The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1873-09-26

1
one not lesscned when we come to see
from the statistics Of the country the
present and future value Of the Ohio
river, to not only the jewellers along
its banks, but to the nation.
The wonder arises that in the grand
march of the nation to its present mag
nitude, no statesman has seen, or if so,
failed TO act on the absolute certainty
that the Ohio river, from its geograph-
ical position, would Of unavoidable ne
cessity have to be made capacious av-
cnue OF transportation, to meet the
daily wants Of the millions who would
fiji its valleys and develop the resources
of the seven states that form it, water
she'd
De Witt Clinton risked political
career and won not only that but a
statesman name, by his persistent ad :.
vocacy of the New York canal. The
benefit Of that to this state was
not as plain as is the use Of
the Ohio river, with continuously relia-
BILE navigation to the seven states Of the
Ohio valley, and these ofthe Mississippi
valley as well.
The one state of New York could
expend 55,000,0OO on her canals,
So, O00,0O5 in tho enlargement of the
Erie canal alone, and proposes to spend
sl2,O 100000 more, and who doubts
wisely? But before the demand, by
states containing over one half of the
population Of the whole nation, that
half the sum spent in the enlargement
of the Eric canal shall be expended to
render the Ohio transportation facility
for not one state, but fifteen, congress
stands aghast-and the watch dogs Of
Tive treasury bemoau the wasteful ex-
penditures and declaim against the
extravagant schemes in which it is pro-
posed to involve the government. A
government of which the population Of
the States proposed to be benefited by
the improvements of the Ohio, making
more than half, and who, be the
the expenditure great or small, will
naturally through direct or indirec,
taxation, pay themselves over one hal
OF the outlay, and be at the same time
contributing in the same proportion OF
over one.half to all the other cxpendi.
lures Of tho government, whether for
national expenses, or sea coast, or lake
improvements. Would it not seem
more natural if the representatives in
congress Of this preponderance of the
nation should recOil ghast at the appro-
priations Of millions for sea coast and
lake improvements, Of which their con
stituents will pay over one.half?
Thus congress after congress virtu-
ally ignores the creation of one of the
great transportation facilities of the ma.
ton; and year after year reluctantly
votes few thousands for surveys. and
snag boats for the Ohio. "a tub for a
whale, but cheerfully gives millions
after millions for Improvements upon
the coasts, to the neglect of navagi-
ton one-fourth longer than the whole
sea coast line Of the country. In that
l,6OO miles of inland river navigation
there are in the fifteen states along its
banks twenty million two hundred and
sixty eight thousand people; and in
those eighteen states, with greater or
less shore along the sea coast, but fif.
teen million nine hundred and thirty
one thousand. including New York
with four million four hundred thou.
sand inhabitants, who are more nearly
interested in the lakes, or nearly thirty
per cent. more inhabitants directly in
terested in the improvement of the
Ohio than in the harbors Of the coast
line. The seven immediate states of
the Ohio valley, under whose appoint
ments body Of commissioners are
now striving to obtain enlarged gov
eminent action for the improvement of
the Ohio, have thirteen million four
hundred thousand population, nearly
ninety per cent as many inhabitants
Is in the eighteen sea coast states, and
one hundred per cent. more than in
the balance Of the river states
The importance now. and in the ia.
ture of these seven Ohio states hope
to show briefly by statistics in subse-
quent letters, and shall endeavor to as
briefly give the various plans hereto.
fore proposed to render this natural
transportation highway all that is de-
sired, with the estimated cost, trusting
to make clear, that although the ex.
penses may seem lnrge, that a great
necessity requires the outlay, and the
greater benefits justify the work.
Against threatened evil, monopoly
in transportation, the people are now
protesting, aud broad, earnest. dc.
tcrmined cry for cheap transportation
is going up all over the country. For
the suppression of a political evil the
records of the treasury show what the
nation expended, and the statistics of
the internal revenue show how amply
the states of the Ohio valley shared
with their sisters the cost. Peace, it
has been said, has its victories as well
as war When the Ohio shall become
the great, capacious transportation
channel, it can by engineering be made
rendering the $4,000 miles of river nav.
igation, cheap transportation facility.
untrammeled by the grceds or the ne.
cessities OF corporations from the base
OF the Rocky mountains TO within three
hundred miles of the sea coast, and