The Ottawa free trader., 1883-07-28
THE .'LONG WALLS"
The Waterway from Lakes 10 Gulf--Need
or Immediate Action.


by the construction OF the celebrated lone
walls, to guard their navigation, their sIl
yer, their homes, and all their Interests
welfare, safety and power, he well kne"
that there were powerful influences tha
might prevent the work and destroy Atll
ems, unless great prudence, diligence anC
energy were used, and the walls well an(
quickly built
We find no mention made of smart
men in those days, but there seems to have
been reasonable respect for wise men. IL
which class those men would belong who
recently in Illinois built great CITY neal
the lake and prepared for fire to destroy
it, fire that would Dc set III motion by
the kick of COW, we cannot say. Bat tht
same men appear to have spent large
portion of their great and splendid energies
in glorficatlon over their supposed recov'
ery from that most dreadful disaster, ana
this to an extent that seems to have done
much to prepare the way for another, and
great evils in other directions, not only to
themselves and all their people-mcn, wo
men and childreu-but also to our whole
country, from the neglect to complete and
utilize God given defense against many
evils and Dangers and that IS not only a
wall Of Defense but also. an avenue or
highway for all our people Zone of the best
on earth); for real sound, true and general
advancement, safety and prosperity far
surprising that proceeding from contests
about low license or high license, or
whether taxes should be levied on what
men eat, drink or smoke, or on what they
own.
Perhaps one reason why many men
secretly admire high license IS that
while they have their wines and liquors in
their own houses and can drink them re.
gardless of license, their poorer and more
convivial neighbors really pay high tax
for the privilege OF buying IN small quan.
titles and drinking at saloons. And while
for some no doubt the former way is the
best II men must hove these drinks, yet the
justice or wisdom of very high license is
certainly questionable.
But millions of times more important is
the question quietly acted on by the people
Of Illinois IN November last, and now
perishing from neglect, treachcry or inca
pacity among leading and wealthy men.
In no way can that question be associated
with the shlbbolcth, "ln the name of God
let us rob somebody" for 1t is designed to
promote the common good, and to help
win from nature, by labor and bcnclicent
commerce and enterprise, rewards for ALL.
Therefore it Is not popular with many,
and Is sadly neglected. And from that
neglect 1t Is now liable to be betrayed or
lost. 1t may be considered the most I'M
portant legal step as to these waterways
since the Ordinance OF 1887, with which it
fully corresponds. But 1t is beng allowed
10 slowly perish, as if it mad never been
born and was not the act OF great state.
And neither in the state legislature, nor IA
congress, nor even III the press, has II even
been announced properly and fully, AS IL
should have been, to the other sovereign
and United States, whose interests 1t may
promote.
But If the ACT with its corrativcs, Isl
carried to just, timely ana sensible com.
pletion, It Will form wall of deienscI
against tide of evils and dangers. And
twill be not only Il highway for home and
foreign commerce, but for new and vast
development of beneflcent commerce with
all this hemisphere to the south of US.
And with the DarIen work Of De I.esscps,
(Which the cnemy-his death or our neg.
lect-may defeat 1t will be the pathway
for all heavy trelghtagc to and from the
islands and shores Of all the vast Pacific,
and for splenddly improved commerce
and intercourse with ut least eight or nine
hundred millions Of people. Thus it will
lessen that peculiar dependence upon an
Isluuu, NHOsc tply poIit!CS lbTlnS II llCCu-
liar labyrinth IN which ordinary politl-
clans and professional writers become
bewi!dered, or lost to US IN some
way for any practical good.
Thus the child that Illinois offers TO
Columbia is child of high destiny and
Of glorious advancement. Even now IL
would be the pathway of economic and
advantageous blending and utilization
Of the resources of this interior and of
commerce from the Great Lakes and rivers
Of the Interior of this continent 10 and
through the great southern continent of
this hemisphere and of the world-for
such is South America. 1t Is peculiarly
the Southern Continent of the plane, we.
Inhabit, and the only one And there
truly are "the rivers of the South" of the
sacred books. The psamist IS local in
some OF his expressions and cosm.cal in
others, and in the last his inspiration must
appear. And his expression, "thc rivers
1f the south" If local, has not perfect an h