, 1863-06-05
TEE SHIP CANAL CONVENTION,



ExEcurrE DEPARTMENT.. [
c sfhRsoT1E1D, June let 1868.
GES1LEAEsI @ received Jour invitation to
be present at the Ship Canal Convention on
the "a day OF June, and though hope to
reach your city, yet my health Will not be
snnlctently recovered to take any active par-
ttclpaaons In the proceedings Of the ConTen-
taon; ,.- !
oes 1ease, noweser, most heartily and
most Inly 10 endorse the object Of your as
fembllng, not only as OF most vital Import
ance to Illinois, within whose boundaries,
one Of the most Important works to be con-
sidered By you, Is to be located, but as affect.
ing the interests, Weltare aad desttnies Of
every state so materially, as to challenge the
hearty and united cooperation Of the whole
country.
l regard this enterprise Us combining in
three comprehensive degrees, principles and
purposes which should commend It to every
patriot and philanthropist.
That which adds to our commercial prosper
to cement cur Union, should certainly enlist
large sbare Of our earnest consideration.
Deeply solicitous as to the result of the
great struggle, now going On tor our glorious
Union, {in which may God grant the victory
to our noble patriots periiing their lives upon
and moraiity !ook upon tne compleuon o1
tins traly nat1onM entelpl1sG rs neAt N In
poEtance to the salvation Of the country.
=, he VINO establishes MS cla.m as pa1ron o.
tHe "o1k helPs ~ a9sance ~ Me n1gnest h,s ~.
gree our commerclal prosperity, 20 estaolas9
our m1ltaTy supremacy on tne conllnen1. ano
to bind IN more 1ndlssoiuble oonds the etates
OF our Union. nc proposes ~ tnis most IN
po1tant l1nk7n the c1aln OF lntefnatlo1al colu'
munication, to enable the General GoreFn-
mcnt to grasp the great rather OF KlFets IN
one hand, and the great system Of northern
fNj.n ft1 I'm -
Of our Union:
What GOD and Nature, the nrts, sciences
and civilization hath joined ioEether, let not
the evil spirit OF. dlsnn1on, Tie incidental oD-
stac1es OF material progress or 1he naroarlsm
OF society founded upon system OF unfe-
The completion OF THIS VOTE wouid nllng
our agricultural and manufacturing interests
into closer proximity, and would add iin-
nensc]y to the amount and profit Of our pro-
ductions; while by the saving In transporta-
tion, the consumer in our own aud foreign
countries would receive every commodity at
much reduced price. Already the London
Times and other organs predict that
II this ard similar works connecting
the Western States with the seaboard arc
COMPLETED, the farmers Of Great Britain must
turn their attention to other crops than
that the agricultural products Of that country,
for which Great Britain has heretofore been
the market, could not withstand the compe-
tition with this country.
Under the present incomplete means Of
Transportation. it costs more than the price
Mt which corn can be profitablY grown III Illi-
nois, to convey It to The seaboard and to
Enrope: and it ia only In time of famine or
great scarcity that We are able to compete
with the dependencies Of Great Britain III her
markets. Let however, enlarged facilities Of
transit be created between tic West and the
1.r 1r
Great Britain net only as it now Is, for human
food. int for fattepipr cattle, hogs. sheen &c,
And when these facilities are created. which
will be very soon, if Eastern and Western en-
terprize unite in the great purpose, the 1lli-
nofs farmer by the aid Of improved agr1cultu-
tupce all continental E1ropean competitors
in thc British markets. while the agricultural
supremacy Of the Western Stntes will be es-
tabliehed 1or oil time in the worlds markets.
With soils Of exhaustless capacity for pro-
| ductiou, with q hardy. and intelligent yeo-
s many. and with snch firers. railroads, canals
and lakes, Agriculture will have her 1nllleni.
um in the Northwest, and reap harvcsts such
as tie world never saw; and at the same time,
by day and by night nyrfads Of engines will
brig back over the same channels Of trade
tho manufactured products Of the East to
sur1;ly an eyer-iucseasinc demand, thus add
| Ing Immensely 10 the profits Of every pro.
| i,scer- man,,f;ctnrer and 1aborcr. and 10 the
| General wealth of fhe cmntrr.
