Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-04-14

The late action of the Baltimore City
Councils in refusing to endorse the bonds of
any Eastern Shore Railroad, and its subse.
quent purchase of the bonds of one or two
railroads ON the Western Shore and Virginia,
is conclusive evidence OF the interest which
Batimoreans feel in the development ofthis
portion of the State and their anxiety to se-
cure its trade. BY their action the coun-
ellis virtually say, " Let the Eastern Shore
look tOils own interests, and IL IL wants to
"ship its produce to our city let 1t provide
its own means of transportation. IL 1t
"sends Its produce hilher we will accept 1t.
" but under no considerations will we under
take to draw ii into the lap of onr Monu-
mental City. We have other fields more
inviting-other enterprises more promis-
ing-and our surplus capital we will in
"vest in these enterprises in preference TO
extending our arteries into section the
O. trade of which is legitimately ours. but
which has been diverted to other cities by
their greater enterprise"
We feel glad that Baltimore has taken this
positive action with reference to the Eastern
Shore. For years that city has manifested
a sort of undetermined policy towards this
section of the State, and now that our trade
flows to Philadelphia, Wilmington, and New
York, simply because OF the increased facil-
ltCo lOi ohipuCub w bbtoo tttsSi AS1iphfoiS
gives us the "go-by," ard yields the palm
to IFS rivals.
And in order for those cities to complete
the work which they have been so long and
steadily pursuing, it is only necessary for
their merchants and business men to adopt
liberal system Of policy towards country
Dealers The last tie that bound the East
ern Shore to Baltimore has been severed,
| and another link has been added to the chain
which binds the Eastern Shore and Della
ware 10 unity of interest and kindred feel
ings. The trade of Delaware is already Sc
cured to Philadelphia and other northern
cities, but the Eastern Shore by means of its
water communication, keeps up sort OF un-
natural intercourse with the city that spurns
its every offer of closer and more rapid CON-
municati0n.
Hence, in order for Philadelphia and VIII
mington to secure the trade of the entire
Peninsula it is only necessary To counteract
the cheapness of water transportation
make the charges for freight by rail from
Philadelphia to Wilmington equal to the
charges by water from Baltimore. For in
stance, the freight on barrel of flour from
Baltimore is only twenty-five cents, whilt
from Philadelphia it is ihirty-flve or forty
and this increase in the cost of freight deter
many persons from shipping by rail. If thu
merchants of the cities in question will pre-
vail upon the railroad companies to reduc,
their charges of freight, or II they them
selves will agree to pay the difference, tn
victory will be complete and they will eDjo.
almost the entire trade of the Peninsula
Now, too, is the time TO strike. So far a
this county is concerned, we have little o
no communication with Baltimore, and on
merchants are lying quietly on their oar
without having yet laid in their spring sup
ply OF goods. The steamboat is not runnin
nearly all the sail boats from this part 9
the river seek Philadelphia, and If Philadel
phia and Wilmington merchants will bu
adopt the policy we have indicated, the
will experience no difficulty in securing th
.rade of this part of the Peninsula.