Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-04-25

tailed statistics, but genera glance
at the subject will suffice for the
purpose of this article.
Knoxville is an inland town. Re-
lying alone upon its natural facili>
ties, it had become a town of cons
siderable relative Importance in
East Tennessee, it is true, but the
measure Of its possible growth
seemed to have been attained long
before the sound of the locomotives
we're heard within the vallies of
East Tennessee and, even for sew
eral years after the completion of
our lines from Chattanooga and
Dalton to Bristol, the business of
"railroading was far from be-
ing a natural science. 1t was
not until the war had swept by,
with all its deyastations, and our
railroads had been reconstructed
and reappoiLted, that Knoxville ex-
perienced q new birth. Compare
lively little of the present trade Of
Knoxville ante dates that period,
and by far the greater of all that
now gives to Knoxville its enviable
reputation. and assured prosperity
existed then but in a doubtful,
though hopeful, prospects Its pop
ulation was then relatively small.
It's manufacturing industries were
feeble and almost ineonsiderable. Its
finances were straitened. Its trade
was limited to very restricted area,
not having regained even its ante
bellum proportions. In short, the
town itself, in all its aspects appear
ed to abound rather in relics of its
former consequential cold fogyism,"
than with the germs of early devel-
opment and prosperity.
Since that period what has come
to pass b.? Let the Knoxville of to,
day answer. Our population has
quadrupled. Our manufacturing in
terests have grown and strengthened
until they now find market for their
products in distant states. From a
comparatively local traffic our whole
sale trade has so enlarged itself,
until not only throughout East Ten
nessee, but in Southwestern Virgin,
ia, Southeastern Kentucky, West
ern North Carolina, North
,rn Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas,
aud Texas, completes with the
larger emporiums Of commerce cast,
north and south. The drummers of
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Louisville, and other great centres,
nave been virtually driven from the
ield in considerable portion of
The region referred to, by the rep
resentatives Of Knoxville houses,
in nearly every branch Of merchan>
disc.
Nor is the wholesale trade by any
means hazardous or transient one.
We can call to mind but single
case of failure or enforced retire
nent from business on the part of a
wholesale house in Knoxville within
The last twelve years. On the con-
:rary, prosperity and success have
been the unyarying rule in our
trade, and, to.day, in
gross and detail, Knoxville's trade
is on a sounder basis than at any
former period in her history. And
this is true Of the retail trade as
well as the wholesale, The many
costly decorations in the shape of
elegant private mansions that have
sprung up to beautify our city, are
but emphatic proofs of the truth Of
all that we have said. These are
but the evidences of a prosperous
trade that is not at all impaired by
any drain upon its needed capital
True, Knoxville, like all other
places, has passed through some
eight times yet she weathered the
panic of 1873, almost unscashed,
Now, in all reason, how could al
these things come to pass in city
that is constantly being pressed tt
death by ga grinding monopoly ?
Let the question be answered in al
fairness. Have railroads-yes, the
'present management" Of our rail
roads-been a "curse" to Knoxville!
Is that management a ''curse" now:
There is not sane man in the com.
munitv who hel;avos IL Tho s;noIo