Smyrna times., 1886-03-10
WHOLE NO. 1888.
A Batch of Canal Schemes.

There are several schemes before
Congress which, if indulged and per-
mitted to become laws, would soon dis
pose of the one hundred million dollars
surplus in the United States Treasury,
and they are being pushed now with
great energy by those engaged in them
expecting to profit by them. The lead
er OF these magnificent schemes is the
ship railway across the the Isthumus,
persistently engineered by Captain
Eads. He has found private parties
VINO are willing to put fifty million dol
lars into the scheme, if only the Gov
ernment will guarantee the payment of
the interest for a period of fifteen wears.
AT the end of that time the Govern
ment would have fOrty-five million dol
lars IL the speculation, and if the canal
talls to be a success the capitalists
would have their invested capital. lack
ing hye million dollars, paid back to
them, but the Government would have
nothing to show for the interest it
would have paid.
Another lage speculative scheme on
hand is the Erie Canal scheme. which
only asks for five million dollars for the
purpose OF widening and increasing the
etheIency of that famous waterway.
This canal has for a long time been an
elephant on the hands of New York. and
mas drawn great many dollars from
her treasury, which, if they did not in
crease the.eticiency of the canal, went
into the pockets of her speculators.
New York would be very glad to shift
/ TINS burden over to the shoulders of the
National Government.
Then comes the Hennepin canal
scheme, for which there can be no real
estimate formed of the expense. It
| provides for cutting a canal from the
Mississippi, across the State of Illinois,
to connect with the lake system of
navigation. 1t is hard to conjecture
what good purpose is to be subserved
by the cutting of this canal, unless it be
to send the southwestern cotton crop to
Europe by the way of the lakes and
Niagara Falls, instead of bv those great
water courses that nature seems to have
designed specially for commerce-the
mississippi river, Gulf of Mexico and
the Atlantic ocean.
But we of the Middle States are not
TO be left out of this great national i'm
provement deal. A modest one million
OF dollars IS to be given for the con-
structlon OF canal across New Jersey
TO connect the Delaware river and bay
with the Atlantic ocean.
This though costing the least of all
the projected schemes looks to US as
the most feasible and reasonable. The
plan, however, is we'll laid to catch votes.
The Isthmus ship canal is expected to
WOO the Southern members of Congress
TO Its support; the Hennepin project is
to mOlllfy the northwestern members ::
the Erie scheme is to catch the New
YORK vote, and the little jersey scheme
Is a bait to the members from Pennsyl-
yania, New Jersey, Delaware and
Maryland. The schemes are we'll ar
ranged both as to purpose and locality.
We wish to say now, after having
mildly criticised all of them that if it is
possible for all these improvements to
De made, we are not opposed to them
First let us have a certainty that the
projected schemes are practical and
Will result in something more than put
ting money into the pockets of jobbers.
II the lsthmus canal is practicable and
Will result as is claimed in opening to
TINS country the South American trade,
fifty million dollars would be but a
small amount to pay for such advan-
8 tages. A favorable view of these pro-
Jects is that they would give employ
ment to the unemployed labor of the
country and for this purpose if for no
: other we would favor the carrying out
: OF all these purposes provided they are
practicable, and can be kept out of the
, of the hands of swindling spectators
: whose only object is to fleece the gov
!. ernment.-W Wilmington Republican.