Carolina Railroad, as compared
with Augusta and Georgia. The
freights were taken to and from
Georgia and Augusta at much less than
they were taken to or from Colum-
bia. This had been the practice for
years past. Now, by the interposi-
ton of the Charlotte Road, we have
ID very 1dlI SuoWluB Will Augusta.
And why should not our market now
become as good cotton market as
that of any city in the South? We
can ship cotton to New York, ola
Portsmouth, at 81 per bale, and to
Baltimore at 49, 25 per bale, while the
insurance is only so cents, against 81
per bale uia Charleston; whilst on
Philadelphia cotton, oia the Anna
messic route, there is, as we are in
formed, no insurance.
Our merchants and planters cannot
be Indifferent to these matters which
inure SO much to their benefit, for
they have the freights to pay at last.
MERCHANT.
EDITOR PHGNIX- The following is
n literal cODv Of q document which