The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-05-22
from Europe to Charleston at exceedingly low

4 pOo6OooOd
houses, wharves and other facilities for several
times the amount Of trade now passing through
her limits. Before the var ne received about
$50 900 bales cotton and 40 600 tlerces OF rice;
now those quantities are reduced to about 1oO,
600 bales and 80 600 tierces. 1t is true the TALL
| ing off in the value Of our trade should not De
measured by these figures, as the enhanced
ished production, nearly or quite compensates
Tor the falling Off in quantity. Cotton before
the war usually RANGED from eight (S) to
twelve (12) cents per pound; the past season 1t
has ranged from twenty-five (22j to twenty
nine (29) cents per pound. Rice usually SOLO
at from two and half (2al to three aud half
| 1917 cents per pound; 1t has Tor two years past
ranged from seven to ten cents per pound.
Nevertheless, having the storage room, wharf
room, and other facilities for handing. the
greater quantity, We as consequence; nave
the largest portion OF our wharves and store
houses entirely unoccupied, ther value mas
| naturally become very greatly deprecated, and
they can now be purchased or leased at a
merely nominal price. You, therefore, have
! the opportunity il you desire 1t, OF becoming
owners of some of this property at the present
depressed valuation. or by using our port as
the one through which to make YOUR lmporta-
tions, and to export your surplus products you
| by the reduced rates Of storage and other
charges.
Living in Charleston is very cheap as COM
pared with any other seaport, and the price OF
labor is, as natural consequence, also very low
| These are but few Of the local advantages Of
fered By Charleston as seaport, to be used by
you as an entrepot for your exports and I'M
ports, and by building your road to knoIVille y lie
you may be in the full enjoyment OF them
within less than two years from this day.
Something having been said IN reference to
the necessity Of connection with Gulf port,
| in order to command the trade OF the west
| Indies, he would remark that Charleston was
practically nearer to the West Indies than any
| Gulf port. There was, perhaps, small dlher-
ence in the actual distance from some Of the
| West India islands to Mobile and New Or
leans, as compared with the distance to
Charleston, but we arc nearer TO you, ana
| whilst the cost of land transportation is in
creased with every additional mile OF distance,
the cost OF transportation by sea was very
slightly affected by such addition. AS mat
| ter OF fact. however, freights to Charleston
| from the West Indies were lowe:' than to the
| Gulf ports, owing to the low rates Of expenses,
commonly called port charges, to which your
| attention has already been callsd. What has
| been said Of the West Indies is equally appll-
cable to Rio de Janeiro and the other South
American ports. The two great distributing
timore and New Orleans. With short line OF
railroad communicating to Charleston, there
il no reason why Cincinnati should not COM
pete successfully with both of those points in
supplying at least considerable portion Of
the demand from this and all the adjoining
States.
looked, and that is the difference in the rates
of insurance from Charleston, and to and from
the Gulf ports. Cotton is insured by frst-class
sailing ships from Charleston to Liverpool at
one per cent, with the usual discount; from
New Orleans the rate by the same class OF
ships is two and half per cent, aud from
some of the other Gulf ports the charge is
even higher. The difference upon other pro-
ducts and merchandise is, OF course, in the
same proportion. This difference of the rates
Of insur ance also applies to the ships them
selves, and is another reason why freights to
the Gulf are, as rule, much higher than to
the Atlantic ports.
We would also call attention to the great ad-
vantaees offered by the port Of Charleston, as
a point Of debarkation for the great tide OF i'm
mig, alton, which has done so much to build up
tho wcalth and power OF -ske HiU"s West.
Charleston and he would add savannaa are are
ing to great measure exempt from those
terrif, gales which sweep over the North
ern Atlantic for about eight months IN the
wear, and which are particularly severe in
the winter season. The sutferines OF the
immigrants by the Northern route must at
times be terrible indeed, and many OF them
who have long since become valued citizens OF
your State would bear willing testimony to
what have said. Many Of those who, have
more recently come among you could, no doubt,
add to this many truthful relations OF the
troubles and losses they have encounter
ed before getting away from the cities at
which they landed. 1t is true that special
laws have been enacted to protect the nonest
immigrant from the wlles OF the Gland sharks
who prey upon him; but in large cities 1T is
impossible to give them the protection that
co1ild easiiy be extended to them in smaller
community. The trip from Charleston to this
point could be made at all times at less cost
than from Northern port, and in winter with
much less discomfort, not to say suffering.
Thus, not only would the Immigrant arrive III
your mi 1st after less danger and suffering, but
with more money in his pocket He reiterated
what he had said in tho beginning as to the
discouragcment that would be produced by the
location Of the Southern terminus elsewhere
than at Knoxville, and repeated thai it was his
firm belief that such action would defeat the
completion of the Blue Ridge Road. They
might have ano her terminus at Chattanooga,
and as many other tcrmini as they pleased,
provided one OF them was Knoxville, by any
route that was direct from this point, OF nearly
so.
MIR. Laktte concluded by saying that he was
aware he had failed to alluds to many impor-
tant points, bat that he would be at tho Bur-
net House for some days, and felt sure that it
any person feeling an Interest in this matter
would call upon him, he could, in a converse
ional way, explain the peculiar advantages of
direct connection with Charleston much
mole to heir satisfaction and his own, and it
would afford HIM much pleasure to have any
one call, who desired fuller information.
SPEECH OF GENERAL HARRISON.
General J. W. Harrison, President OF the
Blue Ridge Railroad, was called for.
He spoke of the evidences of prosperity that
he saw in ONO. The business, the railroads
aud shipping OF Cincinnati had far exceeded
his expectations. He alluded to the early
efforts to get connection between Cincin-
natl and Charleston. There was then mutual
understanding between nine States on the
railroad question. There were inducements
that entered INTO puolic transactions that
could not be disregarded He could not ch irge
Cincinnati with bad faith, if she failed to make
the road to Knoxville. but certainly South
Carolina had gone on with her system, upon
the suppositlon that Cincinnati could meet
them. -,
A railroad connection had been made with
Columbia, at cost OF $1,000 0OO.
The State of South Carolna has built and
projected perfect net work of railways, that
will give Cincinnati dlrec communication
with Charleston and Saw ,nhah.
The speaker said that, in attempting 10 tel
Cincinnati what be.lei she Will 10 p from the
Knoxville connection, he would say something
Of Its ben6ts TO his own peoplo. They had x