The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-01-18
The Transportation Question.
Every few years. when the West has M

| OrmOuS crop, anu corn tT'ps 10 10 10 oU CcHis
IN the local markets, she gets into aiever over
the transportation question. 1t generally LASTS
until ma vig.tion is fairly open ia spring,
freights come dOWn tn something like re;s-
sonable figure, and grim once more bring
| living prices. Such fever swept over the
| West III about 1866. Farmers meetings and
conventions were held in about every county,
| fierce resolutions against railroad mouopolle>
were adopted, the tariff swlndle was occasion,
ally denounced. and Congress was vehemently
ordered to proceed forthwith 10 construcr the
Niagara Ship Canal, to enlarge the Ere c.
nal, to dredge OUT the Mississippi, and open
ever so many more water routes from the
Mississippi to the seaboad.
The fever is again At its height. 4 conven
ton of 800 farmers, embracing the best mind
and muscle of the northwest, Is now III ses-
sion at Bloomington aud we have no doubt
the whole subject Of railroad monop"ies,
transportation, production, currency the tar
lit, banks, &C., will be again thoroughly over
hauled
We tear the business will again prove mere
efferversence. The leading problem involved
how TO cheaper sportation-is one Of
| such difficult solution that years of gigantic
effort certainly have as yet accomplished very
little in that direction. II costs about the
same now to get a bushel Of corn from Iowa
to New York that it did IN 1866, in spite OF
the TACT that many thousands Of miles of rail
road have been built since then, and half II
dozen of so-called trunk Ines have been
added to those then IN operation.
The difficulty is, that production increases
at least pari pnsSU with transportation tacili-
ties New railroads can only be built as rapid
ly AS the ordinary business demands makes
them profitable; and when an extraordinary
demand for freight occurs as with tie present
big western crop, tie railroads find their Ca
pacity equal to about fourth of the demand
upon them, and they naturally put up freights
so as to make the most hay while the sun
shines. 1t Is folly to deca,m against he rail
roads as sOuless monopolies and alt that for
acting out ordinary human nature under such
circumstances. Were the state itself the owner
of the railroads, and the people, or their legis-
lators, IN the exercise of full control over
them, they could no more carry four times
their capacity Of freight than they can now,
or carry up to their capacity at much less
cost.
The remedy for the periodical freight gorge
must be sought in something else than vain
strivings after legislative regulation ofrailroad
freights and fares. Something practical,
doubtless, would be found III tue construction
Of the Niagara Ship Canal but after all, that
would not open the St. Lawrence, and would
only give US comparatively unimportant ad-
ditional route to New York. Something vast
ly mvre to the purpose, we have no doubt,
would be the acceptance of the offer Canada
makes, of charging the Wclland canal and
canals around the falls of the st. Lawrence to
a capacity to pass the largest vessels, on con-
ditiou that the United States will grant the
Dominion perfect reciprocity IN the inter-
change Of productions. The principal oppon-
ents of this reciprocity are our distilers and
lumbermen, and the great question thus re-
ours, as it must in every sensible discussion of
this subject, must the West forever be robbed
to fatten sections and classes that are perpetu.
ally robbing her by restrictions on trade I'm.
de. the false name OF protection by unjust
tariffss
New England must have monopoly of cot.
ton and leather manufactures; Pennsylvania
must have tariff on iron; Lake Superior
must have tariff on copper, Syracuse on salt,
and the pincrles tariff on lumber All COM
bine to rob the West Remove these tariffs,
and the West can buy her dry goods, salt,
shoe leather and lumber at a decent figure.
cheap iron will double her mileage of rail-
roads and reduce the freights, and reciprocity
with Canada will open the st. Lawrence to
her and place her within almost as easy reach
of Europe by sail and steam as New York CITY
is itself. Remove the Internal tariff restric.
tons on trade; emancpate ship building and
give us free trade with Canada and the grand
grievance of the West will disappear as If by
magic.
Bolivia has new President. The late
| President Morales did mn, r.s,o, ,.;,L.,