The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-03-22
rMBARRAssMFSTs TO RlCH"oN"
COFFEE TRADE.

nav donr;ved her of this trade, and transferred
Tho sceptre che had held TO New YORK. FOR
AZ. ,aot five or ak years the United States
ord Rrazil mail steamship" line has been In
,h.bshitof calling from New York. and touch
inc at Newport News for large part OF It's
cargo carried there by the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad. Some Of Rich
mond's merchants have been taking adj
vantage of that fact for several
wears. and importing their coffee direct
from Brazil. The business seemed so prom
ising that the Southern Manufacturing
Company of Richmond made all the arrange
ments necessary for importing coffee regu-
arly. They made a number Of importatons
and Richmond's advantages as an importing
| point began TO become most manifest By
reason of her elaborate railway facilities she
was able 10 distribute coffee all over the
South. and TO send it all over the West
cheaper than New York could. Inc
whole South and the whole West, besides the
railway systems. were directly interested IN
the freedom and growth OF the business. The
| great West was especially interested in 1t
because the Chesapeake and Ohio having but
/ lLtle 10 CdIfJ run thO ochDO"AN ~ VIZ
could, of course put its prices down to
point that would prevent railroads from
taking coffee from New York. The West
therefore, secured thus cheaper coffee and
two competing routes for transporting its
coffee from the sea-coast.
In the spring of 1891 Congress passed an act
authorizing the administration TO pay hand
some subsidy 10 steamship line between this
country and Brazil The ect was to aid the
mail service and commerce between the two
countries. as Its title very well expresses. the
title being IAN act to provide mail service
between the United States and foreign ports
and TO promote commerce"
The United States and Brazil Mail Steam
ship Line" at once applied to Richmond's
Chamber of Commerce 10 aid it in securing
this subsidy. Our Chamber sent large dele
cation to Washington. which interviewed the
President and the Postmaster General. Both
expressed their appreciation Of the import
ance to the whole country Of encouraging the
development of Newport News, and the Post
master General declared emphatically that no
award of the subsidy would be made 70 a
steamship line that did not give tc Newport
News better service even than 1t was then
receiving.
After Richmond merchants commenced
importing coffee. the business at Richmond
commenced to attract the attention of the
South and West, and. of course, New York
coffee importers began to feel the cut into
their business. Soon the steamship line COM
menced TO put vexatious embarrassments in
the way Of our merchants; controversies be-
tween them and the steamship company en-
sued. and the steamship company mas finally
notified our merchants that it will bring no
moro coffee to Newport News after July /.
1892 and it admits that it takes this position
at the demand Of the New York cot
fee importers. 1t is thus going to do
what it can to stife a most promising business
at Richmond for the benefit of the same bust
ness at New York. and we most regretfully
learn that Mr.. G. p Huntington whom we
had always regarded as the friend of Rich
mond and the South is taking leading part
in the attempt
He controls the United States and Brazil
Mail Steamship Company and at the launch
ing of the new steamship II Sud at Newport
News he made speech in which he said: This
should have been the great entrepot of Ameri-
can commerce. as tits at the very gateway of the
sea, with a wide and safe entrance and commo-
dious harbor; is neither hot in summer nor
cold in winter, and is in the centre of the At
lantic coast line Of this great republic"
In an interview next day with reporter of
the State he evaded the reporters effort to get
him to say what his policy would be in regard
to bringing coffee TO Newport News for Rich
mond importers, but lie did say that hsstea
ship company delivered as much as $1,000
bags of coffee in one day recently to New York
importers and that it naturally had to listen
sometimes to its big patrons" which was, at
least, suggesting that he might discriminate
against the natural 'entrepot of American
commerce" and refuse to deliver coffee at
Newport News at the demand of the New
York importers. He might have added that
this large delivery was due to the fact that
two steamers out of order accidentally ar
rived on the same day.
Now, Mr.. Huntington and the Brazil Steam
ship Company and the New York coffee i'm
porters all have right to do as they please
with their steamships. They have right 10
touch at Newport News or not as they see ft
But they have no right to get Il Government
subsidy. for their steamship line, and then
use their steamers for the advantage of one
American port at the expense of another The |
money comes from taxation levied upon the |
whole people OF the United States. and the
people have fright to demand that 1t shal!
be so used that all the people may share
equally in benefits accruing from its oxpendi-
ture. Mr.. Huntington's steamship line has
no right to this money unless he will [
bring coffee from Brazil upon equal
terms for any port at which his steam
ers touch. The whole South and West are
interested in this. and we invite them TO Join |
with us in an effort which we shall make to |
prevent this subsidy from being diverted from |
its proper purposes. Our senators and repre-
sentatives should take this matter up at once
and introduce proper resolutions of inquiry
into Congress if there seems any probability
that the subsidy is going to be awarded to
Mr.. Huntinston's line. which we do not be-
lieye the administration will do unless he will
agree to do iustjce nv us