New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-10-08
TIE NATIONAL CANAL COHVEN-
TION.

held IN Chicago on Tue HfsJ molutl III vu"'
following. TO consider I" the enlargement OF the
Canals between the Valley of the Mississippi
and the Atlantic" This call was signed by
Mr.. Bates, Attorney General, by cighty-four
and by twenty Senators. The
Convention met upon the day designated, and
il said to have been can assembly vast i'll num-
bers. distinguished in character, and embodying
largely the representative men in agriculture,
in business. in commerce, and in the conduct OF
all the affairs, national and political, OF our
widely extended country Resolutions were
adoptcd. together with Memorial to the Presi-
dent and to Congress, of which VIC propose to
give a brief abstract.
The Resolutions set forth:
l. The national commercial and military npor''nce Of the
Of the canals between the hsH- pii ',I aa
on nclent 70 pa., sunbos,, from the Mississpp 90 Lake
icsg and from the Atlantic o. snd from We oas LHNe
rh,i such works are demanded alike by nil.aIy i'u
arpte o. fra wisdom and the necsssi les Of coinic'
Ihs, such naousl highway between the Mississippi ani
The Lake should be- far praccabr hoe .hon' De hp
from the hrndf 81 private cop'rasions should b- seeo
~ the National credit, and a. soon ~ fhc cos :, -
70 H., Nn,ons Trra'nry should be e. free as the hAe 70 We
Ia an K,ccu,,e Committee Of from each STATE BE-
sll 10 Conglsrs
The Committee have, in accordance with
their instructions, prepared this Memorial, and
a copy OF it is now before Us. They consider;
/. The Military Importance Of he Fork. They
declare the importance Of having command OF
the Lakes in case of war with Great Britain,
and they point out the fact that, in the old Colo
NAL and Revolutionary Wars, and in the late
War with Great Britain, the principal attacks
our country had 10 sustain were made from the
Canadian frontier. !, is asserted that not less
than one.,hird In value of tine entire commerce
Of the Nation passes over the Lakcs-that
10, COO, 600 Of people live upon their borders and
aye !nters ted in their securiy-tha' great cities,
the largest grain depo,s of the world, have
grown up on their shores-and that all, in the
event OF war. invite, By their helpless condition,
layacc and devastation.
H. IN, EIyo,ed Condition Of Northern From
tier os Compared ,cith n, Atidniio Coast Upon
the dcfcnses of the Atlantic coast more than
$50 900, coo have beeg layishcd. while there is
no nayy on TIE Lake. and We can have none
under existing treaties.
III. Defsnses Of Canada. Great Britain has
large and important military defensive works AZ
Kingston. on Lake Ontario; az Maiden. at the
mouth Of the Detroit River; at Pcnc'aneu.-
shenc. on Georgian Bay; G, Toronto, Niagara,
stanley. Windsor and Port Sarnia and other
extending vest, as faT a. tie shores Of Lake
Superior. and beyond 10 Fort Williams aud foit
Gary.
" Military Canals Constructed by Greet
Britain. These she has constructed az great cx-
pen-e 20 enable her to pass her gunboa,s from
the ocean through the -. Lawrence TO the
Lake. The canals from Montreal, by way Of
the Ottawa River aud interior lakes, to
Kingston on Lake Oaiar!o. were constructed
avowcdly as a military work by the Royal
Engineers. under the direction of the British
Ordnance Department. fortress OF consider
able oxieAt has been constructed q, Kingston,
aud around the rapids of the 81. Lawrence n
series Of short canal. iar irnsccndng in
capacity ans commercial necessity, with locks
% lee. wide, by 200 icot long AID eight feet
deep. Lake E.o and Ontario are also con-
nectcd by the Wclland Canal with locks 2G feet
wide, $50 feet long, and water II iect deep.
Y. III, Bea ueaHs (or Dosnairg Tie LeLes.
Tie memorial ontes into a long discussion Of
this point, and concludes bv prcs ing upon the
consideration of the President ard of Conglc~
" the importance of steamboat and ship.caua.
from the Mississippi to Tie Lakes, and from t0o
Lakes 20 the Ilud.o and Atlantic Tie Com
mt,ce say:
"or ',csy "inte found 90 r,9'idini te ue.n' Of Cot
boats. Into h, Lake. The u0ik done uy ,tc.o w,bnosd
suflD.f ln Hs not oly ihr deep tsi tc broad
BAY. and te rld river but s..o mp Tie n.sow foa and
'ai.aoo Nlaf.lni o! their lupoitaucc u al m ia oyer
auou."
VI. Commercial Importance Of Slip Cdnais.
The commerce Of the Lakes, carried in fleets
composed Of 1913 vessels aud steamers. reaches
in value between $500, 0O0, 900 and 500, zoe, geo
per annnm. The commerce of the Mississippi
and its great tributaries, before the Rebellion, it
is believed, was not less in value. A direct
union between these waters will be like the
union of two oceans. The Suez canal does not
compare in importance with u ship canal from
the Mississippi to the Lakes; while the outlet
to the Atlantic by the east is equally remarkable
with that Of the SOUTH and equally favorable to
the commercial development and unity of our
country.
VII. Ne Hare Omgroicn orr Canals. II il
claimed That We have reached point where,
with our present means Of transportion, the pro-
luction of corn and other cereals cannot to any
great extent be proiitably increased. This posi-
lion is sustained in the Memorial by mass of