The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1889-10-11

Kaurssor Convention.
The Topeka convention has en-
pressed the wish Of the great west and
sontbuest to have at least one deep
water port o. lie Mexican Calf coast,
west Of 9s west Longitude, IN the
following resolution and preamble:
The general welfare Of oar country
Ii 50 Tar As 1t relates to nayigabl,
.rvers, harb0r and commerce, is Gem
mitted By the Constitution or the
United States 10 the exclusive charge
of the congress.
The cheap transportation Of orr
commercial products constitutes one
of the most important elements Of the
general welfare. The congress has
donated to private corporations mere
than 500, 600, 900 of money, and up
ward Of 20O.o00,0 600 acres Of orr
land with which to construct artIfi
cial, and therefore much more eIpen
sive, highways, owned by private ID
diyidRais while they have neglected to
make adequate appropriation for even
one possible barbor on the northwest
coast Of the Gulf of Mexico, which
would not only afford very much
cheaper transportation, but which by
our organic law is under the exclusive
care aud control of congress.
The vast and rapidly developing
area lying west of the Mississippi
river, comprising more than three
fifths of the nalionaI domain, and
ncludiDg more than one-haIf Of the
agricultural, meat and mineral pro
ducts of the entire couatry, is by this
neglect forced to transport its com
merce across the continent by way of
these artificial and expensive high
ways, subject to such exactIOns Of
private cupidity as amount always to
serious burden and sometimes a
total Introduction to both consumer
and producer
There can be no justification OF this
discrimination in favor Of private
highways, which during the last year
cost the commerce of the west an
enormous loss in transportation ex-
penses, estimated at more than Sl2O,-
100000, or upward Of SlO,OOO,o0O
per month.
These important declarations form
ed the preamble TO the following:
That it is the duty Of congress 10
appropriate permanently and for i'm,
mediate use whatever amount is neces-
sary to secure a deep waller port OIL
the northwest coast Of the Gulf of
Mexico, west of The 93 west long
Lude, capable Of admitting the Iarges,
vessels and at which the best and
most accessible harUor can be secured
and maintained in the shortest pos
sibie time and al the least c0st-tbc
time, place and cost to be ascertained
from the Board Of Engineers ap-
pointed under an act Of congress
at its last session
We endorse tue following from the
New Orleans Picayuae
The 90 of west longitude, which
is named as the eastward limit of the
hsrbor for which Improvement is de-
mauded, is east Of CaIcasieu Pass and
Lake Charles, in Louisiana. and suff-
GENTLY SO to admit them to the pro
visions of the resolution but even if
Louisiana were excluded from It's
terms, that does not destroy our great
interest in the action Of the Conyen-
ton. What most concerns is is thai
the people Of a region which must for
a long time grow in population and
material power have declared for the
waterways as against the east and
west raiIRays, and they have ex-
pressed a desirn 10 reach with their
commerce the sea at gulf ports rather
than al the Atlantic outlets. II is in
these emphatic utLeTances that we
find something emiuenlly significant.
Let us have no jeaIousies in the
premises, Let US encourage the build
ing mp of commercial cities on the
gulf coast at every eligible point. The
matter in which we are interested is
that commerce is gravitaling south
ward. When it moves on lines of
attitude across the continent it is more
or less out of our reach. In any south
ward movement our great transporta-
ton facilities and orr uneguaIed deep
water port give us a vast advantage
in competition. The west demands
the shortest routes TO the gulf. We
welcome that demand and Join hands
with the people who have made il.