Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-07-10
NORTHERN WATERWAYS.
An Important Movement to Protect Nortl
western Producers.

Nv
An Important Movement to Protect North
western Producers.
At the late meeting of the St. Paul
Chamber of Commerce Hon. H. NJ. Rice
presented the following report:
Mr.: PRESIDENT: On the 18th of March last
this chamber +
ResoEved, That astanding committee of eight
be appointed, II. NJ. Rice, chairman, with full
authority to act with the boards of trade IF
Cleveland, Buffalo, and such other representa-
tive bodies of the country as take special in
terest in the improvement of the great lakes,
to the end that such public influences may be
awakened, action taken and measures urged,
as will hasten the improvement of the great
water way, SO that the largest sized lake vessels
may be made available to carry the productions
Of the West to the markets of the world.
In pursuance of the above resolution the fol-
lowing committee was appointed:> II. NJ. Rice,
W. L. Banning, 81. H. Sibley, W. R. Marshall,
G. Z. Davis, j. NJ. Gilman, Horace Thompson,
James Smith, Jr.
The committee at once organized and sent
resolutions to the boards of trade of Cleveland,
Buffalo, and to all Other representative bodies,
supposed to take special interest in an early
improvement of the northern water way. Re:
sponses have been received from Cleveland
and Duluth only.
Cleveland, ever formost In the good work,
appointed committee, composed of her most
active and intelligent citizens. Duluth
promptly responded. Other cities have re-
us, who are the most interested, to renew with
increased activity the work of cheapening
TRANSPORTATION by securing an early
improvement of the northern
route and the approaches
thereto. To this end it is deemed important to
place before the chamber and the country in.
formation upon the subject that will aid our
p. ople to act understandingly.
If the season shall continue favorable We
may expect this years crop, with that of north
ern Dakota, will reach from fifty to sixty mil.
lion bushels of wheat, with a corresponding in
crease of other products.
Railroads are being extended and new ones
are being built to meet the demands of new
settlements which are more rapidly than eve1
before taking possession of the fertile lands t.
the West.
As this vast region is mostly occupied by
farmers 1t can readily be seen that their pros
perity must depend largely upon their having
cheap transportation secured to them.
In many respects we are greatly favored ovel
other lands, having at our command the great
lakes and rivers of the continent, upon which
we can float our cargoes of food to the con
sumers; but to avail ourselves of the Creates
benefits that can be derived from them, the,
must be improved as we'll as access to then
made easy.
Were it not for the northern water way ano
the railroads leauing to Duluth, wheat in man,
parts of our State would not pay for the rails
ing; but as it is, that the most remote from
the Eastern markets commands the }highes
prices.
The people of the State, especially those o.
This city and Minneapolis, should not clos,
their eyes to the importance of reducing thu
rates of transportation-to say nothing of tn,
probability that for want of united and intel
will be absorbed by railways.
Hon. Horatio Seymour, Jr, State engineer
for New York, says, in his able reportof Janu
airy last:
'sOur canals have not only carried large
amounts at a low price, but they are to b.
credited with the fact that they have benefited
the public by forcing the railroads to reduce
their rates to point that they have either los,
money, in order to break down canal COMPETE
ton, or their charges heretofore have been tot
high This will apply to lake and riye1
transportation, as we'll as canal. He further
says: "But the amount saved in transporta
ton is not the full measure of the benefits
to all classes OF our citizens, of low
tolls and cheap transportation. These On
abled us to send vast quantities of grain and
other products to the markets of Europe, which
could not have been sold there if they hao
been burdened with the pooling rates of rail
roads. The policy of railroads is to make
their profits by combinations and not by com.
petition. By division of commerce AMONG
them, each tries to make dividends, not by the
amount they shall carry, but by the rate Of
their charges. Our position, however. is a f.
vorable one, and to enable us to control it, VI
have only to control a connection With Duluth
which will, to great extent, govern transpor
tation rates of eastern bound freight, and thus
leaVe TO our c!tlzens proper proportion of the
profits of their own labor. Not only this, bu,
IL VIII give home market, always the best, as
1t is the most certain and convenient A road
owned and controlled by our own people, con.
Meeting the head of Lake Superior with St.
Paul and Minneapolis is a matter of EASY ac
complement, if the two cities will unite with
the roads now under the control of our citi.
zens, whose interests are onr interests.
Iowa has no large city. She
for the reason that she quietly slept while lake
cities sent their traficing railroads on parallel
lines through every county in the State, thus
transferring the profits from the earnings of
her own people to Chicago ard Milwaukee,. and
preventing her from building up for herself a
city worthy of SO great State.
How few consider that the evil does not end
IN this; how few consider that every dollar of
profit the roads make goes to enrich the non
resident stakeholder; how few are aware that
Iowa contributes largely toward paving the
taxes of Illinois and Wisconsin, bv giving her
trade to Chicago and Milwaukee. thereby in
creasing the value of the taxable property in
those cities.
Every dollar we give to our own merchants.
manufacturers, farmers or laborers decreases
our taxes by increasing our ability to nav. So
every dollar we send abroad increases our taxes
by lessening our wealth. SO it is with rail.
roads when owned by our citizens; tn. profits
remain with us to be used in developine and
improving our State and its cities, bat when
the stock is in the hands of non-residents the
profits are taken from our pockets and in the
shape of dividends 60 to enrich citizens of
other States. -
Capital seeks large cities. We're St, Paul
and Minneapolis united in feeling and in ac-
ton. working together for their common eot,d.
millions of capital would seek investment
within their limits, where thousands now do.
ana they would soon be in condition to large
~ shape the commerce of the State by giving
cheap transportation through the lakes and the
Mississippi river, and thus reduce the railroad
rates to Eastern cities. -
Mr.. Seymour says: 1.-THE cost of carrv;no
our products to the markets Of the world has
been so much reduced, that the balance 81
trade has been turned in our favor. tha mr.
with specie, and the wealth it has Welded to
our producers gives hope to all classes of more
prosperous times. No one can study the ata-
tistics of the past two years; who will mt nee
that the better state of things, and the hone of
the future "a hich now dawns upon ma. are
mainly due to our canal and water rates with
out which we should not have had snch
volume OF exports, nor such q wide marpin in
our favor in our commerce with the world'
{ This truth Is made more striking IN Tho
fact that it has enabled MS to sell our nro9ncts
70 Europe, although low prices ruled there.