The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-03-25
SAN FRANCISCO AND TTS MER-
CHANTS


certain point. Thus they came into
prominence about the same time /;
gold was discovered in the vicinity
of each in the same period; each about
the same time drew the adventurous
spirits of the world to their stage of ac-
tivity. But the ArgOHaut adds that San
Francisco had a marked advantage in the
outset; it was unit of one the most
progressive of countries; it was the last
western gateway of great nation; its
geographical position made it the most
fortunately located of all places in rela-
ton to all the Orient, the Pacific and the
Islands of the greatest ocean; it is in the
very center of the path of trade and civ
ilization; behind it, as in the case of Mel
bourne also, is a vast stretch of fertile
country. But to the north and south and
east of San Francisco lie countless acres
OF enormous natural wealth; States of
power and great trade; resources to sup
ply nearly all needs, and in front the
whole line of Asian and Oriental conn
tries 1t has harbor forever open and
unequaled in all respects, whereas Mel
borne faces the ice-fields of the Antarctic
continent, is well up upon river emp
tying into an estuary and it's local terri
tory for anchorage limits its wharfage
capacity to small draught vessels.
But with all its advantages the Argon-
dWt discovers San Francisco to be far be-
hind Melbourne. 1t has 10000 less of
population than the Australian city; it is
not so well built, Melbourne being city
OF stone, marble, brick and iron. The
latter city surpasses it in art, architecture.
parks, avenues, public buildings, streets.
paving, fine wharves, wide awake and
broad-minded and clean newspapers and
all the accessoraries of high state ofcivili-
cation. But above all, Melbourne has
double the foreign trade of which San
Francisco can boast, twelve lines of large
ocean steamers to Europe and steam
service with the Orient. America, all the
world indeed.
Some surprise is expressed by our
contemporary that San Francisco, with
It's UNNECESSARILY superior advantages.
should be thus eclipsed by Melbourne,
with all its disadvantages, and it sug-
gests that it will be profitable to inquire
into the causes.
We do not need to go far or indulge
IN exhaustive research TO find the rea-
sons for the bacl<wardness of the Califor-
mia metropolis. Melbourne's first law is
TO take care of its own communication
with all the world. 1t started out with
the distinct understanding that it must
help itself and own or control all the pro-
jecting steamer lines converging at its
port. Its people clearly saw that the kew
to success must be held by their own and
not by strangers. They realized from
the beginning that if they would be
powerful In business they must command
it, and establish commercial relations
with the outer world by their own exer-
tons. Again, they understood the true
laws of great merchandising, one of the
simplest of which is that it must be
broad and above and clear of mere local
huckstering, and must be put out of
reach of the spirit of local contention and
jealousy.
But how has it been with San Fran
cisco? She has remained nest of buck
sters. Cropping in the refuse pile with
muck-rake, she has not lifted her ewes
above mere local contention. Jealous of
the slightest effort of interior trade to
build for itself, she has done her utmost
to break down and choke off all indie
pendence by interior merchants. She
has made the grevious error of supposing
that she can by force drive people to
trade with her, and that the surest way to
accomplish that end is to prevent locali-
ties from engaging in traffic for them
selves, except it is supinely subservient to
San Francisco methods and ends.
In short, San Francisco has been con-
tent, as Melbourne has moi, with buying
and selling, leaving TO others to deter
mine the commercial relation of the CITY
with the world-a matter that San Fran
cisco should have made its prerogatiye
and supremest concern. The result is
that to-day the business men of the Cali
fornia metropolis do not so much as have
breath of influence in regard to single
great commercial line relating them TO
the outer world. She has permitted out
siders to name and determine every first
class relation she has with any foreign
port.
The difference between San Francisco
and Melbourne methods illustrates the
difference between the science of distri-
button and the methods of peanut and
popcorn vendors. In the best ANALYSIS
of this science of distribution we find
the true merchant TO be the distributor
and that his work is for the benefit of the
consumer and producer. Instead of so
operating as TO make the consumer pay
unwilling and enforced tribute to him,
he makes it to his advantage and to
his pleasure also to be tributary
Hence he takes the products of the