The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-07-05
Editorial NOtings.

III lbO SASihShNiJ 'ioNhN
of political economy and the value of
public works. Rutland, not being sit
uated on Lake Champlain, its editorial
champion thinks that he thinks the idea
of cutting the two isthmuses between
the lake and the st. lawrence and the
Hudson would be a very poor invest
ment for the money of Vermont's fore
handed citizens. We judge from the
previous writings of this same editor
that the only isthmus he would like to
see cut in Vermont would be one across
her prohibitory legislation. A steady
flow of free rum into the state would
bring in the golden age, according to
his way of viewing matters of statecraft.
THE best way to look at such mat
ter as the opening of our quiet lake
to the worlds traffic, understapdingly,
would be to consider what would have
been Vermont's commercial position
if the original state of things, when
N6W GuSldhu was OH loluuu3 dbu hulOoS
Qike the one whose skeleton hangs in
our state house,) passed freely between
the present sites of New York and
Quebec, were still in existence. The
making of the proposed ship canal
would be the renewal of a condition
which would send one of the great
90 10
nearly our entire length of territory.
Would not an earthquake which per-
manently disrupted such a channel of
business be justly regarded as calam-
ity to the state? And if so, would not
the reopening of such a channel be
benefit?
AN oracular declaration that nothing
of gain to. Vermontcould arise from such
awork carries with it only the weight of
the man who makes it. Do Buffalo
and Albany, and the towns along the
Erie canal derive no advantage from its
existence? Does even the utterly bar
rem territory between Port Said and
Suez find no advantage from the noble
work of DeLesseps? VIII not Nicara.
qua be advantaged by the success of
Warner Miller's great enterprise?
Where are there any great waterways
on the globe, the banks of which derive
no benefit from the fact that they are
such? Such questions answer them
selves, in the light of the worlds expe-
rience.
AS to whether the investment of
Vermont's surplus funds in such an
enterprise would be directly profitable
to the investors,-it can, at least, be
said that under any circumstances il
could hardly be worse than many in.
vestments which have had the endorse
ment of the Rutland Herald. If placed
in the hands, or under the direction OF
such men as now control Vermont's
great industries, in her leading towns
would investors be liable to suffer as
they have suffered in the Great
West"? We trow not.
OF COURSE, no intelligent man would
wish to see such work begun without
a careful and complete study of the
conditions and probabilities relating
thereto. The subject is certainly
worthy of something more than the
sneers OF an irresponsible trifer. 1t is
in fact, no new proposition. The ad
vantages of such a work have beer
many times set forth-as were the ad
vantages of "Clinton's ditch" before
the Erie canal was begun. 1t is con
coded, we believe, that there is no
water enough on the route of tina
canal for ship navigation, even if sc
long course could be made profitable
at the necessarily slow rate of progress
through its many miles. Champlail
offers the same facilities, with abundan
water, at much smaller expense, ant
with but very brief detentions from
lockage. LIT the matter be thorough,
Investigated.
THESE Notings" are intended
primarily, to be helpful to the reader
helpful especially to the agriculture
and horticultural constituency of tn
paper; but, as most of its readers ar
aware, the field it claims to occupy i
not limited to the intensely practical o
technical side of the farmers trade
The editor aims to touch his reader
not solely as indu ,trial factors of sc
ciety, but also, and perhaps mainly, a
citizens and as men. Impertectly a
this idea may have been carried ou
it is an idea which took strong posses
sion of him years before ii had entere
his mind that he could ever be led c
called on to assume any such relatio
to the public as this. Always a readC
and student, not of books only, but {
men and ihin0s ahOut him and alwaN