The daily gazette., 1882-02-22
The DelaWSre River improvements
From the Philadelphia Telegraph.
Poor PhfIMdelnhfRI

The DelawSre River improvements
From the Philadelphia Telegraph.
Poor Philadelphia
There were some things which the
late William Penn, who at Shacka-
maxon drove that rather sharp bar
gain with the Indians, giving them
many glass beads and bright-colored
ribbons for whole provinces, did not
know, shrewd as he was. Had he,
for instance, known that there were
so0n to come after him in this new
world men whS by imprisoning steam
and electricity would annihilate, az it
were, distance and time, he would
not have Planned and proceeded to
build the city of Philadelphia ashun-
dred miles from the sea, at the con-
tiuence of the Delaware and Schuyl-
kill rivers. Instead Of doing that, he
would have schemed and built it
along the former river, or the bay of
that name, in one of 'the three 10 yer
countless" and not in what is now
known as Pennsylvania at all. 1t
seemed a magnificent site for a me.
tropolis then, but 1t does not seem so
good one now. II Philadelphia had
been where Lewes is, or even as far
up the Delaware as New Castle, its
commercial prestige would never have
been stolen away by New York.
Philadelphia was once the first sea-
pert in the land, and had it not been
too far from the sea, it would have
remained so. 1t is still the first
manufacturing city in the country, or
in the world, for that matter, but it's
commercial importance and sources of
wealth have mostly been absorbed by
the gigantic rival, New York.
II, however, Congress could be In
duosd to consider the great advan-
tages which would accrue not only to
| Philadelphia, but to the entire coun
F, try, by rendering the approaches to
its hArbor deep, straight and broad, Rs
I it might be made by not too liberal
expenditure of money, skill and labor,
Philadelphia might again, upon the
restoration of our commerce. become
q great port Of entry. But Congress
is slow TO move and dribbles out its
appropriations for the improvement
of our harbor with most shreWd dis
Oretion,. 1t spends no money rashly
upon the Delaware ship channel.
Possibly it feels that it cannot well do
SO as long as it is compelled to spend
so much in improving New YoIk
harbor. To blow cut q single rock
there, Congress has appropriated
more money than it has appropriated
from the beginning of the world for
improving the waterway from Della
ware Bay to our Wharves. New York
is such q great place, it has 80 much
and therefore so much should be given
it. Besides, New ork does not be-
seech Congress for this OF that.
That magnificent metropolis has an
other fashion of getting that which
she wants from the makers of appro-
priatlons she demands, with sort
of "Stand and deliver" manner
which she has almost invariably found
to bo slngularly effect. II is little
that is ever denied her it is much
that iS granted her.
New York owes much that she has
got from Congrg IS to the energy and
ability of the men she has selected as
her Representatives In Congress. Now
and again she has been unable to elect
her best candidates, but among The
Congressional delegation of tho city
and State there have always been
many men of very great ability and
untiring devotion to the ciiy's inter-
0sts.