The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-05-31

Union agree is "the law, the ineXOr-
able, immutable law without excep- |
ton in the worlds economy" 50 |
far also we agree with these two au-
thorities.
To prove his proposition the sci
enlist then descends the Atlantic
coast and quotes instance after in
stance with the full concurrence of
the Times-Union. 1t is argued that
through the operation of this law
the "commercial cities" are New
York instead of Boston; Philadei-
phia instead of Baltimore; Charles
ton instead Of Port Royal and Sa-
vannah instead of Brunswick. On
ly stating further that ports on the
Pacific coast follow the same eco
nomic law, Maj. Sears reaches the
pith of the argument, and, compares
Fernandina and Jacksonville thus:
$50 Jacksonville was twenty eight
miles nearer the heart of the coun-
try than its rival; and, moreover
was situated on a fine river, water
ing a region thus made tributary to
the town, and reducing cost of trans
portation to a point below that
which permits any land-line to be It's
competitor. When the war came
upon that coast both places were
abandoned by the native population,
and after its close both became OBJ
jective points of interest to northern
emigrants. The uniform result has
followed: Fernandina is a respect
able village with population of D
500 souls, while Jacksonville has al
ready $4,000 inhabitants"
With all this the Times Union
agrees, viz: That Jacksonville is the
commercial city" because it is
"twenty-eight miles nearer the heart
of the country than its rival" Now
will our contemporary follow the in
evitable logic of its own argument
only a little further, and acknOwl-
edge that he has proved also that
Palatka is to be the Commercial
city" of Florida instead of Jackson
Vile ? She has all the advantages
cited above as determining the To-
cation of the commercial metropolis
in every instance. Jacksonville has
outgrown Fernandina because it was
nearer to the region of production
by twenty-eight miles; Palatka il
nearer the same region by fifty-si1
miles, and is the nearest point tC
which the cheapest transportation
suited to the needs of the country
can ascend" Jacksonville did mo-
outstrip Fernandina until the rail
roads made its propinquity to The
producing region of commercial i'm
: portance; the Florida Southern ha
done the same for Palatka, and af
ter this season we will have the 9th
er lines ready to assist as was thu
case with Jacksonville. Beyond
: Palatka "the cheapest transporta
: ton" cannot go; below Palatka, &C
= cording to the "inexorable, immuta
= BILE law" of these authorities the pro
n duets cannot go. Therefore as New
$ York has outstripped Boston, Char
s lesion, Port Royal, Philadelp hia, Bal
e timore-even as Savannah laugh
t Brunswick to scorn," so will Palat
: ko be the Commercial city" of Flor
n ida.
+ 1t will avail not that Jacksonvill
is nearer New York. Boston wa
l. twenty-four hours nearer than Ne'
s York to Liverpool, but as the Times
e Union justly says, this had no effec
$ on the law-'inexorable, immut;
a BILE" "New York was two hundre
d miles nearer to the west" even q
# Jacksonville is twenty-eight mile
t. nearer than Fernandina to our II
re gion of production, land as Palatka
re fifty-six miles nearer still, Jackson
N willie may as well accept the stu;
d ton and cease trying to capture tt
y trade to the south of us. We quot
re again from our contemporary befol
we dismiss the subject so fraugl
with interest to all of us: "Ente
To prise and capital can do much to d
10 velop and utilize the natural laws