The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-01-19


minimum cost this work, and one Of the conditions
Of thss cid, spulate that all ships built In The United
States aud Nicaragua and carrying the flags OF those
countries, shal, pass through the canal free OF tolls
al, Of tho results claimed above will speedily follow
This will become the great ship-bnfdns nation, ana
we will carry the bulk OF the worlds commerce cur
Atlantic and gulf pests thus brought nearer to the
ports OF the Pacific by 10000 miles, markets VIII
DO opened to our products. Tie worlds commerce
will thea pass doors, giving cheaper freight 70
the products OF farms, our mines and our facto-
rIes Liverpool 10 nearer By sea to all ports OF
the Pacific from Valparaiso to Puget Sound than are
New York and New Orleans. Through the canal New
York will have an advantage of 2,74o mics and Ne"
Orleans $3.50 miles over Liverpool: and be nearer
Sidney, Auckland. Shanghai and Yokohama tnah
Liverpool will then be by the nearest route Ada 70
The advantage In distance, that Of free passage Of
American ships, and with proper adjustment Oh our
tariff laws no country compete with the United
States FOR the commerce Of the countries bordering on
the Pacific ocean The foreign commerce OF the
United States amounted 64Z, l9 Cos in 1880, and
that Of Great Britain to three times as much II is
estimated that the Nicarauga canal will to tie
people Of this country ssoo0o.oO0 per annum on the
present basis of commerce.
The saving OF distance by the sucz canal over the
route around the Cape OF Good Hope amounts tofrom
200 to 44oO miles to the commerce of Europe, and
sailing ships ye. take the longer voyage around tue
Cane on account of the adverse winds Of the Red sea-
The Nicaragua canal will make saving from
| 1900 TO -, GEO MILES
To Tn. commerce of the United States and from l0oo
| to 5000 miles TO the commerce Of Europe, bound Tor
Pacific ports; and as many Of the steam and most OF
the smiling vessels from Europe would take this route
20 the Pacific and the capacity Of this canal viii be
greater THAI that OF the Suez the income from tolls
| should be greater Tie canal is estimated to cost
from $685. 900 900 to sS7 O0o.G Goo II the United States
would Issue $l00,OOO,oGo per cent. bonds for THIS
purpose, these bonds would form the basis for adj
| ,tionnl bank note circulation. now much needed,
md the anrira cost of $300C,G 600 would be small IN
comparison with the millions expended each year on
river and barber improvements. and far more elect
tive in building up both iniern" and foreign com
nerce
This canal, il controlled by the United States
| wou,d more than double the effectiveness OF our
navy. Il is twice as far from our Atlantic naval
stations to San Francisco around the Horn IMAM rom
the foreign naval stations in the China seas or on the
western coast OF South America TO that point ana III
case of war our Atlantic Rect could give no ana or
protection to our Pacific coast. The beautiful fresh
water Lake OF Nicaragua, with the saub'"us climate
will become tho most valuable military and naval
station In the world account OF its strategic i'm
portance and the ease by which ii may ne defended
| a few ships like the Mantonomah stationed at THIS
lake and supported by land force could prevent tie
combined navies OF the world from passing through
the canal. IL we had the constitutional right TO
acquire California, Oregon and Alaska, we have tie
right to acquire the means Of defending them
Whit change in the future history Of the United
States how altered the destiny Of the great Republic
IL France had made good her hold on Mexico. and
completed the Panama Canal! II this country delays
sction English capitalists will see the advantages OF
the Investment The Suez Canal pays is per cent,
aud the controlling shares purchased by the brilliant
stroke OF Disraeli are worth five times the price
paid for them by Great Britain. What Will be the
action OF England should her people invest their
millions in this canal and one Of the periodic Ccntrai
America revolutions follow? lie; the bombardmcht
Of Alexandria answer the question:
But il is the bearing this canal will have on the
commerce and
INDUSTRIES % COUNTRY
rather than its importance Us strategic point iii the
protection OF our coast that would speak, and will
confne myself to It's effects on three Of our grea
| staples-breadstutfs, cotton and iron.
BREADSrUFrs.
About so per cent of the total exports from this
country is derived from the products Of the soil
In 1890 over Is per cent. OF all the exports from
thc United States went to Europe. while but 81 pei
: cent. of our total imports from Europe. AZ
the exports consisted mainly OF agricultural and
forest products they greatly exceeded in bulk ant
weight the imports. For every ton brought west
ward, two tons are sent eastward, consequently the
outgoing freigh.s must pay the greater part OF the
round trip, and incoming frelghs are cheaper pei
class than are the outgoing This burden on east
bvnnd freigs may account in part Tor the TACT ina
imports of wheat and ilour from the United Sta'e'
into Great Britain great by nearly one
half in 1889 and 1896 they were in 1880: while lo
the same time the imports v these articles into Grea
Britain increased four-fold from British India aIit
eght-fold from Russia
Give ships coming to our shores full cargoes. Hnf
We lessen the freight charges on the return cargo
Bring the commerce Of the world past our shores TIM
ships stopping to coal at our Atlantic and gull ports
and at the same diminishing distances, and we wider
the market for our foot products. This is fast be
coming necessity.
From 1866 to 1885 the population OF the United
States increases SO per cent, while for the same time
the grain crop increased lG7 per cent and with i'm
proved tillaye and the improvements yearly made il
agricultural machinery the proposition OF agricultural
products TO the populations must increase more anc
| more. Already we produce bread enough to feed
| NEARLY TWICE
the present population this country, with only
| per cent OF our arabic lald III wheat
cOrtoy.
The cotton production OF The Southern States IN
creased from 5000 bales in 1870 to oOc bales
in 1897 sut Of al proportions 10 the increase o!
population In the cotton States for the same Time We
produce so per cent OF all cotton grown in the WORLD
and while the production stationary elsewhere, the
Southern States are making The remarkable increase
noted above and yet less than per of the ta-
BILE area of the Southern States produce all the
cotton required by all OF the spndles in Tie world
We have cheaper power, and it is estimated by
competent authorities that the cost of labor per yard
Of product is less in this country than Great Britain.
Yet the United States has but l4ISl.ooO spindlcs,
while Great Britain has 44,750,000 and the continent
25. 10000 We exported manufactured cotton in
1891 to the value OF 5000, 7l2,Sos, while exports
Of manufactured cotton amounted 10 but $l3, 6o+S1r
Europe takes the
BULK OF OR RAW COTTON,
and after clothing Ter peoples. sells The manu-
featured article TO all the world, Great Britain selling
$l4 worth OF cotton goods toour neshbors in South
America for every dollars worth sold them by the