The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-05-30
Tuesday, May 80, 'S2.
A GREAT ENTERPRISE WAITING.

Half a dozen years, or more, age
Representative VIM. S. Herndon IN
troduced into the House, with glow
ing speech which we have before us, a
bill for "uniting, by means of a cana
for, steam vessels, to be constructed
on the line of the Gulf, all navigable
waters west of the Mississippi river
through one common channel, with
the Atlantic sea-board.'
There could hardly be anything
startling on the face of so long and de-
scriptive title as this, but it seems to
to have announced an enterprise from
which ought to have flowed before now
very startling results. Why did Mr..
Herndon ring in this measure with
such clangor and then hang on to 1t
only until everything was in readiness
for operations? Perhaps he will him.
self answer. Here is the design of a
great national work, the promise of an
Arabian Nights wonder, and just as
soon as the surveys are made and re-
ported to congress it is incontinently
dropped. We like everything in its
plan, as explained by Mr.. Herndon.
1t was proposed to be constructed,
owned, and carried on by the govern
ment. After completion to be self
supporting by means Of toll, etc.. with
its immense patronage under control
of the President. TO be sure in this
respect the bill was open to all those
political considerations which divided
the two great parties of the country
from Thomas Jefferson down to recon-
struction. We hold it good doctrine
that the Federal executive should be-
curtailed, whenever practicable, OF
power to exercise and Office to bestow
But only government could have built
this work. 1t was too grand for lndl-
vidual effort. individuals can not on
such scale anticipate production. Its
results are too munihcent for individ-
ual trusts. And the frauds consequent
on corporate associations, if it were
practicable, are less tolerable than eX-
ecutive patronage, even moderately
abused.
The object of this work, as ex-
planned by Mr.. Herndon, gives it yet a
national interest. He proposed to
gather into one channel all the waters
west of the Mississippi river, and con.
struct them into one grand highway
tracing in its course the 500 miles Of
continuous sand bars along the edge
of the Gulf of Mexico, from its begin.
ming to the Rio Grande. He anticipa.
ted that of the whole line of conduit
say 500 miles, two-thirds would be
saved from the need of excavation by
adopting the natural streams. The
work would remove dangers and OBJ
stacles which now bind, as within in.
surmountable walls, the inexhaustiblt
wealth of that vast regoin ofthe mos
fertile lands on the globe. at will,
says Mr.. Herndon,
"Unte in a long chain the Atchafalaya
Teche, Vermilllon bayou and bay, Thermen
teau lake and river, Calcasieu river and lake
in Louisiana and Sabine river and lake, An
pelina river, Naches, Trinity, San Jacinto
Buffalo bayou, East bay, West bay, Oyste
creek, Brazos river, San Bernard, Caney, Mat
agorda bay, Colorado river, Nayidad, Lavaca
Guadalupe, San Antonio, Arkansas, Nuece
and the Rio Grande, in Texas"
And here are some Of the benefit
which Mr.. Herndon promised shoul'
flow from the great enterprise he 81
readily abandoned. 1t was to open
market for 100000 acres of tn
finest timber lands; to open to immi