The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-09
sEEAr PUBLIC WORKS.

StdbcS OF washington, oregon anu Luaios
whose object is to open the Columbia
river for navigation up to the mouth of
the Snake river by building portages
around the Cascades and The DaIles AID
boats to connect.
A public work of this magnitude con-
Germs not simply the local commerce of
the three states referred to. but it rises to
the level of public improvement OF ma
tionai consequence, and ought long ago
to have been undertaken by the national
| government; a large lump sum appro-
priated, so that it could have been pushed
rapidly to conclusion. The mouth OF the
Mississippi; the harbor of Chicago; the
Sault Ste. Marie canal; the harbor of
| Galveston: New York haIbor are made
| the subject of large appropriations. and
years ago the Columbia river, which,
with its branches drains the whole
northwest of the United States from
| Canada to California, from the Pa
| cific ocean to the water shed of the Mis-
| souri, river, ought to have been as rapidly
as possible cleared of all distractions to
| its navigation from Astoria to the Dalles,
and from the Dalles to the mouth Of Snake
river.
England does not hesitate to spend
$4,000, 600 in a lump sum for a ship canal
from Liverpool to Manchester; France
proposes to widen and deepen the river
Seine and make a seaport of Paris; the
Welland canal is to be further enlarged in
order to turn the commerce of the Great
Lakes more completely down the st. Law
renee. The Welland canal was built by
and is sustained by the whole Dominion,
to which Manitoba pays its proportion as
well as Montreal. Unless congress builds
ship canal in the Hudson from Catskill,
where deep water navigation now ends, to
Albany, and then enlarges the Erie to the
dimensions of a ship canal, the compile
ton of the Welland canal system will
cause the diversion of the American grain
export trade across the border and benefit
Montreal at the expense of New York
city. The state of New York declines to
undertake the conversion of the Erie canal
into ship canal, on the ground that so
great work is as much work of national
expenditure as the deepening OF the Hud-
son or the improvement of navigation on
the Great Lakes. If congress does not as
soon as possible do this the people of the
West will revive the old project of ship
canal from the st. Lawrence river
| to Lake Champlain and thence
| to the Hudson, but this connection of
the Great Lakes with the Hudson would
| be via the Welland canal, the st. Law
renee and Sorel rivers, Lake Champlain
and the enlarged Champlain canal, q
| longer and more roundabout way from
Buffalo to Albany than the direct route.
and the use of the Welland canal, the st.
Lawrence and Sorel rivers would make
| this ship channel between the Atlantic
| ocean and Lake Erie of no value in event
of war, for the possession of the Welland
canal by the enemy would make the pass
age of our war vessels from the Atlantic to
the Great Lakes impossible. Congress is
also urged TO undertake the connection of
the Ohio river with the Great Lakes by
building the proposed Ohio River and
Lake Erie canal from Pittsburg to Cleve-
land, and has already approved the selec-
ton of the Hennepin route for ship
| canal connection of Lake Michigan with
the Mississippi river.
These three great projects for the connec-
| ton of the Hudson, Ohio and Mississippi
rivers with the Great Lakes by ship canals
| all deserve the same liberal treatment at
| the hands of congress which has already
been extended to the Mississippi and other
4 an sfata IAt
ment of the Columbia TO its full value
as q great water highway for the CON-
meree of three states is also worthy of effi-
cient national support, and perhaps ii
would obtain 1t if Washington. Oregon
and Idaho would make common cause
| with those states at the East and in the
| Middle West that are seeking water con-
| nection between the Atlantic and the
Great Lakes and the Mississippi.
The Pittsburg Dispatch an ardent advo-
cate of the proposed Ohio River and Lake
Erie canal from Pittsburg TO Cleveland,
says:
The supporters of the really important projects
| for internal waterways should join forces They
| should cut loose from the burden OF duck pond
| and creek appropriations, but should unite in
| securing the commencement of work on really
important systems of internal water transports.
| ton.
The Albany Frening Journal endorses
| the idea and thinks that the nation could
make no better investment of money; and
| by united effort congress can be persuaded
TO take that view of the matter
In the meantime the indisposition of
congress to rise To the level of our great
| commercial necessities and build great
| public works OF national importance
compels us 10 initiate the energy and
enterprise which led New York, when she
had a population of about million, 70
undertake the great work Of the Erie ca
nal, which was built and enlarged by that
state. is owned by il. and today fur.
nishes free tolls 10 the commercial trans
portation Of the West. The work rs
sumed by the population of the three
states of Washington, Idaho and OREGON
| is display of similar courage and public
spirit.
I
| King county finds herself in the strange
| position of having more money for school
/ o. -. =. 4