The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-07-19
puildsna t.ss

IL % build cities wherever there Is deep
winter, and. axatn fnat TT ii sass 10 coseea-
trate large sshspping business at any place place
where there q deer. q Hhelher taefe
Sc acisy there or nsi. Both are great mis- ls
tsksss, d, great ,sbbii ping business cannot
f.ba.msIHtained Wish0ut eify, and deep
water lone, cannot make .: city There
must be besides DEEP water y aalnhrlons at
mosphere, Al temeerature.t congeRiat Wisn
yieor and heaitb1snd s confortg p These cor
disiens sres indispensable to q large connu;;
nifty and TO an aesiyesand prosperous eecu.
patton Of many people, so,2 net any people
test the matter; add tpeY W!ll,tnd that what :
we say is so true chat II cannot be dened-.
cannot be disproved by. any test that may
be applied. $50; - .tTytr; so4 aazs-l ~ !!
The men that follow tho .seaa understand
it well, and they exercise a..eontfoaHng IN
fiuence in commerce. y is needless Tor men
to attempt to, disregard riaws:thstHrare In
yincible. Great shipping business must
exist where great eihes are, and great cities
are not to. BE maipt tanned in, localities unfa-
yorahleto the health, ,vigor. hope, aud cheer
fulness Of man. @'s g'.,2 IT, - '.a
+ II we look 1t tie map We Can readily see
that, In the 6fts years OF railroad power In
this.country there has been no'alteration or
transposttion Of !" city. Supremacy 2fn the
Unifed States save that Baltimore has passed
Boston in aggregate population, But IL is
properto say that Boston stiil, holds the ST..
premacy, = as, X, amount Of capital;f2and
Baltimore being situated 80 that negro
populations was easily brought to swell
its numbers it, is a doubtful matter
whether the spparent advantage@of pop
ulatiop she has over Boston ts, after ALL any
real advantage, Richmond is sen down as
having $4,000 people; but I'VE always de-
duct irom them nearly the estimared num-
Der OF Africans; for they cannot be con-.
sidered at, all equal to che whites In the
force aud thrift they give to a commercial
people. SO we do not think Richmond can
we'll be put down as, possessing more than
a population equivalent to $4,000 whites.
Give Richmond $4,000 whites, to-day, and
we Should indeed see cracking CITY,.
Hardware, dry goods, notions. china and
glass, hotels everything, would flourish,
and the editors-aye, our humble selves
would ride ID pride and inaepen dence in
our carrfage@snNaiy,,' "eur own conye-
nience ":-and nobody to make US. afraid
But this by the way. Yet it is too true
true that populations are not to be whirled
about and concentrated or distributed and
scattered at the will Of specializing railroad
kings or tinanciers1 People are drawn to-.
gether and kept in position by circum-
stances that are neither summoned up at
will or dissipated by any act legerdemaiD,
or any sort Of hoeas-pocus known to sharp
strategists In finance or railroads. +,
Early in cthesettiement>of the country
and we speak especially ofaYirginia-our
ancestors selected the places for .conceu-
trating commerce and Industry and traffic
in its various phases. 1t is known that
some changes in those places afterwards
took place; but it is wonderful how accu-
rate was the judgment Of our ioreiathers.
Seldom. were. they mistaken; and we now
see the most magnificent cities in the locali-
ties chosen by those forefathers when the
forest waved DER all the land.
We need not, therefore, expect that at
this late day there isl be any new arran ge-
ment Of the great cities Of the Atlantic
shed-any "cressing over" or "changing
OF partners in the "square dances !"
among those cities that may repeat tho His
tory of the "Dumfrieses" and "Hanover-
towns" Of Tidewater Virginia, aud leave
legacies to our posterity that may afflict
them with commercial ruins over which the
kildee cannot fly without carrying saddle
bags packed to supply him with food on the
journey.
We stand by our fathers. They had
great deal Of practical sense. We are not
apprehensive Of the EFFICIENCY of being re-
CURED at this day to build new cities-un-
less, indeed, it be in the forest land where
cities must be founded anew-or to aban-
don streets and factories and surrender to
ruin places that have fourished and bones
where thrifty and happy people have lived
for long years. Alb, no. Nothing OF this
kind is likely to be repeated. The part Of
wisdom is to devote all the energy!
and improvement in our power to theI
cities that have been with so much toll
and industry already built. The increase,
Of their brillianey and Joys would give.
to man infinitely more satisfaction and
comfort than can possibly come from
that disconnected and inefficient enter
prise which would be elected by new plans
and doubtful policies. And suppose they
should fail. Why, they would only secure
disasters and distresses. At best, if they sue
coed it would only entail the necessity OF
abandoning walls that had bounded happy
life and thrifty commerce for new condl-
tons Of unsettled and uncertain social and
business economy. .ee',@
Nevertheless, we are for freedom to COM
merce.r Perfect freedom to that, and, ike
water, 1t will find its level, or, rather, what
is best for it. .. Fair play ma deirs bodle."