National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-03-09
MANUFACTURING FACILITIES UNRIVALED.
MINERAL AND AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES.
Proximity to the Mississippi Valley
Make of Washington and vi. o.
einity Cheap Coal, Iron,
and Manufactures.

the great comm ereial and manufacturing centres
of the continent. 1t is difficult to divert COM
meree from its accustomed channel, but in our
country, great in extent Of area and so diversl
fed in its natural and acquired interests it is i'm
possible for any one locality to monopoliZe the
commerce Of other sections unless 1t possess such
vastly superior facilities of position as to render
it impossible for another section to compete with
| it. New York is now
| THE COMMERCIAL CENTRE
Of the Atlantic seaboard. Its railroad connections
with the West have enabled 1t to absorb nearly
the whole of the great Western and Northwest
| ern commerce, notwithstanding other localities
have much more direct and shorter communities
| ton between the West and the Atlantic. By re-
ference to the map it will be that the Chesa-
| peake bay is more than two hundred miles nearer
| ST. Louis the great geographical as we'll COM
mercial centre Of the Mississippi and transmits
sssippi region than any other portion OF Atlantic
waters.
| THE CHESAPEAKE BAY,
| which has been very aptly christened 1.-THE Great
| Commercial Gateway of the Nations" is an in
| closed sea, capable Of floating all the navies Of
the whole world. Its ingress and egress and its
| capacities for commerce are superior to those Of
any other inland water on the continent. 1t has
| emptyinR into II more miles of navigable river
| than can be found in the same area on the globe.
And these rivers combined possess more availa-
| bic Hater-power than can be concentrated into
the same area in any other part of the American
continent.
| For the commerce OF this inland sea, Baltimore
| and Washington are natural rivals, with greatly
| the preponderance of advantage In favor of Wash
ipgton: firstly, because 1t is the National Capital
and the political centre Of the nation, and as the
| political centre it possesses advantages over
| every other city Of the nation; secondly, it is
| nication with the Ohio river, the great commerce
channel Of the Northwest; thirdly 1t is nearer by
ali means Of communication with the cotton fields
| of the South, and with all points in the South
| west; and fourthly, washington-and by Wash
ingt0n is included Alexandria and Georgetown
as insegarabiy connected comm n. better
eoneOmltant facilities Tor becoming the great man.
| ufaeturiDg centre Of the continent. Washington
by an airline is about $50 miles from St. Louis,
| and is about l25 miles from Cincinnati The four
| great cities OF Washington, Cincinnati ST. Louis
s Saa TS are Se same 81
| river is upwards Of 500, 1000 annually-more
| than one half as much as the whole export and
port and import trade Of the two cities of Louis
| Vile, KY, and Cincinnati, Ohio has in one year
exceeded S9OO, 600 600, an amount more than three
fourths as much as the whole foreign trade Of the
| United States; and the outlets Of the trade of
these two cities to the Atlantic on the Chesapeake
bay
IS ABOUT TWO HUNrRED MILES NEARER
than by any other channel When combined
with this the Mississippi trade of st. Louis, and
the proportion of the Northwestern trade which
could be brought from Indianapolis and Chicago,
the immense commerce by this combination
would be equal to twice the foreign trade Of the
U9 T6 e6 Sais the bssa6saEe M
gateway Of foreign commerce, it is only neces-
sary to utilize two of the many advantages with
Trspbicai position. It is already shown thS. is
the natural outlet Of the West, Northwest and
Southwest TO the Atlantic. 1t is nearer to trans
South America and the West Indies or to Europe
and Asia through their great water. ways, the
Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas and to
France and the Spanish main. 1t is also practI-
callY nearer to Great Britain. To the United
States the commerce Of the United Kingdom is
nFp 0r7nff linn rfopn e. Rofo
lions. By actual measurement the distance is a
little greater from Norfolk to Liverpool than
from Norfolk to Great Britain is out Of the reach
Of the dangers Of the route by Newfoundland,
and the fogs and icebergs and storms Of that re-
gion, and has the advantage Of the gulf stream.
