Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-09-19

himself OF the load OF 1nfamy laid upon
him by the burning of Columbia.
New. YORK AND ITS FUTURE.
CHEAP TRANSPORTATION
The future of New York City is a
question that is troubling New Workers
very much just now. The cheaptrans-
porsation movement is developing some
strange things. Not the least among
these, is the fact that the fac lities of
the great metropolis for handling the
products that the great West pOurs in
to her lap with such Il profuso hand
are utterly inadequate. But strange
as it may seem this is the fact, for we
have the Illuminating confession from
the lips Of New Workers themselves in
their public meetings and in their pub
lie prints.
We have the further confession too,
that Montreal on the enc side and Phil
adclphia and Baltimore on the other,
are fast becoming formidable rivals, a
fact to which the western cry for more
and cheaper transportation gives espc-
cial significance.
Tie welfare of the country demands
that the business of the country now
monopolized by the city of New York,
should be distributed not only to Phil
adelphia and Baltimore, but to Nor
folk, Wilmington, Charleston and Say
annah as well. When this is done, and
not until then, Will the country and es-
pecially the southern portion of it have
attain its highest prosperity.
The Journal said last Spring "the
cheap transportation movement is but
/ one phase of the great irrepressible
commercial conflict between New York
| City and the people of the south Allan
/ tic, the gulf, the west and the north
west States" That the New York
| press has come to the same con-
/ clusiOn, with the addition of some
! troublesome doubts as to the result of
that conflict is apparent from the fol
lowing extracts which wetake from the
papers of last week.
From the New York Herald.
We may quadrllpie the railroad car
rying capacity between the East and
! West and reduce freights very materi-
ally, but this will not suffice to main
lam New York i'll its present position
| if We neglect II corresponding increase
i'll the carrying capacity of our great
inland water highway the Erie Canal
/ 4
Of precedence she now occupies i'll the
| commercial world, and by its enlarge
lnent may she best hope to maintain it
| vet had to encounter.
From. the New York Times.
Canada is digging ut the enlarge
mcNt of the Welland Canal with the
vigor born of her hope that she will
| divert all our trade as she has Il part
Philadelphia has built her ocean
steamers, and the colossal railroad
which feeds her is adding every day
to its facilities for business. st. Louis
has entrapped a large number of Con
gressmen and taken them junketing
to the mouths of the Mississippi with
the design of showing them how easy
it is to give the West an outlet to the
sea. Governors of Western and
Southern States have met at Atlanta
! to talk about the Coosa Canal. A
! Convention IS now in session ct Cum
berand. Maryland, i'll behalf of the
Ohio and Chesapeake Canal.
1t is possible that with the Erie
Canal able TO carry two tons where it
now does one, all this hubbub about
about transportation would cease We
want no more grain here from the
West than is wanted abroad, and we
should stop to inquire whether the en-
larged canal and the present railways,
cOmpclled-as they can be-to decent
rates viii not bring al required for the
present. The West will soon find that
it is suicidal to confine itself to the
raising of cereals It must diversity it's
be less grain to ship, and the cry for
transportation may become more mod
crate.
From the New York World.
The only practicable thing which
seems to fall specially within the COM
| potency of New York merchants is the
| organization of a company with ude-
quate capital for eXcaVating a canal
at the north end of the island connect
| ing the Hudson and East Rivers and
constructing great elevators and grain
warehouses on the latter. This would
concentrate the grain trade by the Erie
Canal, Hudson River, and Hudson
River Railroad at single poirt; and
after the river is bridged, the whole
grain trade of the West. 4 y
There are two practical measures
I L !
| and immediate, one of which would re-
qulre the consent OF n maj ority of the
people OF the State, and the other the
consent of the whole country. The
first Of these is the free trade naviga-
exception of such nominal tolls as
might be requisite for keeping it in
repair. The effect of this would be
felt ut once, and fell in precisely the
right place. An amount of business
would be drawn away from the rail-
roads sufficient to compel them to re
duce their charges to reasonable rates
during the season of navigation.
Tho other measure which would
bring certain and immediate relief
would also be deemed bold one, and
1t could be adopted only with the con-
sent of Congress. We refer to free
trade in ships. The freight charges
on grain between this port and Liver
pool are double what they ought to be,
owing to dearth in the means of
transportation. A reduction of the
price of ocean freights would be so
much profit to the farmer, and it
would be the most effectual means of
arresting the diversion of the grain
trade to Montreal.
New York Evening Post.
To one of their resolutions we espe-
clally call the attention of this city and
State. A sharp rivalry is now estab-
hshed at different points, from Norfolk
to Montreal, for the commerce which
New York has largely monopolized by