The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1878-07-04
4flol,ilo,uot pilot.
THURSDAY, JULY /, 1875.
2HE flIPRDIEllENT.

and emits unsavorY odors. The Post
cannot be earnest without being passion
ate, cannot be argulnentative without be
ing abusive. We arc DESTROYS OF limiting
the discussion to the merits Of the topic
in dispute and have no curiosity to
Crafty" respecting the dimensions Of
any Of the organs which it has pleased
Providence to bcstoW on the editor Of
the Past. Were we inclined to bring
tits matter down to the same level TO
which the Post seems anxious to reduce
II, we have had abundant opportunities
through the Posts own articles, to make
It's editor vince. But while we enter
tain no hope that anything which We
may write may dignity journalism our
purpose is to avoid doing anything which
may degrade it. Our conception of
what is due the profession in which We
are but novice, may not be sustained
by our practice but we are satisfied that
our iIexperience IS a safer guide for US
gives no evidence Of a sense of propriety.
We have a supreme Indifference as to
whether the Past EDITORS head is of col
lossal or dimiuutiye proportions. We
shall always be happy to furnish hin
every opportunity Of gratifying his cur
iosity respecting ours, and shall never
shrink beneath his courtesy" If his
''cHriosity" be stronger than his love of
case let him embrace tbs opportunity
which presents itself
Ia our last article on this subject, we
had occasion to notice the Posts peculiar
ideas Of what constitutes value. Its syl-
logistic reasoning is indeed amusing for
its very vcrdancy, Thus,
III the Pilot IS not convinced by the
facts which we present, we shall pro-
nouHce it an ass.
at has refused to recognize these facts
with a stupid pertinacity."
Therefore the Pilot is an ass" Il re-
quiIes 10 Ariadne's thread to guide one
through the intricacies of the above syI-
logism. It's ingenuity does not entitle
if tothe dignity FLEEING called soph;sn;
it IS simply an empty a5surdity. 1t is
based on the broad principle, IF the
PINOT is not convinced" &c. The PILoT
is willing to give the Post credit when II
makes ''palpabIe hit, " but it does not
accord it infalIibility. Oh no. The PILor
values opinions by their intrinsic worth
and not from the source from which they
emanate Let the Post remodel its ma
jor premise so as to be little less ex-
pressiye Of conceit and more of modesty
and it viii gain in truthfulness what it
loses il osteutatiop.
If the only object of improving the
Fox and Wisconsin rivers be to offer
competition to the railroads, it would
appear to be an utterly foolish project,
Tor the reason that this competition
would prove disastro Us to transportation
10y water. Railroads can afford to carry
frcights as cheap as, if not cheaper than
boats. This the Post casually admits
when it says the railroads reduced their
freights FOR the carriage of -four to cor
respond with the rates established by
the river. Freights being equal the rail
roads have the advantage Of Offering a
more rapid transportation and are thus
II 8
mess on the river. Does it seem at all
consonant with reason to suppose that
boats viii remain inactive on the river,
preserving themselves from the rayages
of time and tempest; slumberiLg like
the old legendary cavaliers in the
mountains Of Spain until awakened to
usefulness by some fortuitous circum-
stance. This is what the Posts areu-
ment essentially amounts to. It is not
the active, open competition from which
the Post expects returns in reduced
freights, but the possibility. Almost
every point in the valley has the adyan-
tages OF railroad competition and a
consequent reduction of the price Of
freight The railroads would despise
the competition offered by that weakling
known rs the Fox and Wisconsin River
Transportation, and the people would
soon come to learn that there is a wide
difference between promise and perform
ance. After the completion Of the Nil
waukee L. $. & ". r. Il. the Goodrich
Transportation Company sought another
route for their boats. Why? 1t had had
monopoly Of the carrying business
from points north Ct Milwaukee to Chi
cago: its success was not a possibility Of
the future; its was not business to BE-
established; had everything il its favor to
successfully prosecute war of COMPETE
ton against the railroad. Bat it sue
cumbed without much effort. Lake
Michigan does not need interminable
appropriations. No one will think of
questioning the ACCESSIBILITY Of construct
ing harbors of refuge or of commerce
along its shores. The lake is alsays
nayigable and harbors are but auxiliaries
and are never complete failures. Such
means Of transportation rs the lake af-
fords, though inferior 10 railroads are
far superior to any wheel. can be secured
through the Improvement OF rivers re
curing inordinate appropriations and
excessive labor. Locks, tolls and mcer-
tainties through insufficient water and
other hindrances, render river navigation
peculiarly Objectionable: This point
may be pounded through an ordinary
thick skull without resorJing to the stale
witticism in which the Post INDUCES.
1t is by no means a eorollary Of the po-
sition taken by Us that ''eyery boat upon
our rivers and inland seas might be des-