The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-09-09

reconciled anu boiling over Win IecVilsHl,
alton. How any man OF the Norm, oil
sane mind and ordinary common sense,
can BY his vote or influence aid into power
the same men, and the same principles
that are as willing to-day as in go 70 60
back 10 the old days Of fogytsm and dark,
ness, TO say nothing worse; y more than |
can zee. Are you In West Virginia ready
10 recede 10 the days when one-horse
iudee OF a one.horse court In the State OF
virginia issued orders for the arrest OF a
man OF Horace Greeley's stamp for pub
fishing articles on the subject OF freedom
for all men.
RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
Next to sitting in quiet case over glass
OF toddy, talking politics aud more green,
backs, TO the average citizen oil this anu
each State bordering on the two streams
the great Missouri and Mississippi I'M
proyement; or, TO call 1t by its proper
name, the grand burial place for TIE funds
OF the National Treasury. For years tins
has been to all these people dream Of
grandeur and big fortunes, and yet don't
know that It haseve enteredinto thea
OF politics toany great extent, tilVery re-
Gently. tits to-day aquestion that has been
particularly brought into prominence by
The precedent established by the Govern.
ment when it so bountifully aided the two
ureat Pacific railroads; and the example
then set will be followed, II possible, by
The "leeches and vampires about the
Treasury" las John Pendleton calls them,
unless the people OF the North and East
combine against it. The success OF the
ietty system of Captain Eads has suggested
his query, viz: II successful for one mile
why not for hundred, and il for hun
dred why not to any extent; and II the
frst prove such great and incalcuIable
benefit TO New Orleans, why not extend
| the same To st. Louis? This is the way they
place the idea before each other, and at
inst it Is wonderfully taking and capitiyat;;
ing, but when you turn TO the practical
or money side OF the question, and Ut
tempt TO estimate the cost OF this great
work, the figures are appalling and turn
ones brain wild. They say that figures
don't lie but know from personal OK
perience that architects and contractors
do, and do it bad, and it would be safe to
treble the computed cost OF this proposed
undertaking. Reduce it to mathematical
proposition and you have il thusly: II it
cost s., 0O0, 600 to construct Eads' Iettlas for
n score of miles or less, what will It cost to
cont;nra them seven hundred miles
further nm the river? Your city engineer
has cracked tougher mathematical nuts
than this, and It Is referred u MN TOT So
luton. remember he tried his hand on
a calculation for q solar eclipse during our
college days, but, unfortunately snatclling
up a logarithim by the tail end, carried the
result OF his computation so lar into tne
depths Of eternity as to discourage the
public from ever hoping to witness
the great event. Soberly, however, it
does seem that water transportation
is the only means by which the
staples OF the great Mississippi valley
can be transported to market at te-
muneratiye rates to the producer,
and II does seem like shameful neglect OF
n vast natural water way, capable OF all the
tonnage of the world, TO stand idly by and
see It's waters scattered into dozen or
more channels, gathering In pools and
spreading in shoals, filed with Enags, logs
and bars, obstructing navigation and re-
shifting In continual losses OF boats, car.
goes and human lives, when by a chain OF
ietties a clear, deep, steady channel might
Se maintained, admitting ocean steamers
II o0.fo6. draueht up to the docks at 'st;
I,ouis TO receive and carry TO all parts Of
the globe the tremendous snrplus product
OF the entire valley. A highway like t2:::s,
il it could be maintained, free from its
present hindrances and drawbacks. would
be an unbroken channel from oil this
grain producing region to the sea and
sound the death knell to tho nilroad mo-
nopolies that so long have sucked the sub
stance of the producers labor. lido not
saw that It is nj all feasible or practicable,
but do say that this is one OF the great
questions that you people ofthe North and
East will have TO encounter, and tnat
very soon, for ! never saw or heard Of q
more unanimous uprising OF the people
from any causes except the late war; than
is to-day visible throughoutthe length and
breadth OF tho Mississippi Valley on this
subject. Their representatives VIII go to
the next Congress not asking this great
work as n favor, not urging It a. a
great national enterprise, but with all the
warmth and hot medicines Of the South
ern nature demanding It US aright.ast due
them in return for the bountiful aid given
by the government TO the two IA
citic railroads. l do not deny tho neces-
sity OF the work, nor the immense benefits
TO this part OF tho country II it could be
successfully carried out, but do not think
Il practicable, or even II practicable that
the enormous outlay Of money necessary
for the undertaking would either directly
or indirectly be profitably Invested.
Whether profitable or not is not the ques.
ton 10 be considered now, butratherwheth-
er The movement has sufficient strength to
carry Through the hallsof Congress, Asto
this I can't say, but Gun only state that It
will be backed by the delegations from
Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas,
mississippi and Louisiana, besides numcr.
Gus other scattering votes from some Of
me Western States closely interested, to
saw nothing Of the powerful influence Of 0
well paid lobby. And then IN addition to
all these influences, think OF tho winning
sensation OF the Southern toddIes, and the |
tickling OF Kentucky bourbon and Louis.
iana mint tulips on the stomach OF the
Northern Democrat, aud see what resist
ance YOU can count on from that quarter.
Once warm the entrails 81 tho average
Democrat with the milk OF his Infancy and
YOU make him generous enough to hang
his mother. For this reason ! take y that
il this be made q party question ana car
ried through the caucus that IN approprt.
alton will be made, for the backbone oil
the President seems to be but wax when
4 TRAMP.
Sham Baltic ~ Fsirmonf.