The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-21

Officially estimated TO cost W. 100,
including feeder and the right OF Way is
of great national importance. The mag
nitude Of our exports ia of vast concern to
every state in the Union The cereals OF
the United States, Russia, India, and other
countries are now in active competition
with each other for supremacy in the
markets of Great Britain and Western
Europe. 4
In 1880 our cereal exports were 1884,
000, 600 bushels; the cost of transportation
will determine whether this vast aggregate
shall be materially lessened or materially
increased Our surplus cereals must have
full access to the foreign markets: there's
no alternative. A saving of single cent
per bushel on the exports of 1880 would
have been 90, $4,000.
Second. 1t will open new avenue Of
transportation and trade, and will secure
cheaper rates of transport to the entire
agricultural area west of the Mississippi
and north of St. Louis. 90
Third. 1t will enable the farmers and
producers of the west and northwest to
reach the merchants and manufacturers of
New England and the Middle states at much
less cost with their products, while the
manufacturers can also reach them with
their manufactured fabrics at cheaper
rate of transport
The very able committee of the senate
of the United States, of which Senator
Window was chairman, in 1874, in their
report on transportation routes to the
seaboard, say, in speaking Of the then
proposed canal, that if constructed the
saving in cost of transport of the surplus
cereal crops of Iowa and Minnesota alone,
in single year, would more than pay the
entire cost of construction. 1t has been
we'll said of this canal that when consid-
cred in connection with the great benefits
to be derived from its construction, it will
| be the cheapest canal in the world.
Fourth. The construction of this canal
has been earnestly recommended and
asked for by memorials of governors and
Legislatures of Iowa and Illinois, by reso-
buttons of very large and respectable
convention of delegates, representing the
commercial and agricultural interest of
the valley of the upper Mississippi, and
by boards of trade of the large CONNER
cial cities of Chicago, Buffalo, New York
and many others, also the national board
of trade, held in the city of Washington,
Jan. 22d. gath, and 25th, 1884. And the
president of the United States thought it
| his duty to communicate to the present
congrest the importance of this public
| improvement
Fifth The report of the engineer who
made the survey of the proposed canal
under the authority of congress, to the
secretary of war under date of March 31st,
1888. cites particular attention to the
great advantage to be derived from the
construction of this canal. Among other
important facts thus officially presented
is the very important one that the saving
in the cost of transportation of grain from
St. Paul to Chicago would be cents per
bushel
In view, therefore, of the earnest, urgent
and increasing demand of the agricultur-
lists of this country for cheaper transport
to which they are justly entitled and in
consideration of that sound public policy
which demands such transportation facili-
| ties as will most conduce to the increase
of the agricultural exports of the country,
and to the cheapening of the same to all
consumers in eastern states who receive
their supplies so largely from the west,
| your committee are of the opinion that
said canal should be constructed without
unnecessary delay; and they therefore
report back said bill and recommend its
| passage.