The daily gazette., 1882-02-11
From the Baltimore sun,

THE PROPOSED SHIP-CANAL.-A
Nei0 York Obi ectton While Philadel-
phia frankly approves the building Of
ship-c anal across the Eastern Shore pc
ninsula, not only because 1t would be q
good thing of itself, but also because it
would In various ways be beneficial to
Philadelphia, New York shows a lis
position TO oppose It. The Maritime
Register of the latter city would even
abandon the idea OF getting an appro-
priatlon of seven million dollars for q
ship-canal across the Jer ey fats, which
is one Of the projects before Congress
nay, more, 1t would even give up the
proposed appropriation for the purpose
Of opening a new channel into New
York harbor, rather than the Chesa-
peske aud Delaware shir-canal should
be built. 1t freely admits ''tbat the
project is an excellent one," and that If
Il were carried out sit would be of the
greatest advantage to Baltimo g, ana
would enlarge her trade to magnificent
proportions" II is gratifying 10 know
from sources not friendly to the canal
that such would be its results. But did
the Maritime Register ever consider
that In making this acknowledgment it
was furnishing the best argument la
support of the necessity Tor such canal?
Ii the casal would enlarge our trade to
magnificent proportions. it is obvious
that the means of enlargement must
come from somewhere, It could not
come from our local industries, however
much they might be benefited ultimate
| ly by nearer water way to the sea. 1t
| follows, then, that Baltimore would de-
rive the enlargement Of her tade "to
magnificent proportions" not from her
own inherent capacity to extend 1t, but
| from outside sources. 1t must come
from the Western and Southwestern
States on the one hand, for whom such
O canal, IN connection with shorter land
routes to the port of Baltimore, would
| diminish the distance and cheaper the
cost Of transporting their products to
| Europe; and from the Eastern States
on the other hand, by reducing for
them the costs Of btuminous coal at
least twenty-five cents per ton, and also
the cost of their own shipments coast
wise TO Baltimore for local sale or use
or for points in the interior, to the same
and perhaps to q greater extent. The
] advantage, then, would accrue not to
Baltimore only, but also to the Eastern
and Western States, and especially to
Western merchants aud shippers of
grain and pIovisiens.
This distribution of benefits takes
such a canal out of the cate CORY Of q
merely local improvement to be car
ried cut "by Maryland and Baltimore
| at their own expense" as the Mari-
time Register insists that it should be,
and invests it with commercial im-
portance that would not be confined to
one State or city, but would be shared
by many States and cities for whose
| exports Baltimore is the neaI est OUT
let, and the canal the shortest, cheap
est and less dangerous way to the sea.
On the national advantages of such an
| interior water way to facilitate the
defense of points menaced by an enemy
we do not propose to dwell at length.
We had occasion recently to quote the
opinion of the chief OF engineers of the
United States army on this head. 1t
may be proper, however, to add that
General Grant is so strong aH advocate
of this means of reaching exposed
points that during his presidency, he
publicly expressed himself in favor
of a complete system of interior water
ways for defensive purposes from the
Delaware to the Chesapeake, and
thence southwark ooastwise, by the
sounds, lagoons, lakes and bayous, to
Louisiana. Whether such sugges-
tion be approved or not, ship-canal
to connect the Chesapeake with the
Delaware, rs means of defending
Philadelphia, Washington and Balti'
more, has merits of its own that have
commended it to the approval Of mill
tary and naval men, while, If ever the
system of internal ways should be ex
!. tended, such canal would form al
important link In the chain,