, 1859-03-16
The Secret Qut...Thc Nock lstano

4ut SCIEI Is III 1uE[ UHt. tIE 11'S '
he distinct adm ssion from the Missouri ne
'uJlican itself. that it il tue precedent LOT
aa1dred others which the Rock Island
Br1dgc,,if if permitted to stand, will afford, that
10 disturbs the St. Louis Chamber OF Com
mercc. We quote from the Republican Of
March lltd:
But it is not BY any means the actual loss
alone which has been, or IL threatened to be, in
t1icted by this bridge. That is bad enough. no
doubt, bat there is behind that the consitera-
tiou that tbis bridge sustained il precedent
for hundred other bridgeH. Aud, with bridge
such as this ia ut Rock lsland. at every promi'
uent "point'' on the Aissisappt aud Missouri,
If there orc those who supposs that navigation
will not be destroyed or seriously interrupted,
We are not al their number
To the Pkxss AND TRIBUNE The destruction
OF the whole river.borao commerce. Of the
Weg, may seem q small matter; but It -
not 10 conaidesed by the 1t. Lonla Cham
ber of Commerce. Nor, when tho siRnlhcane9
Of the struggle aga.ust the Hock lsiaaa op-
s.ruc:ion is duly understood, will It be 80 con.
sdered by the multitude OF cities IN Inc "es'
and the millions Of Its people.
We tAank the Republican for tlls frank ad"
mission. that the hostility OF St. Louis 10 the
Rock ls.aud Bridge springs from tl'e mos'
Intense sclGs1lucse. That city mt dss'ly as
scrts Il prc.empt;on right to the entire s'aoe
or tlc Mississippi ard the Missouri, anu 'ns
millions o' people who are soon 10 llse Oh
both sides ui these rivers, must, ior ell time
10 come, submit to the delays and the cnor-
mons lax OF .crringe on their entire COM
ucrcc East and West, that St. Louis may
enjoy a monopoly Of the trade OF these rIr-
err, ave thank 1lee, Jew, for teaching us
that word" No further arguments will be
needed, when The "tug Of Va'" comcs' 10
induce cur Eoard OF Trade TO tukc band IN
the fight. Our railway managers, who are
ell locking to . connection with the great
Pacific Hallway. will also ece The Importance
Of sustaining The right to bridge the Missl5'
sippi. The Quincy aud Chicago, the Chicago
aud Burlington. the e aleua, the Illinois Cen
tral, the Milwaukee and Mississippi, and the
Lacrosse Roads have each immense interests
iu this question. Let the capitalists who OWN
them Combine their energies to sustain tue
rights Of tue nineteenth century against tile
desmas Of the dark ages, especially when
they are used to bolster up the most unjust
and contemptible prctenslons. Will not all
the cities at the westcrR tel1ninl Of these rail-
ray lines, will not Milwaukee and all the
ci,ics Of the East and West unite with Chica-
90 in maintaining the right 10 bridge the
Mississippi wherever the necessities Of COM
mcrcc demand it! Will not The people Of
Northern Missouri, Of Iswa and Minnesota,
OF kanEas and Nebraska, protest against tax"
inr their commerce for all time to come,
1or the sole benefit Of St. Louis? Will they
not demand that tue Pacific Railway shall he
built; tLat it shall cross every river upon
the coutipent that lies in its way? There
cauuot, there must not be any break in tlis
gseat highway Of nations.
The principle, originating far hack in the
commercial history Of the world, that naTi-
gable rivers arc public highways, is cheer
fully conceded. The navigation Of fuch
streams must not be materially obstructcd !;
Tut to suppose tina. this right would permit
St. Louis or any otlcr city, legally Or olher-
wise, to prohibit tle bridging Of the Missls.
eippl, is u ,cost palpable absurdity. 1t has
long since been proved that the interior COM
merce Of the country passing East and West
is immensely larger aud more valuable than
that Which 1loEs North and South. Nov each
stream OF that commerce must yield the
means Of transit to the other. Each must
lave lie right Of way; but neither has the
right, materially, 10 interfere with tho rights
Of the other. Against the arrogant preien-
nions Of ST. Luis Te appeal to The common
Sense aud tue common Justice Of mankind.
We appeal 10 the necessities Of the nation
against the arrant seltjsAness Of q single city.
An inspection of the map will show that
there is territory enough north Of St. Louis,
between the Mississippi and the Rocky Moun-
taias, to form len States as large as Ohio, and
those who have studied the characto: of its
mineral RESOURCES, Of its foil aud climate,
know thai those States will b: vastly richer,
more productive and more popalous than
Ohio. The Caamh"r Of Commerce Of St.
Louis, backed by millions Of capital, If op-
posed 1y II single private Company, may pos
sib|y, Ivy some 4uii'tle OF the law, get IN i'll
junction against tic Rock Island bridge. But
If such thing were possible NOW, her AFRO
CANT pretcnsIons within the next twenty
years will be powcrlcss as The idle wind be-
fore the necessities ard the sovereign will OF
millions Of frcemcn. Tho Victoria bridge
over the St. Lawrence at Montreal, will be
completed within year, at cost that would
I,ulld all Tic necessary railway bridges be-
tween st. Louis aud st. Paul. Tic Mitsissip-
pi, great as it con!csEcdly is, is in no respect,
except III freedom from rapids, superior to the
St. Lawrence, and the necessity Of bridging
the Mississippi now, and tho Missouri ere
long, is even greater than it is to bridge the
s.. Lawrence. Non that the issue Is distinct
y made upoa the right to bridge the MIssiE-
sippi ut nil, &C shall sec whether all the cities
and the States Of the North aud East will
submit to have Il permanent break in tho
great railroad lincs Of tic continent, at The
tlistation aIl for tlc Auie benefit OF st. Louis.