Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1869-03-09
The Ship cana.

Having become convinced that there
can be no fair re; lprocity in trade, some
people have invented q ship canal
which they think should be built to
get the thing about square. This pro-
ject was first presented to the public by
Gov. Page, in his last annual message
to the Vermont Legislature. He pro-
poses to connect the waters CT the st.
Lawrence above Montreal with Lake
Champlain above St. Johns, in Canada,
as that is the shortest and cheapest line
between the two waters. This would
undoubtedly increase the shipping
through Lake Champlain, and the bust
ness over the railroads from Burlington
to Boston and should the Canadian
Government conclude to built the canal
for our benefit, we should be pleased.
But will they do it? Is it for their in
terest to do so?
It should be remembered that the Ca
madam Government has paramount
interest in the Grand Trunk Railway, a
line running parallel with the ships
course from the Upper Lakes to Mon
treal. Their first object is to secure the
carrying trade to their railway, their
second to run all vessels from the st.
Lawrence through the Gulf into the sea.
oughfare by water from Canada to the
Atlantic through the United States.
BY this contemplated route, Montreal
and ST. Johns are ''left out in the cold"
and their Government canal, below st.
Johns, already built by the Canadians
at great cost, becomes useless and worth
less. 1t can hardly be expected that
Montreal would favor this; st. Johns
and the intervening ports would oppose
it; and Canada has no moEey to lose in
its canals now in use.
1t would seem from this proposition,
If we understand it correctly, that Gov.
Page would bartcraway the rights of the
American people for this ship canal in
Canada. But" responds Gen. Grout,
of Barton, in speech made by him be-
fore the Leg islature, and recently pub
lshed in the Free Press, 81 wish to say,
in behalf of the Governor and in his
vindication from the false position which
some have sought to place him, that it
is no part of his plan to offer reciprocity
in trade for this canal. And l am au-
thorizcd to say for him on the floor of
thing in his message. x
But, says one. what inducement can we
offer Canada as an equivalent for the
expenses Of this canal, which is estima-
ted at about So 900 900; not large sum,
to be sure, in view of thu great advanta-
ges which would flow from it, but still
something. The inducement, sir, is
ample the equivalent is ample. 1t is
this /: Let the Government offer to en-
large the Champlain canal, which con-
meets Lake Champlain at Whitehall
with tide water on the Hudson, as pro-
posed by the resolution before us, in case
New York will consent, and of this
there can be no doubt and thea, sir,
with few thousand dollars expended
in deepening the outlet Of Lake Cham
plain, steamer of seven or eight hun
dred tons burthen could clear at New
York for Chicago
This is a new view altogether to be
taken of this matter. "The equivalent
Is ample" This is remarkable state
ment. What do the Canadians want of
larger canal than they already have
from the st. Lawrence to Lake Cham
plain at st. Johns, which will admit OF
the passage Of vessels of POO tons bur-
then. The canal at the other end of the
Lake from Whitehall, which will only
pass vessels of about IS tons. should be
enlarged for our ow convenience. Be-
fore we should ask the Canadians to
build new canals, we should enlarge
ours to the capacity of those they al
ready have and yet the canal from
Whitehall is of sufficient size to enable
the Canadians to do all the local bust
ness they desire between Montreal and
New York. We fail to catch the force
of the Generals argument. He con-
tinues his plea as follows:
The merchant of Montreal and the
farmer and lumberman of the Ottawa
valley, will at once see the advantage of
being placed in direct water commune
cation with New York, the best market
in the world, to which, by means of
cheap transportation, they could ship
their lumber and breadstuffs and other
merchandise in Canadian vessel, en-
tering their cargo at Burlington on the
way for duties. which could be much
higher than they now are, and yet the
shipper would realize more than now,
because of the great expense of transpor-
tation.
This paragraph is remarkable for its
inaccuracies Ii assumes that there ia