Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-30
A MISTAKEN SPIRIT.

The agitation of the Lake Erie ship canal
project eyokes from some Of the papers of
other cities tone of comment that betrays
a rather petty local jealousy. 1t is hard to
find any other explanation of the opposing
quotation by the Philadelphia Record from
the Cleveland Leader, to the effect that the
latter paper 'fnds no cause of alarm in the
talk of constructing ship canal from Lake
Erie to Pittsburg. If the canal should be
built it would interfere with the coal and ore
trade of Cleveland and other lake ports; but
as Pennsylvania will ask the Federal Gov
ernment to pay part of the cost-estimated
at S23, 600, 0OO-the canal is rather creature
of the fancy than of fact" There is hardly
any other public question in this land in
which these two papers could agree; but
when it comes to project for increasing the
development of Western Pennsylvania they
JOIN in unison in pooh-poohing it.
1t might be taken for granted that no in
telligent organ of public opinion could find
''any cause for alarm" in legitimate pro-
ject to afford cheaper transportation for
great and fundamental industries. Pitts
burg has never displayed any alarm over
projects of that sort, designed to enhance the
prosperity of other localities, and never
will. II the time should come when
she cannot retain her prosperity with
out antagonizing the legitimate enter
prises of other places, it will be more
seemly FOR her to retire into the background.
But tine statement is very plainly put forth
here, that the Cleveland paper would find
cause for alarm if it thought the canal pro-
ject likely of realization. That would in
terfere with what Cleveland regards as its
prescriptive right of handling our coal and
ere freights. The fact that Government
appropriation would be asked to aid this
work is taken by our Cleveland and Phila-
delphia contemporaries to place in their
power a way to defeat the project.
Perhaps Our friends can understand the
meaning of this attitude little better if we
reverse the case. Cleveland has had for
many years the benefit OF Government ex-
penditure in beneftting navigation by
dredging out her narrow harbor and build
ing costly breakwater to form a harbor of
refuge. The benefit to commerce from these
Improvements was perhaps one hundredth
of what would be gained by canal from
the Ohio river to the lakes, but Cleveland
confidently demanded and secured the e1-
penditura of Government funds. Phila-
delphia has had the benefit of similar ex-
penditures on larger scale, and is demand
ing even more. 1t is now proposed that the
Government shall dig up and carry away
bodily an island for the especial
benefit of Philadelphia, which has
already a navigable channel. If Pittsburg,
Cincinnati, New York, Baltimore and other
cities had Joined in opposing, through their
representatives in Congress, these expendi-
lures for the benefit of Cleveland and Phila-
delphia, would not our esteemed cotempora-
ries have been right in thinking it petty
display of local jealousy?
There are few projects for the improve
ment of navigation that are more truly of
national scope than the extension of the
navigation of the lakes to Western Pennsyl-
vania and the headwaters of the Ohio. The
benefit of cheapening the cost of bringing
the oars of Lake Superior to the fuel and
manufacturing establishments of this Sec
ton will be felt all over the country. The
cheapening of the cost of taking the coal Of
Western Pennsylvania to the Northwestern
lake cities will be gain to the entire North
west.
1: is also very narrow view to think that
because the ports will lose the actual hand
ling of coal and ore that they will suffer by
it. They will gain more by the general ex-
pansion of business made possible by this
Improvement than they will lose by the
handling of heavy and cheap freights.
They should not let such a short-sighted
idea betray them into jealousy of project Of
national dimensions.