Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-11-13
For The YOrkville Enquirer.
CHARLOTTE AS A MARKET.

Yorkville ENQUIRER and the Charlotte Oh
sorver, on the subject of the Chester and Lenoir
Railroad, reminded ME somewhat wildly of
the line of the Mantuan bard:
"Mantua, vac misrrae nmnm vcna Crenonea,''
which, as I have not copy of Dryden's
translation of Virgil at hand, and not being
poet myself, 1 will render in simple prose !:
Unhappy CASTOR entirely too near the "prop-
er market of the Catawba valley"
will not occupy much of your valuable
space in my effort to demonstrate to you that
the disadvantages resulting from this vicinity
are participated and felt, not only by CASTOR
ians, but by every farmer whose location, or
evil genius, compels him to make Charlotte a
market for his produce.
That city, for many years, has enjoyed Pc
culiar advantages. As railroad centre Of
considerable Importance, and surrounded on
all sides by country rich in every product,
it would seem that she was originally intend
ed to rise far above the level of ordinary
country towns. But if nature or art had any
such intention from the beginning, the citi-
zens of the "proper market" have efectually
frustrated its ful6llment. The consequence is
that many who have been so far favored by
fortune rs to be located within an hour or
two's ride of "the market" would gladly ex-
change their situation for one less fortunate
in the neighborhood of some thriving village
along the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta
Railroad. And why? Because we know
that the market facilities and advantages of
Charlotte are entirely imaginary, and that the
city has utterly failed to fulfill its destiny, if
it was ever intended to become the CONNER
cial centre of that large and fertile district
known as the Catawba valley. 1t requires no
special effort of understanding to perceive
that Charlotte, although older than the Decla.
ration of Independence, and possessing all the
advantages above mentioned, is neither con-
sumner of produce nor distributing centre to
any great extent Her highest ambition is to
become commercial go-between, or sort of
commission merchant, between two classes
consumers and producers-residing prospective.
" North and South. This is the very lowest
distinction of market in the true sense of
the word, and when the relations of these two
sections become more intimate, they can ex'
change all their produce without even heed
ing the existence of Charlotte, and with in
creased profit to both. The truth is, that
while other cities at the South are every day
rising in Importance, Charlotte is losing
ground. This, too, in the face of the fact that
by means of the many railroads that diverge
from her, she communicates with an immense
extent of country. Some Of these roads, in
stead of being source of wealth to Charlotte,
will, in the course of time, through her supine'
ness and inactivity, divert most Of her trade to
other sections and this is we'll understood by
many of her own citizens. Let any right
thinking man take the matter under consdera'
tion and he will readily perceive, that unless
such roads as the Chester and Lenoir are built,
Atlanta, and not Charlotte, will eventually
become the market of that vast grazing growing
section lying near the Airline Railroad, and
that the entire cotton.g growing section of South
Carolina will be severed from its natural feed
er and granary.
Let US examine the claims of Charlotte as
cotton market. As she originally occupied
the position only of shipping and commission
merchant in that staple, her trade is becoming
more insignificant in proportion as the rela-
tions between the producer and manufacturer
become closer. Since the war the practice is
every year increasing among farmers to dis
pose of their cotton at the nearest village
along some line of railroad, or to ship it d.
rectly to the manufacturer. BY adopting
either method they do as we'll as they would
in Charlotte, and besides, they avoid much
trouble, annoyance and palaver.
Herright to the title of q market for grain
has no better foundation. Unfortunately, Of
late, many farmers have been necessitated to
purchase corn. Did it ever occur to any Of
these gentlemen to inquire why it was that in
Charlotte, with very few exceptions, they could
obtain none but western corn shipped from
Baltimore? The reason is simply this-Char
lotte is not fixed market even for corn. Al
though surrounded by fertile grain'growing
country, almost all demands upon her are sup
piled bv Northern cities that are markets, and
no North Carolina farmer will take his corn
thither, unless compelled by dire necessity
with the gloomy prospect before him of hawk
ing it about town for an indefinite period to
find purchaser, selling it at ridiculously
low price, or hauling it back home. Another
peculiar characteristic of the "market" is that
the merchants there buy and sell on commits
sion to large extent, much to the detriment
of all classes who deal with them, as is always
the result in such cases. In other respects,
her claims are equally equivocal. While the
railroads leading thither are Aanked with
timber of finest growth, the citizens have to
complain ofa scarcity of that article-becaHse
there is no market. The chances for obtain.
ing good country bacon, beef, eggs, butter or
poultry, are in like manner precarious-be'
cause there is no fixed market, and farmers
dare not ship without previous agreement.
They havein Charlotte Board of Trade
such as it is. The study of this Board would
seem to place Instructions in the way of trade,
instead of facilitating it. Another commen-
tary upon the peculiar spirit Of trade which
animates the merchants of the "market," is
the notice which was published some time ago
concerning the bidding on cotton, whereby
competition was almost entirely destroyed,
and which made their operations look like