, 1866-12-08
SATURDAY, DECEMBER $, 1sC6.
THE STEAMROAr CANALS.

lh"CT -A4sSAs-ApP4 u IdpiQlS assuming 6uCh
r.orortens as will Of necessity enforce a
dircc, answer. Cartain leading facts arc no
lorSsr open to discussion. These are:
|. That it Is hopeless to expect auy recu-
,,:Ary or other material aid from the United
States.
:. That the canals must be constructed by
The State.
5. That this can only be done by speciac
annual tax .lntil the work is completed. =
VIZ invite the attention OF the whole peo-
Ylc Of the Statc'to an examination OF what
Is proposed to be done, what the cost will
he, aud 10 the question Of comparative taxa-
linn. 1t is proposed 10 enlarge the Illinois
Il Michigan Canal from Chicago to Joliet,
and make ii navigable for the irst-class
steamboats, Of the Ohio and Mississippi Riv-
eTS. II is proposed by locks and dams to &C.
cure at all times on the Illinois River slack
water navigation from its mouth to Joliet
or Lockport, capable of floating any
sized steamer. This work will cost at the
utmost $4,000, ,0l0. 1t is proposed also to
construct a canal from Iasalle or Hcnncpin
tolhc Mississippi Rirerrea Rock Island, with
. navi@at:e feeder from Dixon. This viii
cost, all completed, =, ,50o, 900. It will be
tecn, therefore, TINT the two works will
cost lcss Than s12 900 900. It is proposed to
TO lay an annual tax Of two mills upon the
taSables Of the State, thereby res lizing one
million Of dollars per annum for the work.
Il is proposed that these works shall be
forever the property Of the State, and that
the tolls shall he regulated by law, aud shall
not exceed the cost of keeping the canals in
order; thus forever providing safe, cheap
and inexIaustiblc means of ira ansportation
If frti.hts 10 and from the State, and to
and from its several parts, by which
.ll combinations OF railroad and
transportation companies to ex-
tort 1uinous and oppressive trcishts
can always lie defeated. It is proposed to
afford the whole country upon the Missi$-
sjppi the means Of moving their produce i'll
to and ::cross tie State Of Illinois, ut rates
which viii leavc the producer something for
his labor. It is proposed to give 10 tho peo-
1le OF Illinois the means Of moving their
Produce to market, whether at Chicago, st,
Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Memphis, or
New Orleans, without breaking buik, and Mt
rates not exceeding one-half or one.third Of
those now paid to railroad transportation
companies. It is proposed to establish in
this State additional means of trans
roztation, which, belonging to The
whole people, will not be chi
r1oyed for their ilupovcrisAmcnt aud ruin
1t must hc patent to every man that there is
no longer the slightest competition between
railroads For instance, we have four or 1--WE
railroads which connect the Mississippi
Rive. with Clicago. These ought to be
competing lines, hut they arc not; on the
contrary they have union tariff, and they
hare established territorial lines between
their several roads from beyond which they
will not accept irciChts. There is not only
no couIctition in rates Of freight, but the
public are denied the privilege Of choice Of
route. Freight must he shipped upon that
road 10 which the territory in which i. lies
is arrof,ioncd by the railroad combination,
0! not he shipped al all.
The establishment Of d canal which will
move this freight from Dunleith or Cairo Ia
Ch!cayo.at rates covering merely tue expense
el keeling tue canal in order, is the only
means available III the 1sansls nfthr People Ia
project themselves from berom!n, mere upe
ra,ves Ct the railroads. If the railroad tarsi
Leaves the farmer but tweaty y cents bl,s4e 70,
his coru, or forty cents for his wheat, there
Ia no appeal. no second shop; he mus: sub
nit to the cxaction. But If these canals wcss
in operation hc would be under l,0 conpul
sion 10 use the rnilroad, and the canal tai
biting regulated by law, the railroads would
lave IL reduce their charges or h.<c III,
freight 90 BIZ the canal. Year after veal
the yo:u,nc Of freight to be moved Is in
cFeasirg With ar;thmctich progression. A.
railroads. arc extended west OF the AIissts
s12]ri to the Missouri, tue Stale OF Iowa alou.
will double the quantity which Eln~t b,
moved cast twarlly. Within 4 few years I'll.
