The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-13

norris of this continent. Mr.. Calhoun
Then described the character of country which
les nronerly contributary to Savannah. He
showed how long the coastal plain, stretching
ont TO the Gulf plain, laid vast forests OF pine
timber. which had already made savannah the
fyraetaSt naval port of the world; how all the
IowIands and highlands, up TO the very foot of
the mountains now grew cotton and had made
Savannah the sec 0nd cotton port OF the world :;
how the coal and iron fields. start
ipf, down in Pennsylvania, stretching along
na-sIlal 70 the sea coast, so that even as
far 10 the northeast as Bristol, on the borders
of Savannah, it was almost as near TO SaVan-
nah as il was even TO Norfolk or Newport news,
and rnnch nearer than it was to Philadelphia and
New York and how the great grain fields or the
west should find some place for export on the
south Atlantic; that it had been claimed by
soue that the climate would interfere. but that
il had already been demonstrated that vast
amount of grain could be shipped, and was now
being shipped from New Orleans and that
there was no climatic reason why Sa-
vannah should not do the same
with all these vast adVentages,
the Chesapeake to the Florida cspes there were
no cities Of even the tenth magnitude; that the
largest did not reach 10000 people, while north
of the Chesapeake. from Baltimore TO Boston
it is almost one continuous city, Baltimore
reaching several hundred thousand, Phlladel-
phia over 1000. 0G0, New York over 1,5OloOO'
BROOKLYN 7OOOOO-that there must be some deep
underlying cause for this difference.
HOW GREAT RAILROAD SYSTEMS OF TIE WEST
GREW Up
Mr.. Calhoun then went on to show how the
Ere canal, connecting the Hudson with the
lakes and the Chesapeake and ONO canal ana
the Ohio river, penetrating way into the coal
and iron fields of Pennsylvania, had offered to
the northeast outlets to the west and the south
west long before railroads were butt. he then
traced how the great railroad interests of the
east, during aud following the war, had grown
into great systems, stretching out into all the
great cities of the middle and western states,
controlling the commerce of the continent for
the northeastern ports, and he stated that
the three means which had been used by the
northeast to give them permanent commercial
d. supremacy were the improvements or their
sTivers and harbors the opening OF canals,
tgiving them water transportation as far as DOS
sSible, and the development Of the great rail-
.Foad system. He then showed that the ten
dency of the railroad system or America,
forming on the continuous through line theory,
had been to radiate out from the northeast and
that those which ran through the south, ran IN
a southwesterly direction, paralleling our great
: sea coast, and drawing the commerce from this
northeastern section. which lay almost at the
very doors of the southern seaports TO the north
eastern ports. He showed that the Richmond
and Danvlle railroad secured control OF the
Air Line, the roads in upper Carolina, and
started to build the Georgia Pacific in 1879 and
/, 1880. and that from 1881 TO 1886 the commerce
of the port of Savannah declined from Sl01,-
200 900 to Slo2, 0O0,0O0; that from that date,
(which marked the new era in Southern rail
roads, there had been a steady and continuous
growth of the commerce Of the port of Savan-
nab: that il mad grown each year, and had
reached the phenomenal figure in 1890 of Slh2
$4,000, a growth of over $500 900 in four
years that its growth last year alone had been
S35, 100000.
Mr.. Calhoun stated that I'VE are going through
portation SYSTEMS that in the north
east and in the states of Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois it might be safely asserted that the i'm
portant railroad systems had assumed per
manent shape; TINT this could not be held as
true In that vast territory west of the Missis-
Sippi; but he predicted that within few years
these systems too would take permanent and
final shape and that IL all those lines were con-
trolled In the interest of the great trunk lines
and the northeastern ports, it would be i'm
possible for the southeast ever TO gain fair
share Of the commerce OF this continent, and 1t
was Of the utmost importance that the southern
ports should be speedily put upon basis where
they could accommodate all the business that
could be brought to them, because If the appro-
priations were made so slow that the improve
ments were postponed ten or fifteen years it
might be found that by the time the impIove-
ments we're made the commerce had passed
into other ports; that now was the opportunity,
now the accepted time, and that every energy
should be bent to meet the needs of an imme-
diate future.
SOMETHING ABOUT DIRECT TRADE.
Direct trade" said Mr.. Calhoun, must fol-
low. Give Savannah deep water and there
is no problem more certain in mathematics
than the fact that she would soon have direct
trade. not only with Europe, but with South
America" He stated that an increase of
$50, 900 out OF Sl50,00o,O00 in four years
marked the fact that there would be a sufficient
volume of commerce to justify direct trade"
Nor, said he, can 1t be long said that:the
ships cannot get return cargo. The time is
near when the American people in their might
will strike off the shackleS which have bound
our foreign commerce, when the iniquitous
tariff takes sill be removed and commerce rem
dered free to all the countries of the world" He
pointed out that under Mr.. Blaine's reciprocit
policy 1t would be but a very short time
when commerce would be free with South
America
He then called attention to the fact that postal
routes had already been declared by the govern
ment from Newport News, Norfolk and New
Orleans to South American ports, and that if Sa
vannah had deep water there was no reason VIII
postal routes should not be established from
there to the leading ports Of South America.
MIR. Calhoun then stated that it would be i'm
possible to estimate the saving to the people OF
this country il we had great cities on the South
Atlantic. deep water at Savannah and were
enabled to establish direct trade, and TO com
pete with the great trunk lines for q share OF
the commerce of this continent, and for a shar,
of the commerce of the world. He showed thai
as IL stood to-day the commerce from the west
was able to reach the sea at the north, and
interior more cheaply than it could be brought
directly from the west TO the south; that on &C
count of the volume of commerce which tn,
northeast moved the prices Of wheat and cottoI
In Europe was based upon the New York price
plus the cost of ocean transit; and that wher
they could get it to Liverpool and London q
scheaply as they could get it from New Yorl
that the saving to the country tributary to Sa
vannAh would amount TO millions of dollar
annually. He stated that Capt Carter, the en-
gineer in charge of the work on the Savannah
river, estimated that the increased depth alread,
obtained at the port made q greater saving an
uually on the commerce that passed through
the port of Savannah than the entire govern
ment appropriation for the completion Of tn
work would amount to.
DEVELOP SOUTH ATLANTIC PORTS.
'If we can open and develop to their full ak
tent our South Atlantic ports it will produce ,
readjustment of the entire freight rate
throughout the southeast. Such, - said MI
Calhoun. lis some of the advantages to b
reached by having deep water at Savannah.
But" said he, "whils ! have Spoken
chiefly and directed my remarks to Savannah
il Is proper to say that l would see all tn
southern ports opened Idesre to see Newpor
News, Norfolk, Port Royal. Charleston
Savannah. Brunswick, Fernandina and Jacl
sonville given all the business tributary T.
them; i would see all these made gate
ways for all the commerce that lies tribu
tary to them; but you must recognize tina
Savannah, with her immense facilities he
railways. with her docks, her banks her mer
chants aud her magnificent cosstwise fleets
and with her fresh water. factor which make
her anchorage peculiarly sought, that she
elready prepared, if she only had deep water
TO handle many, many times the amount o
commerce she now does"
The demonstration that commerce woul
come to any southeastern port in such quaint
ties as to justify direct trade would force tn
development of the other South Atlantic ports
There is no reason or cause for Jealousy be
tween them. Give them fair share Of tn
commerce of the continent and they woul,
each get more and develop more rapidly tina
any one of them could iii got all the commerce
now tributary to them all. "NorN said he