Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-03-29
SAN FRANCISCO'S RIVAL
Bellingham Bay the Coming MetrOp-
oils of the Northwest
CONTAINS EVERY ADVANTAGE
The Pacific Northwest Absorbing the
Traffic and Capitalism Francis
co.'s Supremacy Waning

1t is an historical fact that within
the last few years the lines of trade
and the course of commerce have
changed considerably on the Pacific
coast, and it is quite as apparent they
are not yet permanently located, and
the points which are to be the great
centers Of domestic and foreign traffic
are not yet immovably fixed. Only
ten years or so ago the one point on the
coast admitted to enjoy supremacy was
San Francisco. At that time she had
complete monopoly Of the trade of
California, Arizona, Oregon, Washing
| ton, Idaho and in fact the entire com
merce west of the Rocky mountains.
| This state of affairs continued so long
as the conditions existed which created
it, There were in those days no trans
continental railways or other means of
transportation to or from the country
excepting only the great ocean high
way. San Francisco controlling the
domestic trade of all that vast country
as one of the necessary and inevitable
results, controlled also the foreign trade
of the coast The coasting trade of the
North, the Columbia river and its
tributaries. the Sacramento and all the
waterways of the coast furnished the
means of concentrating the commerce
of the country at that point, from there
the distribution took place and the re-
suit was naturally great commercial
city. Later, san Francisco was
placed on the highway between
the markets of the East aud
those of the western islands and
China and Japan by the construction
of the first transcontinental line of
railway. Later came an era of railway
building, and it is now ascertained that
some of the elements which contrib
uted so largely to that city's supremacy
originally have so stood in the way OF
enterprise that they have materially
checked her progress, intertered with
her growth, divided her business and
unsettled the lines Of commerce on the
coast.
San Francisco in particular, and all
California i'm general, are held fast in
the coil of the great Southern Pacific
system, which has had sufficient power
to keep out all rivals aud in its greed
has forced the competing lines, without
execution, to the north, and the trade
is following them The result is that
San Francisco has lost the domestic
| trade of much the larger part of her
original territory, and just as naturally
as the foreign commerce followed that
trade to san Francisco, so in the end
that branch of it which properly per
tains to the northwest will leave hel
and centraliZe at some one of the many
competing points when it shall finally
be determined where the true chan
p mel is.
U Every point on the Sound and in
, Oregon claims to be the already estab
i lished commercial center and all are
II engaged i'm the struggle of convincing
the world Of the truth Of their respec
tive claims. Whereas but cursOTN
view of the situation, in the light o
what has taken place, and Of what Il
actually going on around US every day
clearly indicates that the great com
mercial center of the Northwest is ye
to be established as such. None cal
with reason or justice claim that dis
'r tinction at the present time. In tn
determination Of that question Their
Z are many things which will In the enc
\ be found to have an important bearing
upon it. OF course the situation of
place with relation TO the country abou
M it from which products of a commercia
o0 value are to be drawn, and the capacit
of the tributary country to support an'
employ large populations are importan
- factors. The location with respect +
- the facilities for handling traffic by ra
- and by ship is Of vital Importance. i
r these days of rapid transit distanc
L and time exercise controlling Unfit
ences i'm determining lines, and it ca
truthfulIy be said that Bellingham ba
possesses all of these elements in
greater degree than any other point /
the Northwest. The harbor is the bes
it is nearer to the islands and Chin
and Japan than any other point. II
\. immediate resources surrounding ii al
y greater and richer than those of an
other place and it is as near the grei
inland country and the markets Of Il
East as any point having haTbor, an
all things considered, il must fairly
accepted az candidate for leadersh
in the great struggle for commerce
supremacy.