The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-02-04
WATER ROUTES,

| unlly Olub III Clhplnnhu low Gays hkp'
said "Iho true God Ia an Infinite being
who proolalma His orders in the laws Of lle
universe. Ills providence is not In any ns'
ton or race, but ylndlcatea itself In the slow
movements Of history" Now Whit the llcy
Mr., Alger meant 10 say put into aln'pll'
fled form, was that God rules by natural
laws, or, In other words, that Ito laws Of M
turo ara divine, and therefore cannot bo i'm
proved upon, cannot DO overlooked, cannot
DO oonlravoned cannot DO put mido. The
seasons come and 80 In their natural
order, md earh one, wntor spring, SUMMER
and autumn, performs It's UNMARRIED aud I'M
varying functions In routine according u ilSod
and lmmutablo laws and rulos, For oyery
III and ache nature has provided M anlidoIo
aud m anodyno, For every want and mecca
sty Of all animated being nature has mOdo
provision. Nature has given TO man tho IN
tollgoncc 10 build clties to open up frms
and cultivate them, and to garner up tho
fruits ofthc earth, II has created markets, or
In other words demand for these fruits
aud products, thereby creating trade, for
what the soil and climate Of the East produ.
COS, tbs soil and climate Of the West will
not, and an interchange Of commodities bo-
comes necessity. For tho convenience Of
this interchange nature has produced tho
means In tho great wator highways of the
world, The Atlantic ocean Is the pathloss
highway between two hemispbcres, aud tho
Pacific unites the Occident and tho Orient,
From the grent wheat ilolds and corn-grow-
ing regions Of tho Northwest TO tho oast-
orn soaboard whore mighty cities
stand the great lakes stretch their
pellucld lengths, furnishing highway
of natures own fashioning for the trans
portaton of commodities between the two
sections. Tho genius of man has enabled him
10 MD nature, both by building railroads as
adjuncts TO tho Waterways she provides and
by improving upon those highways. Years
and years ago, before ever there was rail-
road In the State Of Michigan, uye, before
even n railroad was thought of 1t was pro-
posed TO shorten the distance from Lake
Michigan TO Lako Erie by digging v canal
across the southern portion of the lower pc
ninsular of Michigan. the straits of
Nackinaw Is the natural connection
between tho two lakes, but II canal across this
pencnsua which Is feasible and practicable,
will shorten the distance eight hundred miles.
Distance ia time, and time is money, and to
save money is the problem Of this utiitarinn
ngc. When the project was first broached
the people were too poor to carry il into
effect, for Michigan was young State then,
its resources In but m inchoate condition.
AS time progressed and the State developed
railroads began to be built, and the impor-
lance of this canal was swallowed up in theim-
portanco OF tho railroad interests Of the State.
Iatterly tho matter has come up again and
bill has been introduced in Congress to pro.
vide water route to facilitate transportation
between lakes Michigan and Erie, or in other
words, to construct caaal across tho PENN
sula before referred to. This bill was intro
duced in tho House Of Representatives and
was referred to the Committee on Railroads
and Canals. The committee has, but few
days ago, reported tavombly upon
the bill, that s, the committees agreed
to SO report and without
having kept run Of the matter we presume
It has done so by this time. The occasion
Of the revival ofthis canal project is the enor-
nous amount of produce seeking the East
ern seaport for market, and the cut-throat
policy OF the trunk lines Of railroads from
Chicago to New York, Philadelphia, Boston,
Baltimore and other Atlantic ports. II has
been grab-all game with these railroads.
They have pooled their freights and made
combinations whereby to prey upon
the producing classes and leave them the
husks, while the railroad moncpolies pocket
the fairness. Mr.. Stone, of Michigan, intro
duoed the bill, and the committee after the
considering of it put it into the hands of Mr..
Wise, of Pennsylvania, with instructions to
prepare favorable report. The bill provides
for the appropriation of $1,000 fornecessary
surveys for the canal to be extended under
the supervision Of the Secretary of War. Al
ready the proposition of grain shipments to
the east by water to that by rail is as twenty
seven to seventeen, and if this canal be dug
and tho distance shortened eight hundred
miles, this proportion will be largely in
creased in favor ofthe water route md make
producers and shippers that much more in
dependent of the railroads that never hesitate
10 combine against them to uckthem dry MS
they would an orange and with as little con-
Germ. q
SENATOR VEST, of Missouri, is pushing