The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-04-28
most advanced and liberal thinkers, schol.

lieved he was guided by heavenly intlu-
ences, and even voices, and who Will I'M
peach his wisdom or integrity.
And when Christ came it was IN their
language, peculiarly, and through them per
haps more than any other nation, that HIS
acts and words have been preserved and
extended. They were certainly among the
brayest, most democratic, practical and pc.
etical of nations, and IN spite of many er-
rors, perhaps have not been exceled by any.
But our cOuntry's lot 10 far more FORUM
ate, as this is al age of wonderful light as
compared with that; and far better than
Greece was to the limited ancient world
about her. America should seek to be to
the whole wide modern world, Us an i'm
polling power, to promote honorable,
peaceful, beneficent advancement, and the
welfare safety and happiness of the people
IN our own and other lands. To this end
we should unite the practical interests, and
appeal to common and direct interests,
right here to guard our great economies,
and advance them by reviving and extend
IDg our navigation and commerce widely,
both at home and abroad, both inland and
ocean, and look to the interests OF other
nations; also IN THIS FORWARD MOVE
MENT WHICH is RIGHT AT HAND If WE
WILL BUT DO OUR PART.
South America and Cana offer most in
vitng fields for honorable and heneticent
enterprises; and none on earth are better
luualfled to do what is there needed To be
done, on Their rivers than our people, after
once they have learned IL do the work on
our own rivers, as 1t is now very urgently
necessary that they should. Wecan safely
do the reasonable work needed 10 gam re.
net as to floods, and, simultaneously with
| this, we can improve, revive, and extend
our navigation, aud all our commerce and
industries.
Can we safely sustain and cXtcad our
railroad system, and extend and ceyel0D
our home commerce and industries, with.
out Il more extended foreign commerce,
and without revived, improved and cX.
tended inland ana ocean navigation?
Using every possible or conceivable
means, we have vcntured to build about
one-half OF all the railroads in the world.
| These may afford great facilities for good
results, If only rightly used.
But we have leariuily neglected the great
economies, In many different ways that
should attend upon this great venture, 10
lessen lis various risks and make its hene-
| fits greater and more secure We have
done nothing to increase our foreign COM
mercc to any extent, and on the contrary
| Its ocean trelghtage is now mostly IN for
clgn bottoms. The short crops in the Brit
lsh islands for seven years have alone saved
! us from ruin, in spite OF our great resources.
Aud this we have reason TO believe has pro
Ceeded from change in the current of the
gulf stream. TINS change Is probably the
NEST momentous physical change that has
occurred on our planet for Il thousand
years. Silent and unnOticed almost hy
The press, IT has been helping on political
CRISIS ana bringing on peculiar pressure
IN Eng ana, and increasing certain peCu
| liar cYii influences here, looking to hidden
results. But let Us come back from this
| large subject and its varied branches, to the
! great economies and CC8selcs5 and cnOr.
nous ana dangerous waste IN other dlreC.
tODs. Take tor example the one Item of
railroad Ties IN tins one state We use in
Illinois alone five millions OF railroad ties
annually. Their average duration is only
six years, and many of them are made Of
small ire IS That II allowed To stand would
make in lifetime twenty times as many.
I ct in Arkansas, not n great WAYS from
Cairo, vast quantities Of the best quality of
TIMBER that would furnish ties lasting an
average OF at least twelve years Instead off
SIX, rs now, are almost valueess, and rot !
ting Tor want of market. BY improved
navigation from Chicago to the South, via |
the Illinois canal and Illinois and Mlssis |
slppi rivers, this material could be profita.
bly, moved at rate of freight and dlstrib-
ated 10 the railway lines IN way that
would be very advantageous to all parties,
apd greatly promote the economic main. !
teinance, safety and advancement of all the i
various great interests that are and ALWAYS |
must be interlocked in the public economy |
and general welfare of the country.
For the idea that railway men, farmers, |
manufacturers, laborers, or any class, can
separate their Interest from that of others !
is SIMPLY absurd. All-every Inhabitant |
has practical interest in the sound and /
great economies lnterlOcked with our daily /
life; and regard for each other is not only |
good Christianity, but ii is also GOOD, |.
worldly and political wisdom.
This general principle is recognized in |
some degree IN the attention given 10 nc |
counts OF the growing crops of gram, fruits, /
&c.,-thlngs which We must have for our
daily food.
But 1t viii apply also to the procurement
OF the vast supplies of timber, iron. steel. /
building materials, &c, which we need and
must have, and should interest every one
who has or hopes to have home, ana even
the homeless tramp is still worse off when
the whole country is impoverished
This public economy especially includes
the whole subject OF railways and ocean 4,
and inland navigation, as bearing directly
upon all commerce and industries, and the
living OF every person in some degree
1t Rome was ruined by the vast expen
dlture upon her roads OF stone, how much
more provident and thoughtful should we
be as to these great questions of the main
tenance of roads of iron and steel sufIiclcp,
TO reach three or four umes around the
world? We consume in all now about
tour millions OF tons OF iron annually. But ]
how much that Is is not so easy to realize, !
suppose we now Imagine years supply |
OF iron loaded upon cars. II We allow ten |
tons TO the car, and 40 cars TO the mIle. IL
would take line OF cars 2 ST. miles IN |
length, or say enough to reach from New (
ork to Chicago, thence 10 New Orleans. |
and thence back 10 New York. By thi, |
simple Illustration we can form some idea /
OF the vast supplies OF ran material. sucn |
as ore, coal Ge that are rppufrad ~ ,,,,.,