The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-04-27
A REVOLUTION.

| Recently some of the towns and papers
in the interior, which at that time were
most strongly opposed to the legislation
that would allow the water route to COM
pete with the railroad, have become all of
a sudden vigorous advocates of Mississippi
barge lines and the water route that nature
has given the Northwest. We are glad to
see this. Here is a canal better than the
Erie canal or the Welland canal, that ma
ture has provided, on which there are no
tolls, no locks, no distractions, and no ex-
pense in Transporting products except the
propelling power and its adjuncts. But the
route itself is clear. To be sure, during
these ten years various improvements have
been made on the Mississippi that have
greatly improved it as public highway.
Sandbars have been dredged out on the up
per river. Rock Island rapids have been
blasted out, until clear channel is afford
ed at all seasons; a canal has been con-
structed at Keokuk so that the lower rap
ids are no longer an obstacle; and most i'm
pOrtant of all, the jetties have done noble
work at the mouth of the river, SO that
ocean vessels and steamers can now ride as
successfully to New Orleans as they can into
New York harbor. As a result of these
improvements of the last ten years,
steamer with its tow of barges can now run
unobstructed and unvexed from St. Paul to
New Orleans, and thence to the sea. In
this respect the Mississippi river affords
great improvements and consequently can
confer greater benefits than it could ten
years ago. And the want of capital for
this transportation is not felt as it once
was.s
The barge lines recently established from
st. Louis to New Orleans have been doing
a wonderful work of late and threaten
revolution in the transportation business
of the entire Northwest and barges can
run from Hannibal to, Keokuk, Burling-
ton, Davenport, Clinton and Dubuque, as
well as from St. Louis. A few days since,
the Clinton Aqe had well-written article
on the Mississippi river route, and asked
the question of what use can it be to Iowa?
1t took a respondent view of the case
All the through roads and practical
means of all of them, are opposed to the
river route because they want the long
haul. This, of course, is expected, and
the Age has just cause to be apprehensive
of its influence; but at the same time we
should much doubt If it will justify the
Respondent view the Age takes of the
question, that the producers of Iowa might
as well be without the river route as to
have it. How would it be, suppose in
time the river route becomes so practicable
tnat produce can be snpped from chicago
to the river and thence to the ocean as
cheap as it can be sent from Chicago to
New York? Shall the railroads haul Iowa
produce to Chicago, and then back to the
Mississippi, and yet be shipped to New
Orleans as cheap as it can be to New York?
The statement of such proposition shows
its importance. And yet it is fact that
100000 bushels of wheat has gone from
Chicago to St. Louis for shipment over the
river route. This fact alone shows that
the hope of successful shipment by the
Mississippi is brighter than the Age is
willing to admit.
We hope the time is not far distant
when heavy products can be shipped from
Dubuque to New Orleans and thence to the |
markets of the world cheaper than it pos
sibly can from Chicago by the way of New
York to the same markets. AS soon as |
this can be done, with the manufacturing |
that is rapidly being established in these |
towns, there is no reason why cities like |
Winona, Dubuque, Rock Island, Davenport |
Burlington, Keokuk, Sioux City, Omaha,
Council Bluffs and other towns that could |
be mentioned may not become what Buffa-
10, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Troy,
Albany, Detroit and Cleveland have be-
come on the line of water route to the
East. As has been truly said, wherever,
the waterways of the county have been
utilized to the greatest extent, there the
largest measure of material prosperity has
been enjoyed by those located thereon and
near them