, 1869-01-08
The Commercial Capital.
The New York Herald, on the commercial

The New York Herald, on the commercial
capital of the continent, says:
The city of Chicago may take the palm
for being, next to New York, the most pros
porous, go>ahead city on the continent. 1t
now contains a population of over quarter
of a million, and is increasing at the rate of
twenty-five per cent. every couple of years.
The population is now sixty times larger
than 1t was thirty-one years ago. The ag.
gregate wealth of the city exceeds two hun
dred and thirtytwo millions, or two hundred
and fifty times as large as it was twenty-eight
years ago. In fact, everything in Chicago
has increased enormously within the last
quarter Of century-especially divorce cas-
eS She has whole blocks of magnificent
insurance buildings, is well supplied with
handsome church edIfces, private residences,
opera houses, theatres, hotels, railway sta
tions, printing houses, and prints some rath-
er enterprisiug newspapers She has CON-
munity of merchant princes who are imbued
with the true Western adventurous spirit,
dashed with Eastern energy, endurance and
you will hud almost anywhere, and lawyers
who are pronounced fair at common law and
famous in causes connected with the marital
relations of frail humanity. Taken altogeth,
er, Chicago is a wonderful city already, but
10 few years will become still more wonders
ful, popuious and propersous-the Titan of
Western metrOpOlises. Already are the eyes
of har nuhIio n;r;tad o;t;ya,s Iook;no 70 The
vast advantages 10 accrue from making Chic
ago a sort of central or distributing point for
the Pacific Railroad, taking, as it were, time
by the forelook, and stepping in by the side
of New York to urge to triumphant COM
petion this great transcontinental undertake
ing. Meetings have been held and resolu-
tions adopted showing the natural advantag-
es of Chicago as point for direct trade
with Eastern Asia, and for concentration OF
Oriental goods-teas. silks, satins, the spices
of the Orient aud the untold wealth that
must cross the continent upon the completion
Of the railway, en- route to the markets OF
the Old World. By this means, and oy
enlarging the facilities for railway communl-
cations between the two cities, Chicago will
q
help swell the magnitude and splendor of the
great commercial emporium in common with
her own. Arrangements are also being
made in Chicago to celebrate the opening of
the Pacific Road-next Fourth of July, per-
haps-with degree of liberality and magni
6cence unparalleled on the continent. In
short, Chicago seems actually to be step in
advance of New York in appreciation of the
commercial benefits that will flow from the
construction of the road. Aud our merchants
and citizens generally, as our public authorl
ties, should be waking up to the importance
of celebrating the cOnsummation of the iron
bound union between these two great cities
New York on the east and San Francisco
on the west-in manner commensurate with
the Importance of the event and the noDor OF
the city. If they do not take care Chic
ago will be ahead of New York in the mat
ter of inaugurating the great occasion. They
are an intrepid class of people, those Chic
agOans."