Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-09-18
Longitudinal Commerce.

emporiums of the interior not satisfied to
rest its future on the trade which may be
denominated latitudinal, or in other words,
upon the railroads, the arteries for con-
Quoting commerce and internal trade,
which are on lines from East to Vest
The consolidation and unifcation of the
Illinois Central railroad connections be-
tween Chicago and New Orleans into one
solid line a few years since, was the first in
magnitude of the kind in complete owner
ship and interest on the continent.
About two years since that first journal
of its kind, devoted to the lumber interests
of North America, the Northwestern
Lambermdn, published at Chicago, out
lined the designs of Chicago in seeking
other longitudinal railroad connections
with the Gulf Coast and the ports of the
South Atlantic States. In addition to
that Chicago moves to secure direct, and
to promote such intercourse between the
central and South American States and
that city. Plans are now proposed there
which only require filling up, and are
several steps in advance in the completion
of the designs more generally mapped out
at the time referred to. We are not
familiar with the connecting links not yet
welded solidly in one interest between the
Florida Coast and Chicago, as has been the
case between New Orleans and Chicago,
but the commercial interests of that city
are evidently not proceeding inadvised as
to the sources of "aid and comfort" in
bringing the port of Tampa, Florida, in
direct association with the chief city of the
interior seas of the great West.
More than forty years ago distinguished
Virginian asserted that in time Longitude
nal commerce would become more reliable,
as trade-centers in the United States would
be maintaining their progress, than the
traffic passing over the lines between the
East and the West-the latitudinal. This
conclusive reason he assigned in this con-
nection. The exchange of commodities of
different latitudes would produce more real
and progressive benefits than could possibly
arise from lines of transportation which
passed through belts of the same soil pro-
duction, as is the case from the Atlantic to
the Pacific coast across the United States.
The longitudinal commerce as he fore
Swallowed it, would be between the great
wide North and West and the Gulf and
Southern States, intermediate, and Mexico,
Central and South America, and the
Islands and countries of the Sooth SEAS
Across the Gulf States, represented as
countries over which the interchange Of
commodities of different countries and diff
ferent productions would pass, were the
outlines of a picture prophetically sketohed
which are now rapidly filling up; but what
is seemingly strange in the programme is,
that city away up in the Northwest is the
first to project and the first, so far as her
sister cities of the interior are concerned, to
realize upon what was once seemingly an
utopian idea.
Chicago has taken steps to introduce her
scheme into the deliberations of the Con-
gress of the three Americas which will as
semble in Washington next month. The
delegations from Central and South
America are to fbe, induced to return to
their homes by Chicago, and thence pro-
coed to Tampa, where the enterprise of
Chicago will have secured steamers in
waiting to transport them to Aspin-
well, the entrepot for their various coun-
tries. Representatives from the Board of
Trade, the Lumber and Produce ex-
changes and Commercial Exchange of that
city are to hold another meeting for the
purpose of advancing the scheme Of a con-
soldated railway line from Chicago to
Tampa in connection with steamship
lines between that port and the ports of
Central and South America.
Every year adds interest to the longitu-
dinal lines of railways. Small projections
in the direction between North and South
gradually become connecting links and
finally consolidated routes. AS compared
with the lines from East to West they are
few, but in proportion to miles, they carry
more mixed products than the other lines.
Two having their Northern termini in
Virginia will in few years by their con-
nections become additional long and lead
ing lines. They are the Roanoke and
Southern. and the Lynchburg and Dur
ham. The first through the direct con-
lanta and the Gulf Coast South, and by
the Shenandoah Valley line North, com
pletes the shortest route that can be con
structed between common points of the
construction of such lines is going On quite |
rapidly in the Mississippi Valley and they
are seeking Gulf ports, and it will not be
great while before the combined interests |
centeriDg in Chicago can effect CONSOLE |
dated associations as close as that which |
was finally obtained between Chicago and |
New Orleans.
The Congress of the three Americas, as |
we'll as the celebration in 1892 of the four
hundredth anniversary of the discovery of |
America, will exercise immense influences |
in opening and building up new commerce
between all the countries of the American |
Continent, more varied and more valuable |
in many respects than the East and West
channels of trade can bring to us. A
waterway across the Isthmus of Central
America is only question of time, when
the direction of much of the worlds com
merce will assume new channels, and the
value this new opening has in store for the
United States cannot be estimated as the
chief grandeur it will develop shall be-
come the Inheritance Of the Southern
States of our Union. The longitudinal
lines are therefore not ahead of time in
planting their sections on available routes
for future utility in the great trade that
will seek inland as well as coast-wise chan
nels between the extremes of our continent
and that immense development which is to
come in from, and to go out to, the South
seas from the central ss well as from the |