Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-04-30

In the Senate last Friday Mr.. Win
dom, Chairman of the Committee &C
Transportation, presented the report
OF the Committee, and made long
speech In its advocacy. He said the
Committee had concluded That no
substantial reduction i'm the cost OF
transportation can be anticipated
from regulating competition between
existing railways, nor can competi-
ton lie reduced by the construction
ofadditional lines, If they are to be
under private management. The
Committee find that Congress has
the constitutional power To regulate
Interstate commerce OF all descrip-
lions, and may appropriate money
for the construction Of railways aud
canals; that 1t may Incorporate q
company to construct them, and ex-
ercise the right Of eminent domain
in State In order tn provide for
such construction, and, In the exer-
else of such right, to take for public
uses, paying q just compensation
therefor, any existing railway or
canal owned by private corporations.
These propositions he discussed at
length and sustained by judicial de-
cisions.
The report says that after careful
consideration the committee unani-
snously conclude that the most FEAST
ble and advantageous improvements
are: First the Mississippi river; Sec
ond, "A continued water line Of ade-
qiiaic capacity from the Mississippi
river to New York, via the Northern
lakes; third, route adequate to the
wants OF commerce through the CEN
trail tier Of states, from the Mississippi
river via the Kanawha rivers, West
Virginia, thence by canal and slack
water or freight railway to tide wa
ter; foprth, IA route from the Missis-
sippi river via Ohio and Tennessee
rivers, to n point in Alabama or Ten
nessce, thence by canal and slack
water or freight railway to the ocean.
The Committee estimate the cost OF
the. improvement Of the Mississippi
at SIG, 900, 900; Of the northern route,
Including Fox and Wisconsin Riv-
or, and Hennepin canals, and en-
largement Of the New York canals,
$40 900, 900; Of the central route, in
Guiding the radical improvement of
the Ohio river, so as to give six or
seven feet at low water, and Kama
wha river to give six feet water, $25,-
600 900; connection by canal or freight
railway to tidewater, In Virginia,
canal to cost s55,000,00O, railroad
25,0OO,0OD; Of the southern route,
Improvement Of the Tennessee river,
n, M to give three feet water, $1,000
100, and construction Of a canal and
freight railway to the Atlantic Ocean
at a cost respectively $4,000, 900 and
$50, 000,0 900.
The total cost of canals, II con-
structed, will be about one hundred
aud fifty-fve millions; II railways be
chosen, the total cost will be about
one hundred and twenty millions.
An actual expenditure Of from TWEEN
~ to twenty-five millions yearly
will be requisite for six years. When
the whole work can be completed,
the resulting benefits will continual
Iy annually repay more than the en-
tire cost. The money Is to be raised
by a system OF rigid economy In all
expenditures not absolutely necessary
l,y which nearly enough can be saved
for this purpose by the issue Of pub
lie Improvement bonds or by taxa
ton. II the latter policy Is adopted
the committee suggest the restora.
ton Of the tax on tea and coffee.
which produce about twenty mill
lions annually--sufficient to COM
pleie the entire work In six years.
The repeal of that tax has caused but
little IL any reduction In the cost Of
those articles, and Its restoration
would not materially increase 1t. At
the end of six years the tax could be
repealed and these great public works
would stand eternal monuments TO
tile wisdom of the present Congress.
1t would be unnecessary either to
issue bonds or levy additional taxes
to innngurate the system of internal
improvements indicated, as 1t would
80 stimulate the business energies
that we would find 1t easier To raise
the additional revenue required than
it now Is to meet existing obliga-
lions.
yron tas Iowa Baptist.