The record-union., 1892-05-10
THE TROUBLE WITH THE ME-
TROPOIIS.

The San Francisco News Letter under
takes to answer the question, "Why do
not the merchants of San Francisco cap
ture the trade of the ocean that lies in
vitingly near?" 1t succeeds well,
in answering in the very next
sentence: "If this port of San Fran
cisco is the center of commerce, that
it delights to believe it is, and which from
its central situation on the map of the
globe it ought to be, there is no reason
except its own supineness why it should
not be the mistress of the commerce of
the entire Pacific"
Our critical contemporary then pro-
ceeds to point out the cause of the loss of
trade to the metropolis on the north and
the south, by systems that annex those
sections to the Eastern markets, and the
causes that conspire to deprive California
of the Central and South American trade.
These are well known, and there is no
need to recapitulate them.
The NeaOS Letter insists, and there can
be made no successful denial of the fact,
that there is to be named no point of
equal Importance to that of San Fran
cisco that has to-day so few steamship
lines to be credited to that city \ With
points all around it with which itShould
be independently connected, ''the mer-
chants of San Francisco do not now own
or control single steamship, except the
few that are engaged in the coastwise
trade"
The case of Melbourne is then cited,
which has been elaborated in the
RECoRD-UNIoN, and it is asked why
there should be such radical difference
between the commerce of the two cities?
The response is made by the San Fran
cisco critic, from which we quote, that
its city is on ''the quiclz-and- ready
make" That is to say, it is for dollars
in sight rather than those that come from
barter and exchange with marts abroad.
We do not give credit among ourselves, and
would scOrn'the idea of sending our canned
fruits salmon, quicksilver, etc, to the anti
podean merchants of high-class banking
credit upon bills drawn at sixty days sight
We desire to do foreign commerce upon The
same basis as we do domestic. We send our
man Friday around twice a month to make
cash collections, and we expect TO trade with
the world in the same way. 1t is needless 10
say that il we would dicl1er, and deal and
trade with commercial nations, we must
adopt very different methods. On all hands
and by all traders, il is admitted that steam
lines are the commerce winners of the period
Why should not san Francisco have ten
steamships for every one that she has now?
The routes on--which they should ply are
easily described
But all this-fs getting to be an old story.
1t has been dinned into the ears of San
Francisco for more than two decades. and
without seeming effect After all the
preaching and pleading the metropolis
clings to old methods, the old prices, the
era of exclusiveness and high figures,
and vents it's i'll temper because of ill
success upon the railways which free the
interior from metropolitan exactions.
Its chief arm of offense to-day is
stretched against the only system
through which we gain desirable popula-
ton and bring producer and consumer
together. 1t is made in the commercial
name of the metropolis the agency of as
sault upon interests that more closely re-
late to State development and the earliest
highest possibilities of State growth
than any other that can be named. 1t is
unwilling that the railroads shall labor in
any direction for the upbuilding of the
interior-and, therefore, the conservation
OF transportation interests in bringing in
supplies and carrying out produce-that
does not enforce the paying of tribute at
the counters of San Francisco.