The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-26

|
parture Wanted.
The commercial and financial prominence
of New York over oil other cities of America is
well known. Boston, Philadelphia st. Louis
and other jealous rivals are compelled to con-
cede this while they magnify their own i'm
portance and pretend to wonderful achieve
ments in the future. The growth of the
metropolis in business, wealth and controlling
money power, as well as in population, has
kept pace with the astonishing progress of the
country. Indeed, the city has advanced in all
these things faster than the country through
the centralizing tendencies of the age and the
influence of the railroads and telegraph. New
York has natural advantages far superior to
any other city for commercial supremacy. 1t
lies on the Atlantic, for our splendid harbor
and magnificent bays are but inlets of the
ocean, On one side is the superb Hudson
and on the other the East River, connecting
both ways with the sea-through Long
Island Sound on one hand and the
Bay and Narrows on the other. Tide
water washes the wharves and shores
of Manhattan Island oil round. Nature
tropolis Then there are the great railroad
lines and canals stretching into and tapping
every part Of the country. These natural and
artificial advantages have been we'll utilized
too, by our enterprising and skilful merchants
and capitalists Four-ffths, at least, of all
the foreign imports of the United States come
to New York. and fully that proportion Of the
revenue Of the government from duties is col
lected here. The proportion of exports is
little less, with the single exception Of cotton
from New Orleans. And even for the COM
mercial operations and enterprises in other
parts of the country great deal Of the CAPT
tai is supplied from this city. There is little
reason to fear New York will not hold the
proud and commanding position it has at
tanned. Nothing in the usual course Of human
events can change that. Yet, by neglect or
want of foresight, the currents of trade might
be diverted to some extent in other channels
| While New York must remain pre-eminent as
| the commercial and financial metropolis, it
might, from the want of forethought and
proper action, lose relatively in the struggle
which is and will be made by other cities for
the trade of the interior, and particularly for
that of the Great West.
The first important enterprise that should
be undertaken by New York is to make o
double track freight railroad or, at least a
single track one with numerous convenient
turn-outs to the heart of the West Such q
road might have for its Western terminus for
some years to come the city Of st. Louis,
which is the most central point of the West
and its grand system of rivers. Here the vast
and rapidly growing trade of the trans-Missis-
sippi and Missouri region up to the Rocky
Mountains and beyond to the Pacific Ocean,
the trade of the Northwest up to the British
line, and that of the Southwest into Arkansas,
Texas and Mexico, is concentrating. The
railroad system of these extensive and fruitful
sections of the country is assimilating that
which nature has established in the ramifca-
ton and course Of the rivers st. Louis is
the heart of all that immense region drained
by the Missouri, the Mississippi and their trib-
utaries. The productions of that region at
present are astonishing but no one can ven
ture to calculate what they will be in the
course of few years. Then there is Chicago
and its vast lake trade, which should be
tapped by such freight railroad as we sug-
gest either by the main trunk or by branch.
The present railroads, numerous and useful as
they are, have not the capacity and are not
adapted for transporting the greater portion
of the products of the West. The cost of
bringing these products such great distance
to the seaboard at New York is too high. IN
less the market price Of produce is raised by
some temporary cause and unusual demand
the greater part Of it has to be left in the far
West and often to rot on the ground
Our ordinary passenger railroad lines could
not under any circumstances afford to bring
the bulk of Western produce to New York so
as to leave a profit to the producer; but with
their inflated and watered stocks and bonds,
heavy debts and grasping cupidity, it is i'm
possible to meet the wants of the cult
vators and of commerce on the seaboard.
Nothing but railroads made especially for
freight, that can be managed cheaply and on
which the trains can move slowly, comparative
ly, with little wear and tear, will enable farm
ers and merchants to send the bulk Of the pro-
duce Of the West to the seaboard at moderate
cost and to leave q profit for the producer.
With such railroads. and particularly with one
grand trunk line from New York to st. Louis,
this city need not fear any rivalry. Grain and
corn is always in better condition and more
marketable when transported in cars than by
water. Neither the Mississippi and its tribu-
taries on the one hand nor the lakes and st.
| Lawrence on the other could successfully COM
pete with freight railroads. Boston, Portland,
New Orleans and other aspiring rival outlets
for the vast products of the West would only
get the surplus drippings Of that trade, while
| New York would absorb the bulk of it.