| A. = "nrst;on of n;1;torr sn,rcn,acv. the
th.a no,rsr1rh;c1, - nossessee the naval com ,nand
| ~ tbe nlrs mnst baye the command Of ali
| tha fnrr;forr hnr1cr;nv m 1hem either far
| offrnsc nr dcfnse. The Mississipni ,,iercea
ths To,tnn statrs of the snnth dIrides fhcm
in in twain and riyes them virtually into tic
4hat 81 tre,,n ffFho Io~es ~ fbe No1t}, nicrce
AZ ,r1.et - an-;,n1tn-.1 rarion ~ Fin nrtI,,
wcsf and Sivs + int1 tht hands of fhc nowe,
fhat controls @ #. We cannote in the event ii
var Vii, Enr1onf1 snrcessfn11y carry on nf
fns,wa WI ii;.arr nne1at;cns ,1s,ns, csm,da a.
,,,,laes ,ra hn1d }he arcs nc +hs.has;s ~ snch
| nnero3;nns Nor can Canada snccessfui,V m.
- 1s;.a ~. ~ -.,;torr naas.t;o,,a ~
III Was,orn stotcs nn1.ss af,e rontrI,fs the
III 1nies m ns fhe h"sis r. such oneratinns A' 'As
~ ,is eo G ~. ~ 1 I13st u ~ ~ tbst
nan ene3 ~ ~ II m1.a ~ W;+o<. H. a.
eounty s4 psoPteu t ~ na ens oac y. r.
tat ~ "ou m I1eE A, eoin H9a - Ins iotataa
army IL t1laaa. tuat n9le uetel'l an4 sl.ss
man, II ls sala, answered lnat he coula onl1
~ 81 ~ a1 conula at az ns Ianu vpei3Jiuns
sngulu iu; uS sesonueu ~ neeL upon lao a. aahes
snlncientlg namefoas ano poMe1ni 70 sWsel US
~ tnsh n, i,nsougnont t1eis "nole e1Isnt: Ann
de.e% fnno,e;h1e hr ~ +n .;nioRas 1o W n9 ss
WcHonnn"h md o;hers ~ nnr novoi hsroe;
~ Nv ~, .e eaas ~ uut ast1 eft"r
the conouernr If Sano1ennt tn Head the arm;e
then era.inF aguinst The United States. wa VA
abandoned, Hnf1he British Goyernment nav
az hns faIqotten thc ppincIn1e nnon Which % tn
Duke Of Wellington PROPOSED 10 conduct th
c,mna;rn' It immediately proceeded to com IN
n1ctrp = srr,es of canals in lie m Canadass whie1
fars mi on1r aided rreot,v IN f1e commercia
rrosner;tv ~ tlcse Provinces. Int also Fen
darpa Il Eoseihle fnr The mother countrv. n
INV time. to undertakc offensive operation
ana;nst the United states. without the ncccs
s};r 1s NJ maintaining @ mn additional fieet nno1
At present. then. the power to control tht
| rreat Eorthrrn Takes il in the hands Of th
/ British Government. since by her system o
canals she can, in few days OF weeks ut far
thest. mace a feet Of two hundred or tYt
hundred and flfty gunboa.s (alwnys kept it
This fleet could not only annihilate our com
mercc, but place all Of the lake cities, With
out d single exception, ut the mercy of tn
invader. We would thus commence the va
under disadvantages, which only the mos
heroic exerttons and the most terriple eacfitc
Give us, however, water communicatio'
Of the eeaboaId and the lakes with the aia
sissippi and Its tributaries, by ship canal Q
superior or equal dimensions win those
the Canadas. aud We would be placed on equa
terms with Great Britain, and readily transfe
ouT uttl5 " EuAuoAte au9 kiu0aPo41s AAt
munitions Of war to the lakes, and cur Al
mics to their shores, ready to drive back tn
invading enemy.
But, II it is granted that such work wonl'
add greatly to our military power and nava
prestige, and commercial facilities, then, it
benefits as m additional bond Of Union, mus
also be admitted. It would indeed be IN I'D
ditional link in the chain Of artificial commu
nication which now binds the East and West
and the first OF which was forged in 80 man
and appalling difficulties, by the ever to be re
membered De Witt Clinton, when he com
pleted the New York and Eric Canal. Tha
work was the first and enduring triumph Q
art over nature, on the continent. It has bee
followed By many other victories and achieve