Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-06-21
Wisconsin and Our Waterways.
n. Y. World.


After the close Of last session on the
Erie canal the indications w ere TINT the
route could not he made self-sustninng
with the amount of transportation done
unless higher rates were charged, and
that the traffic would not greatly in.
crease unless all tolls we're abolished
Some Of the soundcst statesmen Of the
commonwealth accepted this gloomy
dilemma and argued that the canals
should be made free IN order 10 pre-
serve the commerce Of the metropolis,
and treated as if they were Il great
natural waterway Of the state. Gov
crnor Seymour saw in the ruin Of the
canal the loss Of our commercial SUI
prcmacy, and maintained that direct
taxation 10 keep il i'll repair would be II
trliing price To pay for the nd.
vantagcs secured To the people by
il. In the meanwhile the loW-toll
policy was kept up in the hope OF II
better result this year. The event has
surpassed the most sanguinc antieipa-
tons of those who recommended this
course. From the account of the
earnings of the canal for the portion of
the season already gone il appears that
there has been a remarkable advance
over the receipts Of the corresponding
period in 1877, and the probabilities
are that the watcr-routc will prove itself
sclfsupportng ut tolI-rates which will
enable il 10 compete successfully within
its proper sphere with the railroads.
II has been the custom % consider en-
mails as slow and old-fashoned routes
unfit for the necessities of orr day, and
not few persons have even been viii
ling TO abandon them altogether a
single really prosperous season ON the
Erie under the low-toll policy may re-
verse all this and put the people into II
condition of such confidence III water
routes that they will not hesitate to
offer to the northwest i'll response 10
its call what will be practically II free
canal. With this promise Of n revivlng
| faith in water transportation III New
York come the indications Of great
movement at the west and south to
give the Mississippi and It's tributaries,
which together make up one Of the
finest systems Of waterways in the
world, good navigable depth through
ON A work Of such magnitude natnr-
ally belongs % the general government,
and yet after il has been accomplished
the length Of the rivers flowing from
the land Of the pine 70 the land Of the
palm il 80 great that the route from the
northwest through the Gulf Of Mexico
to the markets Of the world will compete
under many disadvantages Of many
kinds Of freight with great direct railroad
lines to the Atlantic seaboard. The
changes Of temperature on such u voy-
age along lines Of longitude may be
damaging to cargocs Of grain. This
consideration long ago called into being
the germs Of the project now developed
by Senator Window for giving north
ern outlet to the Mississippi, through
which portion Of It's traffic may be
poured into the lakes and thence
through the Erie Canal 70 the Atlantic
al New York. One such outlet has
been already ascertained and surveyed
indeed. iii the form III ship-canal 10
connect tie nayigable Watcrsof the Fox
I river with those of the Wisconsin, and
thus u permit steamer from the Mis-
sissippi ID float into Green Bay. Tie
state of Wisconsin, with the true west
ern instinct for getting the nation 70 d.