The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-05-01
-.z,a.d an solid Ground.

5 ;ncui.inSly. IhGS2Featest GU! ih 'he
",",o ,,ror to the introduction OF steam,
80. 40 ~ he inconcciyably benefited by
..s, auont Ifshe had supremacy before,
tha, s,,nrcmacy. must he rendered more de-
c;ded by the agency of moufe power,
,,.,,;,b ,y,oneledher commerce. as TdfRdtytn
", 1,,,,es r,rcr as IL could be transported'n
the great ocean. ...no, 80
ruler Of commerce. there were men VINO
>at themselves up as Statesmen, VINO sara
that Richmond was not place ior co'''-
.,,n,.e and like the three kings that buried
"Ious BARLEYcoRS," they said that,
onromercia,lv. Richmond Unjust die"
Richmond rose up like JOHN BAkLEycoEN'
and still flourished and triumphed over the
,;ncs--or rather the sky.scraping politicians
and essayisls.
we saw, and so does everybody else who
examines the question carefully, that Rich
mond has greater natural advantages ihan
Baltimore, and greater than Philadelphia.
baltimore has no back country. the eN-
traordinary enterprise of her people eulie
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, ana that
placed them in connection with the great
source of production in this country-thc
Valley of the Mississippi.
Twill be asked how is it that, notwith-
standing the watts r-linc:of the lakes ana the
Erie canal, and the great railways OF New
York and Philadelphia, Baltimore has OBJ
tanned so large share Of the western trade I
We answer that the tendency OF the west
ern trade is to seek the straishtest lateral
line to the Atlantic. And from this conclu-
siye reply we deduce the great argument III
behalf of Richmond. The same tendency
of western trade to follow the shortest late
eral line to the sea will be stronger in favor
of Richmond than ii is in favor OF Baltl-
more.
But the truth is there is a plenty of trade
in the great West to make all the Atlantic
seaboard towns prosperous and rich. One
peculiar consolation is that we have the
superior line Of communication with the
West, and will asslrcdly have the chance
Of protiting by it.
philadelphia is on the Delaware river,
which runs northwardly and southwardly
at right angles with the line of prosperous
commerce, which is east and west. so
Philadelphia, to reach the West, had to
rely upon railways which cross the valleys
at the disadvantage OF steep grades and
sharp curves.
Baltimore is similarly conditioned. She
ouIy reaches the West by railway running
across the depressions worn by the rivers
North of her is the Susquehanna, which
empties into the Chesapeake south OF her
is the Potomac-great rivers, neither oil
which is directly tributary to her. Her
chief source before the Baltimore and ONO
railroad was built was the tide.watcr region
of MARYLAND and Virginia. BeSct on every
hand with difficulties, she found no agency
that warranted 4 hope for anything beyond
moderate growth and prosperity until she
built the Baltimore and Ohio railroad.
That has been her salvation.
Now. Richmond is blessed with very
superb river, which rises in the west right
in the line Of the prosperous commerce Of
this country; and flows eastwardiy through
valley of famed fertility and loveliness to
the sea. This is great blessing. Along
this valley is the line of easy grades adapted
TO the transportation Of heavy treiShtSs as
well as The lightrul journeyiug OF travel
lcrs. Richmond sits at the head of tide
water queen of this rich and beautiful
valley, SO happily in the direct current OF
the rich western commerce. Outward to
the sea, she has rs deep water as either
Philadelphia or Baltimore. Frost Is less a
-Gisturhcr Of intercourse between her and
the West than it is between Baltimore or
Philadelphia and the West, while summer
brings for her no exhaustive influences not
felt in the routes through which those cities
derive their greatest resources. Richmond
is il the straishtest and shortest line to the
sea, and the railway that reaches her can
carry freiehts cheaper, since its grades are
better than any other north of it.
Furthermore, Richmond is healthful and
delightful as place Of residence, highly
adapted to manufacturing, and, with her,
human energy Is neither impaired in sum-
mer nor INSTRUCTED in winter. Her climate
is best adapted to the staples of tobacco and
cotton, and in every sense she stands ahead
Of all the cities Of the Atlantic States as the
superior locality for the manufacture OF
-four, for the deposit of grain, for the
storage and manufacture Of tobacco and
cotton, while as place Of distribution OF
foreign importations she has the very best
Of facilities.
Now, then, who shall underrate this city?
Who amongst her people will be too timld
boldly to assert the superiority of her nat
ural advantages, and the bright prospects
that are before her?
Look at Baltimore. She has to eVpend
several millions of dollars to protect herself
against the floods of the little brook called
Jones's Falls. Instead of Jones's Falls, we
have here James river, whose merits VIC
have explained. Give us the money that
Baltimore has to expend to protect itself
from Jones's Falls. and we can build all the
railways we want, including that from
Richmond to Lynchburg, which is an abso-
Lutte necessity.
Richmond has been underrated. Her
own people have been culpably timid
about asserting her claims. Some Of them
have absolutely advocated policy that
tended towards her destruction. II they
could by that fallacious and deluded policy
have built up something in place of her
some town to boast of, some commerce to
enrich the State, it might have been par
donable movement, though even then
censurable for the wanton folly of destroy
ing what was already built up. But this
they did not do. Their conceit was an
g ~,