The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-12-21
citv Fears and speculations.

connected with the commerce which tney
share in. They think trade will be taken by
this route--that that route will build another
city and dry up that In which they live; and
80 far are these apprehensons carried, that
men are often deperate aud ready to take
light from what they look upon as
doomed town.
Generally the towns which were In the
ascendant at the beginning OF the railroad
era have kept their standing relative to each
other. The railroads have destroyed no
such towns, nor have they built up single
CITY on the Atlantic WIFI had no existence
before they took In hand the chief COM
,nerce of the nation. The question il, VIII
they ever build up city on the Atlantic
which is not already place of some impor-
lance? We know of but one instance OF M
,ttempt Of this character that Of Morencad
CITY, in North Carolina, to which a ra'Ioad
was built; but the scheme, although devised
md supported by one Of the ablcst men
North Carolina has produced, was failure.
"Decp water" don't build cities. The
great cities in this Union are not on the
deepest waters that could be obtained. LOOK
ut Philadelphia, and then Mt Egg HarboT.
Look at Baltimore, and then at Annapolis.
Look at Richmond, and then at Norfolk, Or
1t Morehead City, and so on we might adduce
4 hundred instances.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Company have
frequently spoken Of going down the PENN
,ula to deep water to meet big ships in the
foreign trade which could not get to Rich
mond. 1t is conceded that Richmond can
take care Of the coastwise trade. Very well !;
say that all the freights for foreign shipment
shall 20 down to some undetermined "dccp
water" What sort Of town will the ship
:nent of those freights establish OF maintain
The process of loading and unloading ships
md trains requires very limited number OF
rough aborers. These will go very little
way towards making a town; nor will the
clerks, ship-brokers, sailors, and superin-
tendents, 90 much further towards formnga
community in magnitude greater than rural
village. None of helocalitics indicated thus
iar are suitable for great cities. They are not
accessible By rail except from the westward.
No northern and southern line can approach
them. That il fatal. But they have no
water for domestic purposes; they have no
manufacturing facilities; and, undoubtedly,
they will all have tendency to local levers,
that increase in virulence as the number of the
people settled upon them is increased. There
is no good rc;lson to fear any Of these places.
They are not fiji for cities. Cities are not born
of "decp water" The local advantages
which build up cities gre oficnc5t toundaWay
from deep water, and where the ingenuity
and industry of nan are requisite to open
channels to the sea deep enough for naviSa-
ion. In our opinion, the most untouaded OF
Ill fears are those which behold great cities
rising up amidst oyster-beds, lrog-poniS, and
terrapin preserves.
But if there were such dangers, can we
ward them off by attempting to tie up rail-
roads and cut Of communication from them:
Assurcdy not. We can only succeed by
making the best Use Of our natural advau-
tages and being As liberal TO all other COM
mupities as we desire they should be towards
us. If we can't fight our way to cminencc
amongst cities with our natural endowments,
and our already advanced position in trade
and manufactures, it will be either because
there are other localities superior to ours, or
because we are deficient in the energy and
which make a prosperous comnlu-
nity. Viewing Richmond as we do, and ap-
prccitting its superior advantages as they de-
serve to DC, we are free to say that if the peo-
pie of Richmond wcro to permit them
selves to be beaten in the rivalry Of trade and
arts in Virginia it would lie a disgrace to
them. Railroads can facilitate her growth
md her increase in wealth, but they cannot
put her down. Nay, they cannot cripple her,
even if they desired to do so. But they will
want to do 10 such thing. Such city as
Richmond is fully appreciated by railroad
men. The business OF such 4 city is impor-
tant to railroad; and if it is SO, it Is no less
to the road that that business Should
be increased and wise management will be
sure to Shape its policy SC rs tc promote that
increase.
The true platform is fair p!ay-no partial
ity-no unjust Determinations. On this plat
form Richmond can triumph.