The passage requires less time, and is incom-
parably safer by this than by the other line
Secondly, the Chesapeake is not subjected to the
storms Of all seasons, and especially Of winter,
which render inKress and egress Of the ports OF
may lie at anchor, or load and unload at all
times in quiet security; and here at any conye-
nient port may be established national and
A FOREIGN CoALING DEPOT
for all purposes. The Cumberland coal, the
best steam producer now known to exist, and the
bituminous and anthracite, Of Virginia and West
Virginia, are nearer. and can be brought cheaper
Atlantic coast. The amount of breadstuffs, beef
pork cotton. tobacco, WOOL &C., which the country
west, northwest and southwest is capable Of pro
ducing is beyond calculation. Europe and Asia
afford an inexhaustible market fer all our sur
plus productions. There is no question of sup
ply or Of demand; the only question which is TO
be considered is the
COST OF TRANSPORTATION,
and for the United States that question reasons
itself into the limits of transportation from the
interior to the seaboard. Transportation to New
York from the Ohio river is by railroad all the
way. To the Chesapeake 1t can be accomplished
by at least two great slack water lines the Ches-
apeake aud Ohio and the James River and Kan
awha canals. The Baltimore and Ohio, the Bal
timOre and Potomac, with its connections, the
Pennsylvania Central, and the Chesapeake and
Ohio railroads are crcuitous; but the proposed
Washington, Cincinnati and st. Louis railway
would open railroad line nearer by at least one
hundred miles than any now in operation between
the Ohio and tide water. And the Southern
Maryland railroad, now nearly built, win add 10
Potomac river to the Chesapeake and to the At
lantic; SO that Washington holds the key that
will continually unlock the hidden mystery to
the interior to the seaboard.
WHAT HAS WASHINGTON AT HONE?
As the nations Capital 1t is the centre Of ma
tionsl politics and national patronage. The
deemed it wise and polite to build only for the
political metropolis OF the nation. They were Of
ever Isolated from the great business marts with
all their Wiles and Ills: They considered It safer
and more ststesmanlike for the Representatives
capacity as lawmakers, to withdraw from the
cares and excitements Of general business, and
that in their retirement their surroundings should
present nothing Of commerce or trade. This was
wise and we'll. But while It was Judged that the
merciaI, it has been proved that the commercial
derives great advantages from the political, and
Washington has certainly ontgroWn its limits as
Of the country and necessary increase OF ma
tional business here accumulated, the accession
changes which the late war wrought in ali the
appointments and appurtenances OF the Capital,
1t has attained to the iul stature and manhood Of
Progress never goes backward. Washington
will never be less business place than II now Is.
There is tide in the affairs Of men which taken
at its food leads to fortune,n applies to cities
and nations as we'll as to men. That tide prevails
in WashinEton, and when It reaches its full flood,
Il will II taken at that food, lead the city on to
the fortune OF Of the great cities Of the nation
Fifteen miles above the city is the
GREAT FALLS OF THE POTOMAC RIVER,
the greatest available water power at least east
fall is estimated at o mean average of about
twenty thousand horsepower. 1t is only fourteen
water power, with all Its mill privileges and iran
CHS on both sides Of the Potomac, and nearly a
thousand acres Of land on the Virginia side, is Sc
cured for manufacturing purposes, by perpetual
charters Of Incorporation from the LeEislstures
Of Maryland and Virginia. 1t is owned By q Joint
mately connected with those Of Washington and
Alexandria as to form part and parcel Of the
Company abounds in, and is in the midst or va |
riety Of building stone and other material ex-
actIy suited to the purposes Of building q manu-
there, but It Is only probable in sufficient ouantf-
ties TO render Is source Of great value locally
A few miles above, and little distance from the
Potomac, in both the States Of MARYLAND and |
Virginia, this ore exists In great abundance. |
GOLD HAS BEEN FOUND
also in both States in the near vicinity of the |
Great Falls. Whether the precious metal here |
traced will ever yield profit to the miner Is vet to
be developed. Not more than four or i've miles |
nom the Falls coal leads are known to exist and
few miles further on are marble Of rare quail
tea slate granite, and other valuable stone IN |
inexhaustible quantities. Still few miles fur |
Their in Virginia and West Virginia is found de- |
posts Of iron and coal In quantities suicient 10
guarantee the most extensive operations In these
branches Of mining. Around the Great Falls |
particularly on the Virginia side, are Thousands L
Of acres OF primitive forests interpreted with /
cultivated farms. The soil of this region Is VAL
liable for the production OF all sorts Of fruits for
the culture Of the vine and for general farm puF.
poses Wheat and corn, and indeed All cereals
grown here, are celebrated In the markets Of the |
country.
FOR STOCK AND WOOL GROWING
no better country is to be found. And in the
event Of manufacturing town here the lattor
would become the most profitable Of farm pro-
ducts, and would compete successfully with all
hara fnrd fr, kea 6ofh