The record-union., 1891-10-03

cleared land, the charcoal produced, the fire.
WOOD yielded, the low grades of merchantable
lumber and the higher grades of merchantable
lumber. With the increase of the difficulties
OF transportation the lowest must be dropped.
the next lowest, with increased difficulties,
and so on, until at last only the most costly
can be removed, thus leaving out of the queS-
tlon OF real1Zable value all below the first
grade. Lifting this from its Spe citic to IT'S gen.
eral plane and you have conditions govern
ing the industrial development of our State,
ana which confine the industries to the pro-
Quctlon only of the most pron table articles.
Thus, as have already said, in our metallifer-
Gus country the gold and silver alone will
bear transportation. We are asking for
greater density OF population. The population
OF every country must necessarily stand in q
nxed ratio to the profitable employments that
country afford.
Here is a bank OF clay, out of which the fin
est pottery may be made. The clay itself will
not bear transportation. 1t has, therefore, no
value The instant it Will bear transportation
II possesses value, and to the extent of that
value IL adds 10 the wealth Of that country
ana the wealth of any country is the measure
OF lts capacity for the support OF human life.
lderc Is a mine located in such q manner with
reference TO transportation that its ores cam
not be moved. The ore therefore, is value
less. The instant economic instrumentalitieS
are eSlaonShed Tor the removal OF that ore
that mlne becomes q source OF industrial ac-
TiVlty, because when anything possesses value
1t invites industrial activity in the develop
ment OF that value. Our forests afford mate
rial for manufactures. Choapen the means of
communication between these forests and the
ana the forests become the source at once of
great industrial activity. This is true of the
mines, the fields and the orchards. SO long as
II is only the highest class of articles that can
move, so long the industrial activities are cir
cumScrlhed to the production of the highest
and smallest class, and, as has already been
smallest number of laborers. 1t is i'll the realm
| OF common things, on the broader basis OF
! human demand, that the greatest number Of
! persons find employment.
THE QUESTION.
The question we are discussing then is one
! or cheapenlng communication. A canal
! through the isthmus will shorten the distance
between our State and the commercial CEN
tetS OF the world by 1000 miles. II will es-
taDllsn new basis Of freight rates to which
all the overland carriage must conform. 1t
would be useless to discuss in this presence
the value of commercial communication. The
interchange of commodities between com
munitleS and States and cOun tries has q value
which is accepted by all men, justified by all
| experience, yindicated by all history. When
the statesmen OF the earliest period of this
nations s history sought to extend the domain
OF the United states to the Pacific Ocean, that
policy was pursued upon the theory that the
western shore OF the national domain would
confront the great ASiatic populations and that
the Pacific seaports would become the busy
martS of great commerce with those nations.
You are familiar with the history of the fail
ure OF that theory. We have refused CONNER
cial relations with the people of the Orient.
DlsSImllarlty OF want, growing out OF antagC-
niSms of civilized life, lave made commercial
relations with the Oriental nations a failure
The commercial greatness OF this country is
still dependent upon communication and in
terchange with the European countries
Hence the Asiatic seaportS alone enjoy the
position of being the gateways of this great
commerce. Our chief metropolitan city is
therefore a back door, not front Coor TO this
commerce; and all along the line of cOmmu-
nication between our State and Atlantic ports
trade and commerce face to the East and turn
their back upon us. Construct q canal
through the isthInus, and you have made
possible the carriage of our commerce on the
ocean by steam. When steam communica-
tion between the ports of Europe and the
ports Of the Pacific Coast becomes possible,
the commerce generated by the products oi
nearly One-third OF the territorial area OF the
United States will enter and depart by Pacific
ports
EFFECT ON SAN FRANCISCO.
