, 1870-02-02

TIE ImPoEr TRADE OF CHICAGO

TIE lMPOHT TRADE OF CHICAGO.
The Commissioner Of Customs has writ
ten letter to the Committee On Commerce
Of the House Of Representatives, opposing
the bill to make Chicago, cinc,nnsh, aud
St. Louis ports Of entry, on the ground that
the foreign trade Of ST. Louis is vastly
greater than that Of Cincinnati OF Chicago,
and get is too insignificant to justify such
measure. The point in controversy Is,
What is ''insignidcanee: The total valne
OF all the imports into the United States
during the year ending June 80, 1869, was
s4a7, soo, ,s6s, Of which a,o5, ,ooo, 900 we're
entered ut New York. The oihe. SIZE, 900.
1echon dIsiheaa. among seventy-nine col
$4,000, 900 Philadelphia, $4,000, 900
New Orleans, &ll, ,O09, 900; Boston. S44.
100000; Baltimore, &c, 900, 600; Ossego
SG,5oo, Geo; Portland, 5000, 900, and ver
mont, SG,O00,O0O The rest was collectei
in small sums at various ports. and at few
inland cities. II will be seen that, afta,
New York, the other districts are oomps.a.
lively insignificant, especially Philadelphia,
which is port Of entry for large district
Of country. The sl5,ooo, 900 Of imports
entered at that port were distributed, about
one-third for the city trade, and two-shiras
shipped in bond to other places, or re-ex-
ported. Nov compare this trade with that
of Chicago in the calendar year
Of 1869. There vere purchased in
Europe and imported by Chicago merchants
commodities to the gold value Of s7,74S,r
1a3; there were purchased in New York,
Boston, and other ports Of entry, foreiau
goods to the value Of S7s.975.655. There
Was but small portion of the direct im-
portations Forwarded to Chicago in bond,
for the very satisfactory reason that gooda
imported in that way are detained in Nav
York and subjected to charges and e1toE-
tons for 1arehousing AID carriage that are
Infamous in the extreme Because Of these
emotions our merchants find it cheaper to
pay the duties in New York, even if they
have to fee an inspector, than to have their
goods packed of to warehouses, and \
heavy duty collected OF them fot storage
and cartage-
amounting to S7,74s,7 ,753 would have come
directly to this city, and, in addition there
to, at least one-hslf Of the foreign COM
modities purchased in New York and Boston
would have been purchased in Europe and
brought directly to Chicago, thus making
our import trade over S43, GOO, GOO for the
year.
The Commissioner Of Customs is Phila-
delphian. He has come down from the
days when Philadelphia clung to the delu-
sion that it was riral Of New York. To
make Chicago port Of entry will disclose
the fact that the imports of this city are
three times IS great IS those Of the venera-
bic town On the Delaware, and
these gentlemen of the olden time
have horror Of The young giants which ara
crowding tho past into the background. Il
will not help Philadelphia, nor stay the fua1
end Of her foreign commerce, to make Chi.
cago port Of entry. Philadelphia once
looked down with contempt upon the pre-
tensions Of New York, and would have 70
fused to make her port Of entry to thi,
day, if she could Ninety years ago, sh,
was forced to yield to her insignificant
competitor, and now she may as we'll yiel
to Chicago. Philadelphia has League Is
land, the Mint, and Kelley; and, though sa
has no foreign commerce, comparatively
these ought to console her.
What the people Of the West want is th.
there shall be as few toll-gates Is possibl,
They pay enormous ta1es On ell they bu,
and when they import commodities they 4
not want 70 be compelled to wait nins1
days to have their goods inspected 1t Ne
York, or else pay black-mail /; 7or do ths
WIN: their goods taxed for warehousi,
and three or four CARRIAGES; nor do tn
want to pay New York merchants 20 p
cent profit, when they can buy in the fc
eign market as well. They, therefore, q
the privilege Of importing their St3, ,0O0, o
worth Of goods annually, and Of paying Il
duties thereon, free Of all internedia
e1actions, at home.
Commissioner Sargent may suppose til
s43,ooo, 600 of imports are m 81 insight
cant" business but it Is nearly three tim
as much us the whole import trade OF Phil
delrhia, and not exceeded by any existu
port OF entry but Now Yerk and Boato
the latter Of which it equals.
We do not know the extent Of the tra
in foreign goods Of ST. Louis and Cinci
natl, but they nre in excess of four-ftths
the various Atlantic ports. II they be mn
ports Of entry, as they onght, the ma
millions Of people supplied from the th.
cities will be relieved Of taxation that