Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-06-12

/ Dakota. and Wyoming. an area of morl
I than million square miles there are tifteer
/ millions Of people They have more than
! twenry-eight thousand miles OF railroad
which cost between 81 400 .0OO. 900 and
/ 81 SCI. 200 900, IL that wilderness of a nun.
| dred years ago. They have every variety
CT climate and production. some Of the
nOblest rivers and lakes IN the world. Their
wealth and productions are 50 vast that il
seems impossible 10 ind means Of bringing
their products 10 the market
Coming down TO later period. say sixty
years ago. the means of transportation be
tween the East and the West was by turn
pike from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and
then BY the national road from Baltimore 10
Wheeling on the Ohio. At that date trans
pOrtatiOn was carried on IN long trains OF
Conestoga wagons. travelling only about
three miles an hour. At that period the
question came up whether II was cOnstlru-
tIonal 10 invest the public money IN works
OF internal improvement, as was proposed
to be done by constructing the national
road Ny friend from Maryland has not
exaggerated n MS description Of the high
character of the debate which then occurred.
There were giants IN those days. and think
1t was then settled forever that our COnstl
tuition was equal 70 the manifest DESTINY Of
this great country. Ii we had not the con
slitutional power TO promote interstate
communication. II seems 10 me we could
not have q nation | consider also that
question as settled by the repeated appro-
priations that nave since been made Tor
works OF internal improvement.
Fifty years ago, 70 come down still Ia-er q.
there was a new era IN interstate commerce
In ISL that great work. the Ere Canal
was commenced. 1t took eight years to
complete II, at a cost Of s. 900 600. In the
course OF ten or eleven years Il was found 10
be quite Inadequate 10 the demands and
purposes for winch II vas intended. and IN
1886 an enlargement was commenced winch
progressed without InreTrupiing the use Of
the work Tor rwenry-six years and was com
pleted ] believe IN Is62 al a cost Of So. 600. =
Geo making the whole expense OF that canal
SIS. 600. GOO Now. sly, if the State Of New
York out Of It's treasury can spend $50.
eco 600 / think the United States need not
hesitate % spend a few hundred thousand
dollars IN ascertaIuInE the best plan for
future operations and Improvements
To come down still later, forty years ago
railroads superseded 10 q great extent
canals. The effect Of their introduction was
TO give an impulse 70 commerce. and agri-
These railroads brought our lands generally
into market Before tnat time the lands
were principally occupied on OF IN the Vi
ciuity o.. navigable rIverS Il appears BIZ
the report Of June, 1873, that we then had
IN this country completed more than sixty
seven thousand miles OF railroad AZ cost
greater than cur national debt. a cost Of
-. 100 600 600 And vet we are still in
want Of cheap transportation and J think
Tor two reasons nrsI. because although We
nave afforded the means tor transportation
inns rapidly. the progress Of the wealth and
production of the country has outrun even
these facilities and. secondly. because II
latter years the railroads of the " est nave
been built with the proceeds Of bonds. and
stock mas been issued winch does not repre-
sent capital As results Of this vicious
practice. not only Is there IN the country
fictitious ana false representation OF values
and OF property, but the fact of the exist
ence OF tins unpaid stock creates a Dre1exr
for such railroads imposing exorbitaut
charges. This Is true however loniv Of
small portion OF the railroads. aud those
n the " est. and Is not in any
extent true Of our eastern
roads
Now. Mr. President. as 10 the remedy.
How are We 10 get cheap transportation .
