The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-03-20


days Of the numbering stage coach are no more.
Those Of steam and electricity are here. The
days when rivers alone were the pathways along
which civilization advanced are numbered with
the past free commerce now move along iron rails
over the land and carries It's tide the arts, the
sciences, and the rctnements Of civilized life,
! into places remote from rivers and lakes and
oceans. The freight train has made smokeless
the chimneys of many steamers, ana suilless
many ships, and the passenger, parlor and sleep.
! ing car have robbed the floating palace Of many
Of its patrons. But these facts do not take from
! the rivers and the lakes their Importance To the
business Of the country. The rivers and The
lakes have been, 1t Is true, in II measure laid
aside, but the fact Of their existence holds in
check the great railroad corporations that have
/ in great degree superseded the common ear
| rer by land and water The rivers, the lakes
aud the canals are the great regulators OF trans
portaton between the ilimitablc gram fields Of
| the northwest and the Atlantic and the southern
xcaboards, on which are the doors vi outlet to
the markets of the world.
This proposition will become more apparent
every day in my opinion.
/ There 10 the north and east is the chain of
/ lakes with its grand outlet by the St. Lawrence
| river and the New York state canals, and To the
south of us the Mississippi river. Neither the
lakes nor the canals on the one hand, nor the
great rivers on the other, are used by all who have
frrights TO send to market; and, indeed, the
growth Of traffic on the rails and on the water
courses is much in favor Of the rails but yet the
lakes rivers and canals are the refuge OF shippers
rs the necessary regulators of rates. The diver.
sion of trade between Chicago and New York
from the lakes to the railroad has BEEN ii is true,
more rapid during the past five years than ever
before. and the railroads have robbed the Missis-
/ sppi of much of its former patronage; but il
every pound of freight were to leave the lakes
and rivers and flow along the railroads, the I'M
used lake and river would still be the prOtc CtOrs
OF the shippers, and would save to them in freight
millions OF dollars annually. These lakes and
rivers are, il may use the figure legislative acts
4 by II greater than any human legislator, and
might be entitled, Acts OF nature TO prevent eX-
tortiun and unjust discrimination by railroad
corporations doing business between the grain
/ fields and stock farms Of the west and the mar
/ kcts of the world" The proper improvement Of
our canal and river would do more than any
method yet proposed in Congress toward the
regulation Of Interstate commerce and the pro
lection Of all classes from the injurious influence
of speculative combinations.
During the twelve years, commencing $3.50 and
ending 1866 inclusive, the tonnage transported
on the New York canals exceeded the tonnage
Transported on the New York Central and Erie
Railroads q, 81 $50 tons, but during the twelve
years, commencing 1867 and ending 1873 inclu-
sive, the tonnage Of the railroads exceeded the
tonnage Of the canals by 81, $50 5SS tons but even
while the roads were thus drawing patronage
from the canals, the canals were regulating rail
road freight rates. In 1857 the rate per ton on
the New York Central was II 100 cents, on the
Erie railway 45.l00 cents, and on the canals,
1g3. 1000 of cent. In 1873 the rate per ton on
the New York Central was only 9l.OO of a cent,
on the Erie ~ lO0ths and on the canals ~ 100 of
a cent. Tue freight charges always have been,
and always will be, less on the canals than on the
railroads. They uW Arrays be less on the rirerS and
| the lakes. Water rates control.
The importance, therefore, Of utilizing our wa.
ter courses must be apparent to all. Water
courses that may be used are necessary to make the
work Of competition with railroads successful,
and it is conses uently duty of the public to see
that the rivers of the country are improved and
made ready for the uses Of commerce. This fact,
when considered in connection with certain other
facts, makes very important the proposed EN-.
| largemcnt Of the Illinois and Michigan Car a ,
and improvement of the Illinois River
Mr.. Joseph Gimme, jr Chief OF The National
| Bureau of Statistics, in report ON the Internal
Commerce of the United States recently submit
ted by him, and issued from the press within the
,as few weeks calls attention to the fact that the
growth and commerce Of Chicago has cores
pended with ana closely followed the extension
| of its facilities for transportation. 'ln the year
1867" saws the report, 1.-THE first railway line was
completed from that city to the Mississippi river.
Prior to that time its trade was confined TO com
paratvely narrow limits, but year after year one
| line after another has been pushed westward, I'M
! til the Mississippi river Is crossed ny thirteen
| railroad bridges, ut points between st. Paul and
| st. Louis. These railroads are now the high
ways of the most important commercial move
ment on this continent"
The result of these facilities for transportation
is the fact that there is scarcely any limit to the
! commerce of Chicago. She reaches out TO China
and Japan, to the Atlantic Seaboard, to the Gulf
States and has become the principal primary
market for the purchase and sale OF agricultural
products, and for shipping general merchandise
to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Northern Mis-
souri,, Kansas, Nebraska, Dakota, Colorado, the
| Indian Territory, and other territories farther
west Chicago is also an important manufactur
| ing city, and, in 1878, her manufactures amount
cd to the sum of 1867 70S, 600 She supplies near
ly all the West, including Utah, and has large
trade as far west as Reno supplying that vast re-
gion with mining machinery, wagons, boots,
shoes and dry goods. She reaches out south be
yond Nashville, Tenn, and seeks customers in
East Tennessee and Georgia, Arkansas and Tex
as To her, and therefore to all the territory
contiguous to her--to all the section of country
living between her and her customers, west and
south cheap transportation is OF the greatest i'm
portance. And it is Of incaculahle Importance
to the growers of grain and other farm products,
who sell and buy in her markets--to you, and to
the great farming interests more remote from her
gates. 1.-THE current prices of almost all grains"
saws Mr. Randolph, Secretary of the Chicago
Board of Trade, ''are usually higher, relatively,
in Chicago than in New York; that is to say, a
bushcl of grain shipped by producer from a
point west of Chicago will almost always net him
more, if shipped to Chicago, for sale there, than
if shipped through Chicago to New York, for sale
there, with a view of saving Chicago charges"
From this statement OF palpahle fact, it will be
seen that IL is in the interest of the producers of
the vast territory that finds market at Chicago
to aid every enterprise that will cheaper trans
portat'on between their fields and their markets.
And in my opinion, this cannot be done more
eticctuay than by making the Improvement
proposed by this meeting. 4 ship canal from
Lake Michigan to the Illinois river and the i'm
proyement of the river to the Mississippi, would
inevitably cheaper rates between the fields of the
West and Chicago, and put the amount of the
rates saved into the pockets of the producers. II
would give water rates, and control the rates by
rail- And it would also more etfeetually regulate
rates from the West to the Eastern Seaboard.
With this proposed improvement made, and with
channel of i've feet from ST. Paul to St. Louis.
on the Mississippi river, at the lowest stage OF
water. and eight feet from st. Louis to New Or
leans, 'the cost Of transportation would, in the