I have been told by a member of this board
that when the canal was completed the line of
rapid transit around the world would not be
through our chief metropolis, but by way of
| the isthmus. Well, what of that? The line of
rapid communication through our city would
not populate a block. The fact that we are
now on the line of rapid transit around the
world has no bearing on our commercial de-
velopment. II does not touch the question of
such development anywhere II is merely q
fact appealing to sentiment or boyish gratifi-
cation that Oriental travellers must pass by u.s.
The fact that they do pass does not give an
outlet for the cheaper commodities, whose
value is consumed in their transportation
does not add to the employmentS of our peo-
pie. 1t does not confer upon articles now
worthless that high value which labor and
skill would impart, If their movement was
possible. l have been told by the same highly
respected authority that we would lose the
trade OF the west coast of South America We
have not enough of that trade to-day 10 popu-
late ttrstclass boarding-house Our popula-
ton will depend upon our employmentS and
our employments will depend upon our eco
nOmic communication with the markets of
the world. 1t is the merest folly to lock up
the vast resources of q phenomenal rich coun-
try for the sake of the sentimental considera-
tion of remaining on the line OF rapid transit
But if certain classes OF commerce viii pass
| directly by us from Asiatic ports 10 European
| ports, through the isthmus, will not the Same
/ law apply TO the city of New York and to
| other Atlantic seaportS? One thing we may
anticipate with all the confidence of complete
| knowledge-a canal through the isthmus will
! fOTeverstorb1d the entry at Atlantic ports of
| the commerce generated by the products of
our own country, and this is all the COM
| merce we have that is or will be worth any
| thing to us.
| The exchange of commodities produced here
! for commodities produced in the countries
! with which we trade is commerce which will
enter and depart by our own ports, instead of
/ entering by Atlantic ports. Our ports would
| become front doors to a commerce of a terri
! tory extending more than a thousand miles
! into the interior. Railroad communication
! from the Pacific ports to the interior of the
continent would be as cheap as from the At
! lantic ports toward the interior
The canal will shorten the distance between
us and the people with whom we sustain real
/ commercial relations by more than the width
/ IL. a T.
| ing the equivalent OF 81 very broad ocean by
| the construction of q canal, and, in its eco
nomlc terms, we are placing the Pacific Coast
of the United States lace to face with Europe
THE EFFECT UPON THE RAILROADS
am not unconscious of the thought in vour
minds as | present these considerations for
| your acceptance. The question naturally
| arises w hat will the great franScon tinental
| railroads think of this proposition? Now as to
! that shall not inquire whether am in fun
accord with their views on the subject. hold,
and shall continue to hold until hear better
! reasons for contrary opinions than any that
| have yet been advanced, that it is of first con-
| sequence to these railroads that the commerce
| of a territory extending over one million
/ square miles shall enter and depart by Pacific
! ports. The greater portion of the volume of
! tonnage now carried by rail would continue
/ to choose that route The construction of the
| canal and the new industries and commercial
| conditions created by it would create its own
| tonnage. 1t would bring into existence a traf-
| fic which does not exist at all, and in addition
| to creating the tonnage il would carry would
| also develop vastly augmented volumes of
| high-class tonnage TO be carried by rail.
| The overland tonnage is now confined TO
! classes of articles which can bear tranSporta-
ton over long lines. But their greatest profit
| is derived from the high class articles over
| short lines. A canal through lhe isthmuS
! viii turn the face OF all the commerce gener-
ated by the products OF the territory lying
west of the 10Sth meridian toward the Pa
cific Coast. West of that meridian there are
100000 square miles of territory, capable
| in the future OF sustaining a vast population.
| But the cnlef consideration suggestive of
profit TO the railway systems connecting our
State with the Atlantic seaboard is the fact
| that high class freight is generated by the low
| class products exported. Let us illustrate
with the upper Sacramento Valley. If there
was no instrumentality of transportation
| which would move the wheat, the hay the
| fruit and the wine in the Sacramento Valley
there would be no dry goods, clothing, or
other high class freight TO be carried into that
valley. Thus an economic means of trans
| portation which will confer value upon the
raw materials of California will confer at