Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1893-01-03

and the cheapening Of the costs
for transportation. This is be-
cause the stress of competition in
business has narrowed the margin
of profits, and, therefore, it is nee
essary that there shall be a saving
in interest and an economy in ex-
penses to the last possible point.
Goods are sold for cash or on very
short credits. Orders are sent by
wire and by cable, invoices and
letters Of advice are dispatched by
fast trains and swift oceoy. steaih-
ers, and the merchandise follows
as rapidly as it can be carried.
These are the prevailing condi-
tions in business to-day, and if
any change in them is desired it
is always in the direction of short
ening routes of transit and cheap
ening the costs of transportation.
This brings US to the most serious
obstacle which now stands in the
way Of the worlds commerce. Il
is the slender thread of earth ard
rock which connects the two great
continents of North and South
America, and at the same time
separates, by a barrier of few
scores of miles in thickness, the
waters of our planets two mighty
oceans. This American isthmus
is all that remains in this central
region of the lofty range Of noun
tains which, under different
names, extends continuously from
the Arctic Ocean to the extreme
southern extremity Of the South
American continent. This vast
mountain chain, known as the
Rocky Mountains in the United
States and British America; as
the Cordilleras in Mexico; as the
Andes in South America, is the
backbone Of the Western Hemi-
sphere, and lofty and hugo as it is
through all the rest Of its extraor-
dinary extent, Il has dwirdlaa on
this narrow isthmus to low
ridge a few hundred feet in height.
In the matter of the American
isthmus, nature has come very
near to giving to commerce a short
shipway through the heart of our
hemisphere, from ocean to ocean,
but she has not quite consummat-
ed it. Something has been left
for man to do. 1t is not necessa-
ry TO Fill these paragraphs with
figures and tables of statistics 10
prove the feasibility Of making an
inter-oceanic canal, or to demon
strate the advantage that such a
work would confer on the worlds
commerce. 1t seems to us that
these facts are already fully estab-
lished. 1t should be enough tc
.state that such a canal will bring
! New Orleans within 600 miles OF
the Pacific Ocean, whereas at this
moment a voyage of 10000 miles
must be made to secure such com
munication. 1t will bring New
York within 5000 miles of San
Fancisco, while now the distance
by sea is nearly 1900 miles. Il
will shorten the sea voyage be.
tween Liverpool and San Francis.
co by one-half. 1t will cores
pondingly reduce the distance be.
tween all the trading ports of the
Atlantic coasts, and all the trading
ports of the Pacific coasts. 1t il
useless to multiply these state
ments. They are sufficient. Blu
the claims Of commerce, imperioul
as they are, demand no more con
sideration than do those Of thl
public defense. To send a wa
ship from San Francisco to Ney
York costs voyage of 1905
miles. How hopeless the task o
concentrating a fleet for the de
: fense Of any point where sucl
vast distances must be trayersed
We had some experience Of thi
sort in the Bering Sea contro
versy, ond in the trouble will
Chile. These are enough to es
tablish without debate the neces
sity for such a canal, and the fur
ther necessity that tho Unite'
States shall control It. The in
! terests Of commerce aud Of sci
defense combine to declare that th
} canal must be executed.