Pacific Railroad ana lis dozen tributar,
roads will be pouring into this State th'
contributions OF The great country west O
tic Missouri. Tie through .fnigHl* 'riihi,
M-rt :. rs ,rW occupy all Mese ,uIroads t
A!';r Lt:"oa capacity, leaving the producer.
Of Illinois as helpless rs to the means O
reaching market rs il there were II, rail
roads A, a1l. The canal is. independent 0
the question of lreisllts, an absolute ne
ce-sil1.
We Enow that dcmoeogncs will raise til
cry that these canals will create the nccessit
for q TAX :has, in a1ditinn to existing taxes
wiA tc most oppressive. We invite those iz
trr.>tc.i, especially nd-loldcrs, to f.
G.ulcs-
To saise one million Of dollars annually b
1sxs1itn in this Slate will require that abos
s'-lUtN.) he collected from the fariaiu- land
S,'d $4,000 from city and town rsopcrt!
personals. etc. There arc in this STATE
round nun.hcrs, 2ao, 900 farms Of 1Go acr,
each THIS tax will therefore amount /
shout three dollars for cach farm Of qua
ter section, or about two Gems per acre "
annum, OF an aggregate during the twcl,
ycaIs "f twen1y-iour cents lcr acrc.
Let any farmer compare this TAX Of II
cents per acre per annu1n with th. tax
now }'ays in 1he shape OF exaggerated fFcigl
to tho railroads. If It now costs twcnt
seven cents to transport one hundred Poun
OF wheat one hundred mics, and the can
cuuld do the enme for ten cent?,
y compel the railroad TO do the san
for ten ccnts, then The farmer
paying Il direct tax or bonus to T.
railroads Of seventeen cents upon every hu
dlcd pounds Of wheat he eends TO mark
Estimating that each Of the ~, 900 Garl
OF tEc State now produce 10000 poun,
o7 $40 bushels of wheat aud corn, Will
tavcto s'c transported one hundred miles
rail. aud the aggregate toll charged by
railroads amounts 10 gil, DIG 90. Now, vi
the canals IN operation, and the rate nf trn
Portation at ten cents per hundred poun
the aggregate Of the tolls would
s3,icO,ooo, or direct saving in frcIehts
ss,G1.:,eD per annnm. The same calcu
ton Nill hold good in every oshci article
produce that Is shipped by rail. TIC {
ference In frcig1ts will not be felt ale
in the mn.ter OF shipments, but equally
In the matter Of return com,noditl
The steamboat that carries flo
wheat, corr, live stock and hor
from Dunlcith to Chicago, or New Orlea
| will carry back lumber, wagons, agricu1tr
=. Implements, groceries, dry goods, iron IN
| nfactnrcs, furniture, salt, and all other
tisIrs, at ofrcsrondiug'y reduced fFeigl
thus saving not only the s., ,oao, 900 upon
shipments, but like amount upon the
turn frciyhts. The value of wheat at
point in tho State may be nsccrtaincd
taking from the ruling price in Chicago
cost oftransporiation. Thus, when whoa
selling at Chicago at 800 per bu>hcl, i,
worth the same at Dixon, less
freight md commissions. The o
CT OF hundred bushels of wi
at Dixon pays the railroad twcnty-se
cents per hundred pounds, or s16.90 for n
Ing that wheat to Chicago; while, il
canal were in operation, he could llav
moved either by rail or water for ten cen
hundred, or eG.oo for the whnlc. Will
man, interested In The moving of even
hundred pounds of freight in cacl, year.
ject to tho payment OF q few cents per
mum for the purpose Of securing not
cheap t1cights and m enduring protcc
against monopoly, but an increase ol
mcans Of transportation. which are
wholly inadequate to the wants of
States The difference between the
Of freight charged By the railrc
In the absence Of any competition by Ct
andthe rites that would presailif there