Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-08-01
The Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes.
More than ever, says the jack
son Patriot, from conversation with
Col. E. Shoemaker, who recently
made the round trip from Detroit
to Duluth, by the new passenger
steamer North West, do we realize
the Importance of the commerce of
the great lakes, lying in the center
of this continent. The vessel ton
mage that passes through the 500
canal exceeds that of the Suez ca
nal, waterway that changed the
commerce of the eastern hemi-
sphere. Our inland commerce is
bound to increase as the country
grows older. Three-eights of the
area west of the Mississippi river is
nearer Duluth than Chicago, and
Denver is 125 miles nearer to the
city at the head Of Lake Superior
than it is to the city at the head of
Lake Michigan. If Canada was
only part of this country what a
waterway the st. Lawrence river
would be from the heart of Ameri-
ca to Europe! The state of Michi-
gan would occupy central position
in the new nation and on the shore
of one of these wonderful lakes
would rise, after awhile, the nation
al capital of the western world.
Only bad politics can prevent this
grand consummation.
We think of the commerce of the
great lakes with astonishment.
There are now 1891 vessels navi-
eating them, of which 1871 are
propelled by steam, 1905 are sail
ing vessels, and S25 are barges.
We remember when, by the aid of
land grant, the first canal was
constructed around the falls of st.
Mary. Only trifle over thirty
years ago Gov. Austin Bair appoint
ed George w. Brown its second SUI
perintendent. Since then, to ac-
commodate the millions of traffic,
the government has constructed a
new canal of larger capacity, which
fails to meet the prompt require
ments of business. Col. Shoemaker
says the North West had to wait
seven hours for its turn to be lock-
ed through into Lake Superior.
We have already referred to the
tonnage, but can make the compar-
ison still stronger by mentioning
the fact that the number of vessels
which passed through this cans al
last year was three times as many as
those which passed through the
Suez canal. And now the Canad-
ians are just completing a canal for
themselves around the falls on their
side of the river.
A good deal of the tonnage that
passes through the st. Mary's canal
goes directly to Europe by the We'll
land canal and the st. Lawrence
river. Wheat has been shipped
from Duluth to Great Britain for
nine cents bushel. A conscious
ness of the Importance Of the water
way in our own territory led the
Michigan Democracy to declare in
favor of a ship canal from Lake
Erie to the seaboard. The west is
beginning to understand its impor-
lance, and within a few years west
ern congressman will be asking
that the general government shall
make the Erie canal q free ship
canal navigable for ocean vessels.
Then the Canadian Northwest
will be anxious to unite both polit-
ically and commercially with the
Great Republic. In a few years
we will get over our small pox,
measles and other industrial erup-
tons, and enter upon new era of
health, peace and prosperity. We
shall not be towards and fools for
ever so far as free commerce is con-
cerned. We shall reform our land
system, giving equal opportunity to
all, cease to tax labor and its pro-
ducts, tax land values only, and
enter upon career of unparalleled
prosperity. Our cowardly politi-
clans are rapidly diving ont.