The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-09

up and HES away to Europe, to the springs,
the lakes, the mountains or the seaside, in
search Of recreation, health and pleasure.
Some of the summer hotels at Niagara, Sara
toga and other places nearer home are already
reopened, and within week or two the whole
catalogue, from the New Dominion to the Old
Dominion and West Virginia, and from Maine
to the Far West, will be ready to receive their
friends. Preparations on larger scale than
usual have been made for an immense vista
ton at Long Branch, and in every direction
''great expectations are entertained of q
season of unparalleled brilliancy and success.
1t is the year of the Presidential election,
and thousands of politicians more than usual
will be drifting about at the watering places.
Business over all the Union for the year past
has been generally good, and, notwithstanding
the prevailing labor strikes, never have all the
various business pursuits throughout the coun-
try been more generally prosperous than they
are at this time. The ripening and growing
crops in all sections of the country-wheat.
corn, tobacco, sugar, rice, cotton, and SO
forth-promise good returns No fears are en-
tertained of any financial disturbances; peace is
re-established with England; Mr.. Fish has in
definitely postponed his unsettled accounts
Islands to the Golden Horn, is open to Ameri-
can travellers. To crown the general argu-
ment in support of the prevailing idea of a
prosperous season, not only for the Atlantic
steamers, but for our summer resorts, it ap-
pears to be generally understood that larger
proportion than for many years past of our
fnanciers, spectators, farmers, planters,
manufacturers, merchants, mechanics and
professional men of all descriptions have been
saving and laying by for this summers holt
day expenses, including Presidential contin-
gencies, larger sums Of money than usual.
Grouping all these reasons together, and con-
sidering the general political commotion and
the increased passenger traffic in all direc-
tons incident to the stirring excitements Of a
Presidential campaign, the question naturally
recurs, What is there to prevent the gathering
of bountiful harvest by the smiling landlords
Of our summer watering places-salt, fresh
and mineral waters, coastwise and inland
Looking to the encouragement of home in
dustry and American enterprise in oil things,
we hope for the best in reference to our sum-
mer caravansaries at the seaside and in the in
terror; but, from the facts before us, we very
much fear that the trip to Europe holds the
balance Of power against them. We under
stand that the twelve steamers per week which
leave this city for European ports carry out
with them on an average one hundred and
fifty cabin passengers; that this has been going
on since the 1st Of May and that the first class
accommodations, outward bound, of these
steamers are booked up to near the end Of
August Now, here we have eighteen hun
dred passengers leaving our shores every week
for, say o period Of seventeen weeks, which
gives an aggregate for this summer Of thirty
thousand six hundred outward-bound cabin
passengers. Assuming that each one of these
passengers on an average spends on these
European steamers and in Europe the sum of
one thousand dollars it appears that the sum
total taken out of the country by our summer
birds of passage is thirty million six hundred
thousand dollars. This we believe to be low
estimate Of our losses from our summer
excursionists to the British Islands, France,
Germany, Switzerland and Italy; for we dare
say that fifty millions would hardly cover our
losses in this direction.
Assuming, however, that the sum is fifty
Millions it is fifty millions lost to our country,
our steamboats,, railroads and summer re-
sorts; it is fifty millions withdrawn from all
our home channels of business, to be spent
upon European steamships and in European
hotels, shops and places of amusement Add
this to a balance of European trade against us,
this year. SO far, pretty well up to hundred
millions of dollars, and the drain of our
specie to Europe becomes somewhat alarming,
and particularly in reference to the prospects
of our summer watering places The simple
truth is that this summer travel to Europe
''has increased, is increasing, and ought to be
diminished" But why has it increased and
is still increasing? For reasons which can
not be too soon or too carefully considered by
our hotel keepers at Saratoga, Newport Long
Branch and all other places concerned. A
man with his family has laid by certain sum
for summer furlough of two months. He
would, In many cases, prefer Saratoga, Long
Branch, Newport or the Virginia White
Sulphur to European excursion, if, in ad-
dition to the superior attractions suggested by
his wife and daughters Of London, Paris, the
Rhine, the Alps and Italy, he had not discov-
cred that the trip to Europe will be a positive
saving Of money
But he has discovered that within two
months he can go with his family from New
York to England, and from England to Paris
and from Paris to the Rhine, and thence to
the Alps and to Italy, and back, at less cost
than two months sojourn in a first class
American watering place hotel, with all its
contingent expenses, escaping, at the same
time, its rush and hurry, its endless clamor,
noise and confusion, and its exhausting daily