The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1872-12-14

ANONL24T"
Denjsmin Wright Edward b. GU. Charlie
b. Fisk, and Judge Wright I'll Of whom
1 oopcur In The feasibility Of ~ liss - pm
4 3eesd, for To tsassie Of boaas q - tons
capacity. This line extends fsom ~ capsa
Of Virsinis 10 shs Ohio river. . distance d
6Se miles. and consists Of ~ James River.
from ito mouth to the head Of pavigston. :,
the city Of Richmond. distance Of ISL
mecs; and by the james river and Ksnswhs
improvement Of 4e5 miles, 1T which sbou,
~ will b. canal and 80 miles fiscr nayi.
cation. This should be government work
for It benefits would be Of national di,nen.
sions. II Is line of water communal.
CATION that would lie available for nearly the
cs.sise year. ~
j would cmancipstc the commerce Of one
half Of the States Of the Union from bur.
dens that render the industries Of twenty
millions Of people messunbly unpDductivc
1t would regulate the railway freight tariffs
hetwecn the Atlantic and the Mississippi.
II would increase The value of the lands Of
the Western States five times its cost. II
would eahsncc the value Of Western pro.
ducts annually to An extent nearly or quite
equal To the entire cost of the improv emcnt.
It would diffuse tho commercial facilities Of
the nation among millions of people who
have long been deprived of needed means Of
communication, and would also attract i'm.
migration to regions of country that have
been neglected because they were inaccess.
iblc to markets.
In addition to the Southern water. line by
the Mississippi, and the Central water. line
by the Ohio, Kanswha, snd james Rivers
and canal, there 10 like necessity for the
perfection Ut the Northern water Inc be
tween the Upper Mississippi and the lakes
sia the Wisconsin aud tho Fox Rivers,
which run In opposite directions mile
apart from the centre of Wisconsin, with u
lock canal between them, and only seven
feet difference in elevation, tho Wisconsin
emptying into the Mississippi. and the Fox
into Green Bay and Luke Michigan. and
both being navigable. by Improvements
costing less than $1,000, 900. to steamers Of
five hundred tons capacity. The governors
ut Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa. Missouri,
and Nebraska have urged this measure upon
the attention Of Congress; and General
Warren. after careful examination, has re
ported favorsbly on the project. Over one
million Of dollars of private capital have
been expended In the Fox River navigation
improvements. Steamers of considerable
capacity lover one hundred t0ns) have passed
through these waters. between Lake Mich
igan or Green Bay aud the Mississippi. To
complete the great Northern water. line, the
Eric Canal should bc assumed ~ govcrn.
mcnt work, and 20 enlarged a. tn double
ito freighting capacity from five to ten
millions Of tons annually. These impnve.
ments have received the hearty recom-
mendatioh IF our national commercial con-
venti0ns. n.M. ,
The Illinois River should also be improv.
ed; and thus At either Or 10th ends Of Lake
Michigan there should BE- communication
with the Valley Of the Mississippi at points
which would enable freight from Minnesota
and Iowa to reach lake navigation through
two navigahls channels across Wisconsin
and Illinois, and add largely to the value Of
property In those States; while with the
81. Lawrence ~ competitor, at the north,
there would b no more imposition upon
Western commerce Of illibersl canal tolls by
the State Of New York. .E~s". r..
There should bc National Board Of
Commerce, compose of snd auxiliary 10, or
controlled BY, the Congressional Committee
m Commerce, free from ms,ropoiitan or
State control. and assisted by the mnst skin.
mi of cngineersin the service of the general
government, u attend 70 the development
Of our domestic commerce by system OF
In our inland navigation. If
New York can neutralize the acts Of Con.
gress by denying charters for canals that
may not be tributary 10 her system of navi-
cation, which has too long been operated IN
~ illIbersl spirit: and II New jersey can
exact head tax Of one dollar for every per.
ron who passes through that State to or
from other States; and II bridge obstruc.
tons arc to be multiplied, 10 an unlimited
extent, on our naviRahle rivers, there can
BE- no security % the larger interests Of the
nation; for ono State can lesislstc to Tie
aetriment Of dozen States. There should
be, agreeably with the power vested IN
Congress, . rational policy fos al matters
Affecting the coumescial interests Of the |
entire country, - these several proposed
sater. lisss Of standardization should b re.
ysrdsd ~ pare md parcels Of one grand |
national system Of navigation.
The kississ,pp, valley, which comprises
" area of about s.eoo. 900 square miles, 10
greater than that Of oil Europe. exclusive Of
Russia, Norway, and Sweden; and has N
inland navigation Of 1000 miles. Of which
'ver 1900 are on the Mississippi River. b.
wcem the Falls of St. Anthony and New
)rleans. The Missouri, with 9,0l4 miles OF
'avigaiion up to Fort Benton. and the Ohio,
nth 073 miles Of navigation bctween Cairo
md Plttsburg, are tributaries capable OF
.esring commerce Of enormous proper.
iOnA Other important tributaries Of these
treams should allen he included in the great
a;ionsl system Of internal rnviss,iOn ana
such as the Nin0csOia With
OO miles Of navigation; the Wisconsin and
Illinois, each with $50 miles Of nsvigsblc
water; the Tennessee, with 600 miles Of
'ayigati0n; the Cumberland aid tributaries
with slae.k water ,,n,,rx, veir,Nnfe I,avinv i