Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-29
MEMPHIS AS A SEAPORT.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE GREAT
WEST.
Suggestions by Congressman Tarsney-The
Ocean Voyage to Be Begun at the
Tennessee Metropolis.
Kansas City Star,

Kansas City to Memphis, Memphis to the
European ports by water.
This is the plan proposed for the trans
portation of Kansas City freight, and the
proposition has strong backing throughout
the entire West and Northwest.
While all the talk has been going on about
what Mr.. Gould is going to do when he COM
pletes his through line to New Orleans, and
what may be done by other roads toward
opening the ports of the Southwest in order
to secure better route by water to Europe,
there has been a suggestion made of far
| more Importance to Kansas City, and one
| which is receiving the strongest support
from this territory
At recent social gathering, in response
to the toast, The Mississippi Valley"
Congressman Tarsney warmly advocated
Memphis, Tenn, as the port for which
Kansas City and the Mississippi valley
should work. Memphis can and will be
made an ocean port according to Mr.
Tarsney and it is the port of all ports that
will be the most beneficial to Kansas City.
During the course of his speech the con-
gresham said:
I'VE have been told of the illimitable
wealth of resource of this great valley, of
the iron and lead and zinc found at Its foot,
of the gold and silver and copper at its
head and of the great agricultural produc-
ing wealth of soil and climate lying be-
tween, but these things are known of all
men, and may not be pardoned if say it
is without profit that we consume time in
contemplating our great resources, or IN
boastful recital of the wealth of such re-
sourceS2 We are not perplexed by the
problem how to produce the things most cs-
sentlal to supply our wants. We issue
here 10 ukase prohibiting the expectation
Of any portion of too scant production, in
order that our people may not starve.
THE great problem with US is: What
shall we do with that surplus of our pro-
auctions that we cannot CONSUMED Two
elements enter into the solution of this
problem-a market and transportation to
that market. These must be found before
the people of this great valley shall reap
the full measure of reward for their toll,
which they expend in developing the
wealth so abundantly bestowed here by the
hand of nature.
Where is that marketa It is in all the
world outside. How shall we reach it,
LESS than forty years ago, standing
almost where we now stand, the great apos
tie of the genius of Missouri, aye, of Ameri-
can progress, Thomas Fl. Benton, said:
Yonder, pointing over what was then arid
deserts of the West, over the Rockies and
the Sierra Nevadas, out over the golden
gate, 'yonder lies India So here tonight
Sandy Hook, not yonder,
like distance away at New
Orleans. but yonder, but 500 miles
away, at the wharves Of Memphis, there
lies the Atlantic ocean. Who will dare to
say. or who will even doubt that American
engineering genius and American wealth
will not bring the water of the Atlantic
ocean to that point where the hand of Al
mighty Cod by fixing his ice line, has set
limit to American achievement in that di-
rection2
when the great Mississippi river shall
have been made navigable for ocean trans
portation to Memphis and thus the Atlantic
be brought practically to that point, and
when the Missouri river and the Upper
Mississippi shall have been made. as they
surely will be made, connecting highways
of commerce, then, and not until then. will
the great problem of how to preserve to
those who develop and produce the full
measure of the wealth of the resources of
this great valley have been solved"
Mr.. Tarsney's suggestion brought forth
great applause and ever since it has been
much discussed among the business men
and the shippers. A number of times a
doubt has been expressed OF the advisability
of Kansas City assisting in the development
of Southwestern ports, which, if opened,
would take from here the tribute now paid
by the country West and Southwest. The
trade of every large city lies West, not east,
of it, and is question whether with ports
open at Galveston and other gulf points the
export trade that now comes through Kan
sas City would not go direct to Europe
through those ports without touching Kan
sas City. If this should happen Kansas
9th would suffer seriously in commercial
way and the damage to her trade would be
irreparable.
Competent engineers have long ago ex-
pressed their opinion that Memphis should
be an ocean port, and the business men are
beginning to think it is to the interest of
Kansas City to assist in making that city
cuob