" shall make a great mistake if We under
take any system OF canals except In aid of
tine natural waterways OF the country
Pennsylvania tried the experiment Of canal
across the Aleghanies. and I
has abandoned the work The want Of
water and the extensive i0ckaEo required
are fatal objections The true remedy and /
the best relief Is nv means OF railroads. and T
those roads are 70 be built nv private enter /
prise ana private capital We should give
every encouragement TO such investments. T.
taxing care tnat proper restrictions are IN I
posed 10 prevent me issuing OF the multi /
plying OF unpaid-for stock
II We are 10 seek transportation ov water.
i seems 10 ne that nature mas pointed out
the only Two waterways that can be made
AVAILABLE on the continent the one bv the
axes. the other by the Guli. the Two con-
lected by the Mississippi. and IL tributa-
lies lake the northern route. starting up
lake Michigan, through Lakes Huron. ST
lair. and ErIe. 20 Buffalo. When there.
We should reject the project sometimes sup
rested OF enlarging the Erie Canal. because
uch enlargement would be O. waste the
ast expenditure which bas been incurred IN I
'eriectlnc that work but from Buffalo
transportation should be by the Weliand
anal. through Lake Ontario and the s..
-awrence, TO some convenient point. prob
bly, opposite Montreal , then by q canal
cross % Lake Champlain. and 50 down the
hampiain Canal 20 Troy or the Hudson
ne route by Lake Ontario Is much greater
q distance than by the Erie Canal. but not
o much longer In point Of time. because
our progress l. on lakes and rivers ana not
o much on the canal. That Is the natural
7ater-wav Tor much OF the products OF the
ountry.
linen a 70 the other route. transportation I
hould be down the Ohio River. the Mis- !
lurl hiver. and the other tributaries of the
Mississippi. then down the Mississippi 10 +
: mouth. and at that point there should I
e the expenditure by the government 10
gercOme the obstruction of the mud de-
1sit; 1t should probably be BY making a
mai from the river u the Gulf with lock
lat would exclude the mud-drift and vet
INIT ana pass vessels. and then passing
1T until Won come u Florida. where there
light be another canal constructed across {
lorlda. thus bringing New Orleans Sly {
lndred miles nearer 10 New York than c
hen you are Obliged 20 20 around through
e Straits Of Florida I
think this resolution would be yerv =
Gch improved if instead OF sDecifyinr the L
Ut different routes 10 be surveyed. the re-
luton was SO framed as 10 leave it with
e committee from time TO time to direct :
e surveys, 50 that IN the event of its being :
und Impractlcab!e - perfect any one Of =
csc routes suggested In the resolution il II
ght at once be abandoned and expense
Us be saved TO the government. Tins |
Id that the United States government mas p
q - .. ] n
prOvements and u promote interstate s.
that the best way 70 Obtain a
cap transportation Is 10 encourage the o
Instruction of railroads by private capital -,
d enterprise, prohibiting the issue OF IN u
id-tor stock, and that the two natural p
ter ways, the one by the lakes and the a
Ter bv the gulf. should be improved. and o.
Il great relief IN the matter of transpor- u
ion would be securel II
At later stage Of the debate, Senator n,
siin 5 Morrill,. Of Nermont. said &C
NE. MORRILL, REMARKS. ~ ~
ilr. Morrill,. Of Yermont.-Mr. President at
m quite disposed to applaud the industry Or
the ability OF this committee, and e. CO
'laliy OF the chairman. and his enthusi- 50
a IN relation to pushing this matter at ce
present session OF Congress, and am eli
D disposed 10 vote iJr the proposition 50 on
as the appropriation Of 5000, 900 is con- ed
ned. but desire o. state tina; | shall do to
with no purpose Of committing myself tn
his gigantic scheme of internal improve lol
ut. costing no one knows what, for /
sumo 1t Is not supposed by any Senator or
I II this scheme shall be commenced and ior
ried through it will be completed al anv- orr
~ like the computation estimated bv ITO
committee. But | shall vote for it with tri
believing that We are about to ordaiu Inv
establish great national system of in 10
ial improvements. but as a mere ordi- AM
V appropriation. We at every session fur
ut appropriations for SURVEYS al the re- the
ST OF some Senator and snail we NOT. pee
r a committee has made an examinations the
this extensive kind and proposes four I'm