Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-25
The Fntnre of savannah.

Accessibility to the commercial centres Of
the world are great. and its railroad con-
nections with the North and West are
being rapidly extended and perfected. A
mere glance at any good railroad map Of
the Union will shaw that Savannah has a
very superior advantage over nearly every
seaport in the country in geographical
position. New Orleans, it is said, recog-
ni1es the fact that 1t is being killed by
railroad development in the south. The
future for that city is not a very promising
one. Unless it can open up direct trad e
with South aud Central America, and
with the Pacific coast by way Of one Of the
proposed ship trausits across the ISthmus
Of Panama or Nicaragua, or the lsthmus
Of Tehuantepec, its growth must be slow
and uncertain.
There seems to be no question that the
railroads across Alabama and Mississippi
have done irreparable damage to Mobile.
They annually bring to the Atlantic coast
thousands OF bales OF cotton that formerly
went to that port.
Look TO the Northwest savannah will
soon have almost an airline via Birming-
ham and Memphis, to Kansas City. 1t is
already easily accessible to 81. Louis and
Louisville, much more SO than Is Sew
York, or any other Atlantic seaport. We
may eventually handle wheat from Dako-
ia. With proper efforts in the way OF OBJ
tanning suitable schedules and freight
rates, savannah ought within very few
wears, to do au immense business with
the Mississippi valley. An the trade Of
this erea, ana popuious region, it may be
said, now goes to other ports.
Whiie reaching out for the cotton east
OF the Mississippi river and actually m.
creasing our receipts. il may be that the
cotton trade, may, within the next ten
wears, take secondary place in the com
merce OF savannah, and even then it may
Jecome the leading cotton port in the
world. If the Southwest should find
more profitable crops than cotton, and
such thing is very probable, the cotton
receipts OF New Orleans would rapidly
decrease, and in all probability the great
staple would again become king in the
old cotton States. Such an event would
almost inevitably enhance the Importance
of Savannah as a cotton port.
Railroad transportation is being rapidly
brought TO such perfection and is becom-
ing SO cheap, that we can almost ignore
the competition Of the great waterways.
our great rivers are no longer OF such
consequence to internal trade as they
were few years ago, and vino can say
that they will not, like the canals, be al
most abandoned in the not very remote
future?
Let our port have deep water, and let
our capitalists and business men lay deep
plans for the future, and there can be no
doubt that Savannah will become the
most important commercial city in the
south. While Northern railroads and
waterways are blockaded In winter Sa-
vannah may be receiving ana sending to
the markets of the world cattle from the
West, wheat from the Northwest, corn
and PORK from the Mississippi and Ohio
Valleys, horses and mules from Kentucky
and Tennessee, and iron and coal from
Alabama and Georgia, not to mention I'm
Der, naval stores, etc, our trade in which
is almost Ger ain to increase in the future.
1t is with the business men OF Savannah
to say whether thew VIII make its future
great, or be content to take business as It
comes. Had they put forth one-hah the
effort that has been made within the past
Orleans who can tell TO what extent our
city would have been benefited?
Let the business Een of Savannah look
not alone TO the States Of Georgia. Florida.
Alabama, and Souoh Carolina for trade,
but let them reach out into che great
valley OF the Mississippi and its tri0uta-
rles, when has become the great centre
of production ana wealth of the Union, as
we'll as the great granary and storehouse
Of the world.
WHAT efforts are put forth every year
by New York, by Philadelphia, by Balti-
more and other Eastern cities to maintain
and extend their tradel A fractional
part Of the energy and enterprise exerted
by either one OF these cities exerted here
would assure Savannah future such as
few of her people now dare even to dream
about. The history of other cities shows
that it is folly to speak of visionary
schemes OF development or to aeknow-
ledge that anything is impossible.
The progress Savannah has made dur
ing the past few years without any very
especial effort, is enough to convince the
most uneRterprising aud skeptical OF her
people that with extraordinary energy,
perseverance aud capital, all of which
can be readily CONAN anded, great future
is almost within her grasp.
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\ Question for the Protectionists.
The seaflaaut of the Dpuoersts NJ tho