The herald., 1895-05-16

so anxious for the completion OF the
! work that l hesitate to devote much
| time to a topic with which. l know. you
are all necessarily familiar. The cheap
and rapid transportation of commodities
from one country TO another. and from
the producer 70 the consumer from the
point of surplus to the doint Of deficiency
is not only desirable. but absol ,teIy de-
manded By modern civilization. The
theory thar because the Almighty permit
ted the isthman junction OF North and
South America it must be impious for
man TO sever the connection, no longer
obtains among rational or informed men.
Yet we are confronted by many who sug
gest alleged reasons strongly resembling
| the absurd suggestion to which have
| Just alluded. Some of our inland states
| men afft ct to think that the project will
benefit the coast only. The unpatrIotic
and contracted view has been often over
turned. 1t has been frequently demon
| strated that tho nation cannot greatly
| prosper upon the coast without assisting
| the interior, nor vice versa. Then others
have intimated that obstacles are pre-
sented by the constitution. and that while
we may improve harbors and dig canals
within the United States for the purpose
of regulating interstate commerce. we
cannot do similar work abroad, nor even
| construct a lighthouse upon foreign soil,
although the constitution confers the
same authority to regulate our foreign
commerce that it grants with reference
to that which is domestic. California is
particularly interested in this enterprise.
1t may be interesting to note the enorm-
Gus saving in distances which will result.
"Senator Perkins called attention IN
making an address in the senate upon this
topic to the fact that when the Nicaragua
canal is completed the all-water route via
the canal will be several hundred miles
less from New York to the Pacific ocean
than any railway line across the conti-
nent. The shortest railroad communica-
tion from New York to the Tactic is
little over 1900 miles; whereas. by the
Nicaragua canal it will be but little over
$500 miles by an all-water route from the
metropolis Of the republic to the Pacific.
made partial estimate some time
ago of the business which California
must do through the Nicaragua canal.
As tending to show the business which
awaits the construction of this canal.
lind in the report before the senate par
tial statement OF transcontinental rail-
road traffic from California in 1890 where
it is said that that state exported from
the port of San Francisco 14s. 446, $50
pounds of canned and dried fruits. in
cluding ralsins; ,623. 867 cases of canned
salmon, 4.500.00 gallons OF wines and
brandy. 5734.12 pounds of hops and %
662 900 pounds of wool. fully 30 per cent of
which was transported by rail across the
continent. Portland. Seattle. Tacoma
and other cities we're also large exporters
OF like commodities. Quantities of SHIN
giles were shipped from Puget sound. and
all the places named were large importers
OF provisions by railroad. At a moderate
estimate this business amounted to 250.-
600 tons; total. 6.S12 $40 tonss. THE total
referred to includes the vast freight emu
merated OF page 30 of the report and de-
| scribed as coming from the various
sources therein set forth.
1.-THE California production in 1894, as
far as gathered. indicates better business
than that estimated by the promoters of
the canal.