, 1873-04-18


practicable routes, forming links III Il complete
water communication botwoon Tho East aud tho
Woat, will afford, III part, tho aolusion:
write, therefore, in accordance with ouch res-
olution to request your opinion.
First-As to tho practicabty OF holding,
sometime during the coming hum1nor, 6uch
convention as tho resolution contemplnto:,.
Void yor to oorts | Of M tose
seeking to ronody some Of the evils connected
with oi,r present facitie1 for transportation, OF
which Wostern producers Justly complain, 9nd.
Woa yS1 yoa aagxoss sstiuu t eona ia BE- % eaoa ~ ~
Thi,4l--Wilat place would you regard ~ most
convenient mud thai would afford tho grcntent
facilities TO inultrc snc2oasfn sH1e, not only III
tho numbor attending tho conyontiou and tho i'll
suIting su from IN EEts aotion7
Foui{|t-In WOW Of tho absorbing interest with
which tho pcoplo aro coming to rognrl the whole
subject Of transportation, do you think it would
DO vol TO enlarge tho gcopo of cn1l for Il colt
vontion 30 rs to comprehend moro extended
consideration Of tho question involved?
Iho Importance. to Tho WoAt, Of cheaper trans
portation by Which to ofroct the o1cl'ango Of our
gt.r1,lllB products, is q sufficient excuso for my
calling attention to one o: two reaHolb Which
should impol our pooplo to Immediate nnd COIL
cortcd aotion for tic. promotion Of reform
which all acknowledge is demanded:
sippi Valley now 1oeking IN eastorn outlot, but
absolutely withheld from market aud tho con-
sumption Of populations otauloring for brond
boeauso OF o lact OF facilities for transportation,
and tho e1horbitant charges Of railways now,
in existence, cannot 10 regarded rs d 1lnan-
cial Btringency arising FROM tho wild spocula-
ton, or any OF tho ordinary oausoa Of bust,
nosa stngnation; nor is it porlont of evil
III tho future. It 10, on tho contrary, simply M
evidence thut tic industry mud cntorpriao OF tho
agricultural population Of tho Woat have roaohod
q point in advance Of tho transportation. and
manufacturing interests Of thcso statos;, thoro-
foro it il not strange TINT tho people Of the Mis-
aiHsippi Valley clamor for increaaed facilities
will, which to carry Oh profitable exchanges with
consumers upon whom they are dependent for
marriott.
Il railroads charge 81 1~5oa q bl1shol to move
grain from st. Louis to tho Oily Of Now York in
tho month Of january, when there ia no water
communication between those two markets OF
copt by way OF tho Gull {anl tha I tlnd to bo
tho average winter chargcn for tho last fyo
ycars), md 1t, az is claimed, the Same grain
could 10 moved were tl1ero direct wator commit
nications from tho metropolis Of Minnesota to
tho seaboard, for 10ea ccnta buHhol, tho ,1cces-
bity for Incl oased facilities Of transportation
and cheaper carriage than the producer can now
obtain, ii enforced with powerful offcct.
aud whom wo oonsidcr TINT tho present popu-
lntion OF 1oo0o,00o, now oeeupyng tho grain.
growing portion Of, tito al!ssisslppi basin, will
aoon bo increaael by another 10,000,000, wAilo
tho profuslon OF marketable products will DO
moro than corrospondingly increanod, as i'm
proved machinery III the future, NJ in tho pant,
will onablo the agrioalturist to ronlixo moro ro-
turns from giyon amount OF labor,-tlo i'm
passing magnitude aa to promise an irroprossiblo
agitation until finally and wisely solved.
II, es I havo ahovo advanced, and as is be-
lioyed by practical men, q buBilol Of corn cali lo
carried from tho mississippi River to tho Atlan-
Ito 0coan for less than Il ceats pyoies facilities
for transportation boing provided, it eorvos to
show that whatoyor improvement may bo mado
for tho purposes Of utilizing any water route at
all prfaeticablo, md wlntevor my 10 dono to
people from their consolidation When
built, will bo Of vital beno11t to tho ontiro
country. And 1t Is believed to bo dcmonstrablo
Tint tho difference M between . reasonable price
the present charsoa OF freight limos, for single
year. would go far towards tho completion OF M
ontiro donb'o-track railway from thu Miasissippi
to tho Atlantic soabonrd
Tide whole RAILWAY problem IN, comparatively,
OF rccant origin, having gYown. up within tho
lest half century. Az a preliminary, thcro-
fores, to tho discovery Of . roniody for
ey's inseparable from .o,y! ySst corporate
intorest Of individual corporatorB, to which tho
commercial habita OF every civilized poopto have
almost entirely committed tho carrying busineas
Of tho world, lnoro specific aud general kMowl-
tioa ; question, is 81 tho lrut Importance hnd
conrolltion Of the character contemplated would,
If no other result followed its action and It's din
cussionp, onlRrgo tho boundaries ef public intor-
nation upon the Issues involved In tho question
Of larmonizing Tho buainesa Of transportation
with tho intcrontn Of tho people.
Missouri, owing to tlur beltcr facilities for
getting her crops to market, and beoauuo OF hor
inoye Varol products, may not, 1t is truo, 10 so
doopy Interested IN this subject NJ aomo Of 'hor
sietora Of tho Northwest, yot, In viow Of tho an-
nual inorenso Of ll.oso products, ul4c has mrcl,
At stake; wIlilo hor cooperation with tAem
would, Mn snrc, add largely 10 tho weight Of
whatever action ouch conyontlon might ta1lo.
Permit mo, therefore, 10 urgo upon you the Do
hirably OF MI exchange Of yiowp, suol aH Is ubnvo
you regard tllia project with fnvor or not, to re
ceiyo fron, yo,. n letter, making suoll huggos-
tlonu aA may occur to yol, antl III you may doom
oHuontial. I have tho hUnor to 10, with groat
respect, worry truly yours, q. @. CARPENTER.