Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-02-09
"Peace haiti ker victories
No less renowned than yyar.n

OopblOAS VI bAS uA5AAbJ anu power u Lu6
United States, and of the ultimate ability
of the Government to vsnquish all its enc
mics, IS the great fact that the chisel of
the sculptor has not ceased to resound in
the porticos of the Capitol, notwithstand-
ing thousands upon thousands of armed
foSs have fought and fallen in their re-
peated assaults upon the majestic unity Of
the Republic.
On the present occasion l invoke the at
tention of the House while we consider q
question which, while it lacks the thrilling
interest that attaches to the maintenance
and support of armies and navies, their
successes and re7erses, still is destined to
have for sll time most distinguished in
luence upon our growth and prosperity ss
a people, by the grace of God, and the
wisdom and valor of our sons, Free and
Independent"
Mr.. Speaker, on the 9th day of January
of last year had the honor, in obedience
to the request of my constituents, to intro
duee in this House a bill to construct a
ship-csnsl around the falls of Niagara.
That bill has, by sundry continuances, been
brought to the present time as the special
order of the day, in connection with the
substitute proposed by Il tho ,-1rtfornHn from
New York, Mr.. Littlejohn, and the
amendment to the substitute proposed by
the gentleman from Illinois, Mr.. Arnold. I
desire to speak mainly Of the Importance
of makiDgs q navigable ship-csnRl around
the falls of Nisgars, reserYing TO myself
the privilege of voting for the substitute or
the amendment, one or 10th, as I may feel
inclined at the close of this discussion.
The construction of canal around the
Falls of Niagara is no new question for
our consideration, or for the censidera-
tion of the country. As early as the year
1874, the very next year after the acknow-
Judgement by Great Britain of our lnde-
pendenee, a survey for canal around the
Falls OF Niagara was made under the
auspices of a company organized in the
State of New York for the purpose of
forming link in the chain of inland
communication from the Hudson river to
Lake Erie. Since then repeated SURVEYS
have been made, and repestsd estimates
taken, some under the patronage of the
General Government, all tending to show
the entire prscticsbility, as well SIS the in
perative necessity, of removing this nat1ral
obstruction in the way Of commerce and
trade between the West and the East.
The last, and do not know but the
most reliable survey which has been made,
was made by the distinguished engineer,
Mr.. Charles B. Stuart, of the State OF New
York, at the request of President Lincoln
some time during the autumn of the wear
1868. Mr.. Stuart, in his able report, which
hes probably found its way to the desk of
every member of this House, or if not. it
should be there, and should be carefully
resd and maturely considered-Mr. Stuart
gives the shortest route for ship-csnal
around the Falls of Niagara as being be-
tween the points of Schlosser and Lewis
ton, q distance of six miles and three thou
sand and seventy feet. He makes his cal
eulations for canal with a prism of one
hundred and five feet on the surface of
water, and with depth of twelve feet in
length, and forty-fYe feet in width, each
averaging sixteen feet lift. The estimated
cost of this canal with single locks is
S6,Oo7OlI with double locks, 81, $50, sos.
MF. Littlejohn lin his seat with gold
at one hundred and twenty-five per cent.
premium.
Mr.. Spalding.-Yes, sir, with gold at one
hundred snd twenty-five per cent. pre-
MUM, for the estimate was made when
gold was at that rate. The members of
the House will perceive in the progress of
this examination, that it is proposed to
have the Government extend its aid to this
great enterprise in the shape of loan of
its bonds to the extent of S6,000,000. So
that it is fair to inquire into the question
hot thu Gnuarnr nY,uhN -
time to invest $6,0O0,000 of its credit in
this great national work.
Now, sir, claim, in the first place, that
no sectional interests ought to be regarded
as being particularly interested in this
work; for 1 hold that its construction
would benefit the nation at large, by
swelling its resources to magnificent pro
portions, and by increasing its capabilities
of defense against the inrosds of any
foreign power, 1t is particularly interest
ing to the citizens of the great West who
raise mainly the breadstufs of the nation;
and not only of the nation but of a great
portion of the civilized world. And it is
Interesting to the great class of consumers
in the East in New England and New
York. 1t is interesting to my constituents,
and perhaps l may say with propriety to
nine or ten millions of the population Of
our country in its military aspect. For I
say to this House, most distinctly, that
while the Congress of the United States
has, with liberal hand, provided for the
defenses of our cities and towns upon the
sea- coast, it has contributed but sparingly,
not to say grudgingly, to the defenses of
the people living in the Northwest. Why,
sir, it should lie borne in mind that, when
ten million people are asking for aid to
the extent of $6,OO0,oOO, in removing or
overcoming the natural obstructions at the
Falls of Niagara, $3.50, 100000 have been
for the defenses upon the
coast, saying nothing about the
Navy and naval defenses. With q
population of ten million people inter
ested in the commerce of the North
western lskes-Superior, Michigan, Huron,
St. Clair and Erie-and with two thou
sand ships of every description bearing the
teeming productions of the West upon the
bosom Of those lakes continually toward an
eastern market, we have now, in all the
Northwest, but a single ship calculated for
warlike purposes, and that ship less than
Que hundred tons burden, and having but
one gun. We have not even lived up to
the terms of the treaty of1s17, in provid-
ing for the defenses Of the lakes, so far as
the rights reserved to US sre concerned.
But, Sir, during the last half century Great
Britain, one of the parties of the treaty,
keeping hsr one gun war-Yessel upon the
akes according to the stipHlations of the
.reaty, has been continually preparing her
military canals and her naval depots for
any emergency that might arise wherein |
and whereby the United States Govern
nent might put itself into hostile atti-
ude toward them.
It ia not necessary to csllthe attention |
If this House to the fact that was brought |
PROMINENTLY before members during the
discussion upon the sbrogation of the re-
,iprocity treaty, that Crest Britain has
constructed the Rideau canal from Mon
real to Kingston on Lake Oontario;
hat she has also constructed the st. Law