The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-05-24
A New City in the South

The South has always dreamed Of hay
ing a great city Of her owna Southern
metropolis; If not New York, at least a
Boston, which has pride in other things be
sides bulk-a real provincial capital, with
4 provincial aristOcracy. She fancied she
had it when the national capital was moved
from Philadelphia to Washington. Wash
ington was the geographical heart Of the
country, and it was thought II might be
come the Paris or the Berlin Of the South,
if not the London Of the continent. But
there were two obstacles, both Of which
proved lnsurmountable. In the first place
there was slavery, and IN the second,
Washington was 300 miles from the sea.
II lay far inland, up circultous river a
very noble river, but not a harbor inviting
to the shipping Of all nations.
But nov a century has gone by in an eN-
ceedIngly short space Of time m fact,
since 1850, slavery Is passed, and the most
effective motive that ever moved human
effort has been planted in the negro mind,
4 loo, ODU strong There is to be cotton
crop Of 1000. OOO bales; two thousand
million pounds of cotton a year. and in-
creaslng on that There is 10 be also a
new seaport, " seaport redlscovered
although it was known TO the government,
nothing led t. it from inland and, conse-
quently, it lay unused and almost unknown
to ships. 1t seems now, therefore, as If
the South might realize ITS old dream ot
commercial Importance, and have city ~
its own, not equal To- New York, but short
ly challenging Boston. Citizens Of the
great metropolis can afford to help her
Guild a competing emporium, since they
have quite OuIgrown any feelings Of leal-
ousy, and may even rejoice at such whole
some competition as she can set mp.
There is one reason why the splendid
harbOr Of Port Royai has attracted 80 lit
tie attention heretofore. II is situated
halfway between the long g-establshed
ports Of Charleston and Savannah, both
Of which have had railway connection in
land, with old steamer lines to New York
and 1t is only recently that the harbor has
been perfectly buoyed by the Coast Survey
Board. Now, however, under the late
Prof. A. d. Bache. it has been thoroughly
furnished in this respect and II is officially
announced that it can be entered by amy
vessel yet built, without pilot, the only
direction necessary being to sail in and out
by the colored sides of the buoys. which
every sailor understands.
The late completion Of the railroad from
Port Royal to Augusta gives a through
trunk line Of communication to Nashville,
st Louis, Memphis, and all the principal
distributing points Of the South, at the
same time connecting with the ports Of
Savannah and Charleston. And there is
this remarkable fact to be observed, that
the southwestern trend Of the Atlantic
coast, below the capes II Delaware, gives a
much nearer line Of transportation from
st. Louis, the great center of the AlIssls-
sippl Valley, u Port Royal, than tn the
northern shipping ports Of New York and
Boston. While freights may be lower over
the Northern roads for the home markets
Of the Eastern States, it must be much
cheaper to take the southern roads for all
products intended for foreign markets. AS
the fallowing table ~ distances clearly
shows