Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-10

The importance of the Erie Canal to
New York is shown by the Buffalo con-
vention of few weeks ago, and may per-
haps have been reflected in the vote of the
State north of the Harlem. The Buffalo
the great canal works being constructed
in Europe and to the magnificent traffic of
the Sault Ste. Marie and ST. Clair Canals
in this country. 1t therefore urged on
the people of New York the election of
legislators favorable to giving the canal
the improvements it needs to keep in the
front rank as commercial factor.
The Buffalo convention need not have
appealed to other canal works to demon
strate the importance of internal water
ways. The Erie Canal itself furnishes
the best evidence of its right to exist.
Limited and crippled as it is, it still main
tains cheapness IN the transportation of
large masses of bulky freights which the
railways cannot rival. If railway facill-
ties had stood still for the past thirty years
with no more improvement than the Erie
Canal has had the railways could not be
counted as factor against the canals.
But, by suppressing all propositions to i'm
prove the canal in the New York Legisla-
ture, the canal has been kept to the narrow
facilities designed for the commerce Of
half century ago. 1t is hoped that the
continuance of the policy may yet extin-
guish this last of the old canals and thus
check the popular demand for improved
internal waterways
u ,,- Il 4l,<r >f
the same influence in the fact that the
political conventions of both parties this
year indorsed the loan Of 500, 1000, 900 of
Government credit to an inter-oceanic
canal over a thousand miles away from
United States territory, while propositions
for much less costly encouragement to
the internal waterways which will do the
people a hundred-fold more good are
treated with scant considerations. Cor
porate influence is undoubtedly inimical
to the development of comprehensive
system of canals connecting the rivers
with the lakes and the lakes with the
ocean. This is very short-sighted, as it is
becoming more apparent that the proper
functions OF the canals and railways are
entirely separate.
Every year brings its evidence that rail-
way facilities are inadequate to the full
transportation of the immense masses of
freight which this country is capable of
turning out. Every year repeats its lesson
in the freight blockades and car famines,
which show that the railways are unable
to perform the full work they have under
taken. Yet the production Ct the coun-
try is but fraction of what it would be
if cheap and reliable water transportation
were opened from the headwaters of the
Missouri and Mississippi to the ocean.
Under such development the transpor-
tation of the higher classes of freights to
which the canals are unsuitable would
yield the railways constant and profitable
traffic, while the waterways would trans
port the large masses of cheap freights at
prices which would relieve the railways
Of their burden.
However the policy of improved water
ways may be hampered by corporate greed
and jealousy, it is bound to succeed. 1t
will soon come to be recognized as case
of the public interest versus the railways.
1t would be wise on the part of the latter
to acquiesce gracefully in the policy of
before the issue takes that
unpleasant form.