Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1889-08-14
TRANSPORTATION.

Mr.. James j. Hill made at the water
ways convention in West Superior on
Tuesday timely speech on that import
ant subject. Mr.. Hill referred first to the
important part which transportation has
played in the growth of nations. IF we
look back" he said, twenty-five years in
the history of the west, we find that we
have made through the means offered by
the opening up by the various lines OF
transportation more material progress
than in the one hundred years preceding
it. | do not call myself very old man,
vet remember when all west of Free
port, ILL.,, was an unsettled prairie. With
in the last ten years we have opened up
an imperial empire IN its domain from
the place where we now stand to the
waters of the Pacific, almost every mile
of which has its use, and will bring to
development and greater use of these
waterways, the consideration of which
has brought us together now"
Mr.. Hill then spoke Of river navigation.
"As an old Mississippi river steamboat
man. he said with regret that the noble
stream has served her day. The river
clock has struck twelve never to strike
again. There is not. depth enough OF
water in the great river. Mr. Hill spoke
also of the old Minnesota river on which
he had travelled on steamboat from St.
Paul to Yellow Medicine in week or
ten days. II did not miss the time,"
said he "because it was pleasant, but, gen
tlemen, we cannot afford the time" He
had made q great deal of money on the
Red river Of the north with steamboats,
but the time is gone. 81 believe" he
said, 81 own all the boats on the river and
l will give the entire number for less
than one-half of the annual appropri-
ation."
Mr.. Hill is not, however, opposed to
waterways. He is railroad man, but he
discerns how one mode of transportation
can benefit the other. "There Is not a
question in my mind" he said, shat the
cheapest transportation that can be fur
nished in any way is through good
steamer and deep water upon which to
run her." Accordingly he held that
money now expended upon rivers might
be used with greater advantage upon the
lake routes from Chicago and West SUI
perior to Buffalo. He said: eff the
channel from Chicago to Buffalo and
from here to Buffalo were deepened tc
eighteen feet of navigable water, I think
l would have the courage to build a
5,OOO-ton boat, that would carry at one
half the present rate charged"
Mr.. Hill dwelt on the importance Of
the 10 foot channel and concluded with {
noble appeal to national pride. He said
There was time when we had foreign
commerce, when our flag hoated on every
sea and in every port and our merchant
ships we're second to none in the world
Now, at this time the facts stares us
plainly IN the face; no matter how it il
brought about, it is here,-we have moi
any ocean commerce to speak Of. We
are driven behind the ramparts of our owr
territorial boundaries, and we have {
commission every week or two travelling
about the country to see if there is no
some way to be devised in which thu
: transportation between our states from
: one state to another can be preserved tt
the American systems as against some
colonial lines over in Canada. That il
what we are doing. Our commerce, oul
transportation today if I may use the
simile, stands chained and manacled by
the laws. There was time when Ameri
can enterprise could sit down and expec
the fruit of its own labor, but, temper,
} arily, that time has gone. | hope thu
time will be very temporary. [Appause..
? If your convention, and it covers the
waterways of the country, will urge upo1
the general government the expenditur,
| of a reasonable sum Of money to give III
1 deep water from the head Of the lake tt
Buffalo, you will deserve the gratitude o
a nation. There is a bare possibility
that, owing to the slow method of carry
ing on the work, before we get our cana
enlarged and deeped at the 500 we will
be paying toll to Canadian canal. w
must take our place in the column ant
: march to the music of the times or on
| hoasted progress will leave u.s.. Gentle
, men, hope this convention will bea
good fruit, and when another is held
!. those who are present can look back witt
. pride to the work of this one"
These are broad, inspiring sentiments
They concern us who are remote fror
e the seaboard, even more than those VIII
}, are nearer to it. They ELECTED, with goo
: reason, tremendous applause.
|